Develop A Writer's Eye

I think this is a rather fascinating photo, no words, just the hand holding a rose and what look like cloud formations. Do you ever raise your head to the sky and note that some clouds appear to be objects, animals, etc? Perhaps we all did it as children and continue as adults. 

The clouds here reminded me that we writers need to gaze with a writer's eye. Just by the nature of who we are, we should see more than the average person. Creative minds will be more imaginative when observing clouds. Or anything else.

What do you see in today's photo? I see a slender, feminine hand holding a beautiful red rose. Who, I wonder, presented it to her and for what reason. Why is she in the clouds? I see the North Wind wearing sunglasses ready to blow a chill across the Midwestern Plains. I see another face, but only the eyes, the rest of the face being masked. I see the bottom half of a nude woman's backside. I see a bat peering down to earth. I see mountains. Could  I write a story about all those images that my mind perceived? Probably. 

How about you? After you study the photo for a while, what do you see? What is the significance of the hand holding the rose? In the clouds. Or, are they clouds? Might they be something else? This is a marvelous photo to use for a writing exercise. 

Do you work at using your writer's eye as you go about your daily tasks? If you don't, you should. We've all heard that there is a story everywhere. True, but you have to be able to see it.

Try looking at and studying the people you see in the grocery store. Each one of them has a story, but you can use your writer's eye and create one. Take note of the little actions they make, things that might be habitual. Does that woman always brush her hair off her forehead? Why? What about the man who constantly clears his throat? Sick, allergies, or just a habit? Observing people can be a great help in creating characters in fiction writing. 

Driving down a busy street is another good place to use your writer's eye. Observe the many different cars and the people who drive them, as well as the way they drive. Do this only if you can do so and pay attention to your own driving. 

You can work on training your writer's eye at sporting events, a concert, or a parade. The important thing is to work on it consistently.