How to Train Your Writer’s Eye: 7 Ways to Improve Observation Skills for Better Writing

From Edie: Sharpen your observation skills and notice details like a writer. Learn 7 practical ways to train your writer’s eye, beat distraction, and create richer, more vivid writing.

How to Train Your Writer’s Eye: 7 Ways to Improve Observation Skills for Better Writing

By Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Writers are an observant lot.

We notice the tiny things other people overlook—a change in tone, a flicker of emotion, a half-finished sentence. We collect details the way some people collect souvenirs. An overheard conversation can spark the plot of an entire novel. A single moment in a grocery store can become a scene that refuses to leave us alone.

But there’s a problem for writers in today’s world.

We’re surrounded by noise.

Not just the loud kind, either. The constant pull of distraction, especially on our phones, with notifications and scrolling. But also just in life in general as we find ourselves rushing, multitasking, and trying to catch up. All of this makes it harder to stay present long enough to truly observe. And when we stop observing, our writing slowly starts to flatten out. Our words become less textured. Less alive.

That’s why I believe every writer needs to practice something I call focusing the writer’s eye.

Observation might come naturally, but like any skill, it grows sharper with intention. Here are seven tips to help us focus our writer’s eye, so we can capture the world with greater clarity and translate what we see onto the page with power.

7 Tips to Hone Your Observation Skills

1. Stop hearing, and start listening

The world is full of words, but most of the time we don’t actually listen. Instead we filter. We skim conversations the same way we skim headlines.

Writers can’t afford that.

Slow down. Pay attention not only to what’s said, but how it’s said:

• clipped or flowing
• tense or relaxed
• playful, bitter, defensive, uncertain

Listening is how we learn what’s happening under the surface. And under the surface is where story lives.

Try this: The next time you’re in public, listen for one sentence that makes you curious. Write it down (without names). Then write a paragraph that imagines what’s happening behind it.

2. Search out the music

Spoken language has rhythm. Some people speak in short bursts, like a drumbeat. Others tell stories that spiral and wander before landing where they meant to go.

As writers, it’s our job to capture that music on the page.

Pay attention to:

• pauses
• repetition
• word choice
• emotional emphasis

The same sentence can feel completely different depending on the cadence.

Try this: Listen to two people telling the same kind of story (a complaint, a celebration, a memory). Write one paragraph in each voice.

3. Follow what was said—even if it wasn’t meant

One of the best sparks for creativity comes from accidental phrasing.

I once overheard someone talk about another person’s “downfail.”

No, that’s not a typo—he meant “downfall.”

But downfail made me stop.

Because downfall sounds final. Dramatic. Like a collapse.

Downfail sounds like a slow erosion. A series of small choices. A gradual drifting.

One misplaced word led to a deeper idea.

Writers don’t just hear what people mean. We pay attention to what they actually say—because that’s where surprising truth often hides.

Try this: Keep a notes file called “Almost Words.” Add misused phrases, funny expressions, and accidental metaphors. They’re gold.

4. Paint a picture with words

Look at something that intrigues you and recreate it on the page—not with a list of details, but with the essence.

The goal isn’t to describe everything. It’s to make the reader feel what we felt.

Try noticing:

• light and shadow
• color and contrast
• texture
• movement
• emotional atmosphere

Try this: Choose one ordinary object (a mug, a mailbox, a shoe). Write 5 sentences describing it as if it mattered deeply to someone.

5. Expand your vocabulary on purpose

We live in a world of shortcuts. Emojis. Slang. One-word reactions.

But words are our tools.

Yes, the average adult may know tens of thousands of words. But most people use only a fraction of them. Writers should be the exception. Not because we’re showing off, but because precision matters.

The right word can unlock a feeling.

Try this: When you’re tempted to write “sad,” “happy,” “angry,” or “tired,” pause. Choose a more vivid word:

• weary, hollow, raw, tender, brittle, simmering, relieved, stunned

6. Stretch your creative muscles

One of the fastest ways to sharpen our observation skills is to write outside our comfort zones.

• If you write fiction, try poetry.
• If you write nonfiction, try flash fiction.
• If you write devotionals, try dialogue.
• If you write short articles, try scene.

Even if we never publish those experiments, practicing them will help us begin seeing differently. What follows is a richness and depth to our writing. 

Try this: Write a 150-word scene with no internal thoughts, only action and dialogue.

7. Practice like it matters (because it does)

Every artist learns their medium by showing up.

Not perfectly. Not always inspired. But consistently.

Observation isn’t just a gift—it’s a discipline. And practice trains our minds to notice faster, deeper, and more truthfully.

Try this: Take a 10-minute “noticing walk.” No headphones. No phone scrolling. Just look. When you come home, write down 10 things you noticed that you wouldn’t have seen yesterday.

A Simple 7-Day Writer’s Eye Challenge

Want a practical way to grow?

Choose one tip above and practice it every day for a week.

Small practice. Big results.

Because the more you train your writer’s eye, the more your writing will feel alive—full of nuance, emotion, and beauty that readers can’t look away from.

What are some ways you sharpen your observation skills? What tips do you have? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comment section below. 

Don't forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

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How to Train Your Writer’s Eye: 7 Ways to Improve Observation Skills for Better #Writing from @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Edie uses the truths God has taught her as an author, photographer, and blogger to encourage others. She’s learned to embrace the ultimate contradiction of being an organized creative. As a sought-after speaker, she’s empowered and challenged audiences across the country and around the world. Her numerous books reflect her passion to help others call on God’s strength during challenging times, often using creativity to empower this connection. She also knows the necessity of Soul Care and leads retreats, conferences, and workshops on ways to use creativity to help strengthen our connection with God. 

She and husband Kirk have been married 44+ years with three grown sons and four grandchildren. They live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and can often be found with their big black dog hiking the mountains.