Stopping to Look
Taking the time to stop and look at scenes and situations is important to writing.
Faylene and I were talking this morning about catching each other watching the other. Sometimes we know it is happening but often one of us is busy while the other one ‘secretly’ watches. It’s been a little over nine years we have been doing this, and it never gets old. For a few moments when I stop to watch her, I often see special little details about her and ponder the wonder of it all. It often leads to a written note.
She recently showed me a portion of her HUGE phone picture gallery. I find she has taken many photographs of me watching scenes in front of me. She says I have this look and stance when I am doing it. Sure enough, there is something consistent about those photos. Not only does she record the moments with photography, but the moments frequently lead to stories.
When I take the time to observe and commit scenes to memory, the words come easier when I need the scenes to come alive on the pages. Blogs or booklets or presentation points come out of many of those stop-and-look moments.
Consider this: there are no formal courses in schools on deliberate observation, yet most disciplines require the skill. Writing certainly does.
Isn’t that interesting?
