Sometimes there is magic in the mundane. The trick for all
writers, artists and photographers is to pay attention to one's surroundings.
From A Writer's Book of Days by Judy Reeves:
"..Describe the texture of moonlight on your
bedroom ceiling or the face of the old man down the street as he walked his
dog? 'The truth is in the details,' someone once said and the only way to know
the truth is to pay attention.
"Paying attention brings into focus the specificity not
only of good writing, but of mindful living. The great spiritual leader Thieh
Nhat Hanh said mindfulness is to be present in the present moment. It is in the
present moment you find the details that will enrich your writing and bring it
to life. "There is ecstasy in paying attention," said Anne Lamott.
"As you awaken in the morning, notice the light in your
room, the wrinkle of sheets, the smell of air. Be present as you go through
your day, mindful of such details as the mist rising from the orange you peel,
the ridges of pattern in the peel's colour that fade to yellow near the green
nub of stem and the stem's starlike pattern."
"...By paying attention and writing what you perceive,
you find your own truth and this is what you will pass on in your
writing." -Tara Bradford
