Mystery Shopping to Make Me a Better Writer

Yes, that’s what I said. I am mystery shopping as a way to make me a better writer. (Because having two paying jobs isn’t enough to keep me insanely overloaded that I am doing some mystery shopping as well.) Shhh! Don’t blow my cover.

The irony is that I HATE to shop and I am not always the most observant gal on the block. Only recently did I realize that 99.9% of the female population plucks their eyebrows. I’m serious. I didn’t even notice my front teeth are slightly at a tilt until my mother mentioned it to me–last year.

So why the heck am I mystery shopping? Well, I can’t resist a challenge. I am always looking for new adventures. Plus, I am such a reluctant shopper and get so easily turned off shopping, stores, over-eager/apathetic employees and the way they make me feel that I ROCK at getting that whole shopping experience vibe thing companies are looking for in their mystery shoppers.

But what it all really comes down to is that I am intuitive and I don’t always see those details. Yet, every time I have a mystery shopping job, I am given a little lesson in observation before I go out. I am given a list of things to look for. And so, when I am out, it is like I am flexing that muscle and collecting sensory details that I normally overlook.

And guess where I am putting all those little observed details like gum wrappers on the floor, eye rolls, and homemade retail signs? That’s right, I’m putting them in my writer’s arsenal.

Writing Exercise

I typed out the first few pages of a favourite read and I learned a lot about how the author used a ‘throw away’ character to lay her backstory, introduce us to the main character as well as to set her scene. By the end of the first five pages, the reader actually had a pretty good feel for the character, without even realising it. (Which is particularly tricky, seeing as it is a sequel and you don’t want to bore or insult continuing readers.) As well, she lays down short, abrupt sentences that don’t trip the grammar meter in Word. Tricky.

It was cool to job shadow a pro. If you could call it that.

Now how to apply this to my own writing…