Surprise Party!

Not really. However, the third chapter in Murray's text is all about surprise. I think that the first paragraph really sums up his idea of surprise:

"The best writers seek surprise, delight in what they do not expect to find. They come to the story with a focus, an expectation, but they treasure the contradiction, the traitor fact, the quotation that goes against the grain, the unexpected that reveals."

I also found his "study" that he did while at the supermarket to be rather interesting, as well. While none of these observations would make for a very good story, it shows that he always has his eye out for when a story does present itself.