Observe to Write

Observing your world will help you be a better writer. Looking at scenery, people and events with a careful eye for detail and nuance will become an invaluable tool as you write your next scene or dialogue or description. Most of us tend to rush through our lives barely noticing our surroundings. As a writer, you have to slow down the pace and take in as much detail as you can, making mental notes or actual physical notes for later use. The finest detail like a crack in the sidewalk or the coloring of a leaf, or the whimsical upturn of a smile may be just the detail you will be searching for in your next writing project. And that detail you've noticed and catalogued will be there for you to access when you need it most. Nothing is too small or inconsequential for a writer's mind. It is in the details, the minutiae, that writers are able to find meaningful connections. And it is sometimes the simplest of details that can carry the most profound meaning. Readers relate more to details than to generalizations, especially if the details are memorable. Not only noticing details in your world but making meaningful connections between them will enrich both your writing life and your readers' experience.