Step Up Your Observation Skills

As a writer, there are many key skills to develop. One of these skills is observation. Whenever I travel, I love to take a few quiet moments in the airport and people watch. Do you? It’s always fascinating and I can always learn something from the observation experience.

Throughout my work day as an editor and writer, I’m fairly isolated. I have my computer screen and my office environment. Other than on my phone and email, I do not have a great deal of face to face interaction with others.

What are you writing? Fiction? Then you need to sharpen your observation skills and build those observations into your characters.

On Right-Writing.com, I have an article from Laura Backes, Editor of The Children’s Insider about the Secrets of Great Characters. Part of her article says, “If you want to write convincing characters, I think it’s essential that you observe children of different ages close up. Make that children who aren’t your own; kids you can look at objectively. See how they interact, how they treat each other, how they treat the adults in their lives. Grown-ups have different purposes to kids at various ages, and the adult characters in your books should fill their appropriate roles. Each year of growth brings dramatic changes, and the division between boys and girls in social situations gets wider by the month. As a writer, you can’t simply increase the age of your characters by a year without reflecting numerous transformations that year brings.”

Laura’s words are true for the children’s writer—but also true for fiction and nonfiction. Whatever type of writing you are doing today—it will usually involve storytelling. The great magazine writing involves telling a good story and showing a character” or a person to the reader in your writing. It’s a challenge for each of us in our work as writers and editors. One key is to work at learning more each day and continuing to grow in your writing.

What are you doing today to grow your observation skills?

The Power of Observation

Between last Friday and Sunday, I spent nine hours on an airplane. That's what happens when you sign up to speak at a conference in Baltimore, Maryland and you live in the Phoenix area. Yes, I had a direct flight but any way you travel it is still 4.5 hours each way. It gives you a lot of time to work, catch up on some writing and reading while others are sleeping around you.

The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective by Andy Andrews is one of the books that I completed during the flights. Here's a quick read which could become one of the most important books that you read all year.

Andy tells about a man simply named Jones and his profound impact on his world around him through active observation. Jones doesn't just notice his world. He gets actively involved in the lives of different people that he notices--including a profound effect on Andy Andrews at a critical juncture.

When I read any book, I'm always intrigued with where they find the title for the book. Often it is early and other times it is buried deep in the book--like The Noticer when Andy describes an incident from years ago as a young man:

"Jones looked around at me and winked, then said to Jason, "I am a noticer. It is my gift. While others may be able to sing well or run fast. I notice things that other people overlook. And you know most of them are in plain sight." The old man cocked his head. "I notice things about situations and people that produce perspective. That's what most folks lack--perspective--a broader view. So I give 'em that broader view...and it allows them to regroup, take a breath, and begin their lives again." (page 130-131).

I recommend you read The Noticer but also I encourage you to follow Jones example and increase your personal power of observation and how you can impact the people around you.