Do It Every Day

Do it every day. Make a habit of putting your observations into words and gradually this will become instinct. This is the most important rule of all and, naturally, I don't follow it.

GEOFF DYER

Comments

[Anora McGaha]

You select excellent quotes. A real treasure. To understand my fascination and focus on writing, I thought back to when I first started writing. Aside from letters, which definitely stretched my writing skills over time, I started "putting my observations into words" by silently narrating what I saw in my mind. It was/is a way remember it. We traveled a lot, moved every year or two, toured a lot sightseeing. Everything was fleeting, and many sights were so gorgeous I was desperate to capture something of them to keep. Since I began this in grade school and am now in my 50s, it is definitely instinctive now, narrating my life with observations as I go. There are dimensions to explore about that - like whether the focus on a silent narrating process reduces the awareness of physical sensations, but that's another topic. Putting your observations into words definitely makes writing easier. Practice, practice, practice.