Random Forays: The eagle eye of the observant writer

Some of us write, out of sheer love for the exalted pursuit. Others write because of professional compulsions. But if they too are passionate about their skill, it verily becomes an art that bestows delight even when seemingly mundane.

The eagle-eyed writer, who is always “on” as an observer and thinker, is the one who enjoys the process the most. Not for him a regular routine or regimen to be followed out of compulsion. He is one who lives and loves every fragment of reality and considers it to be his glorious canvas.

No subject is beyond his reach, no peak is unapproachable. He has left behind his inhibitions and has embraced a sense of creative freedom that allows him to just “be”, while expressing himself. The written word lends itself to a sense of finality by nature and the roving writer salivates at the prospect of creating permanence with panache.

Isaac Asimov put it so beautifully when he said: “Writing, to me, is simply thinking, through my fingers!” The fingers that type or scribble are merely appendices to the mind of a passionate writer. He simply loses all sense of time and place when absorbed deeply in the process of conjuring up a masterpiece. A competitive swimmer or cyclist does not need to think excessively while practising his sport. He simply grits his teeth and goes about his business to the best of his ability and energy. His muscle memory does the rest. But a writer is involved in an endeavour, which entails the utter absorption of his mind into it. His mind will recall facts, generate ideas, craft sentences and pour out emotions if appropriate, into the written word.

Each word must jostle for pride of place in a write-up. A writer must be brutal while editing his own creation and should learn to let go of attachment to his own labours. Using flowery language and unending sentences might not ensure the impactful quality that he had hoped to manufacture. An apt adjective or a flowing phrase, even if simple, might please the reader more.

But the caravan of thoughts at the root of each piece of writing could have been formed in his mind long before the actual construction of sentences would begin. His observant mind and quick eye may have noticed plenty in the world around him in the foregoing period of time. A writer who is romantically inclined or atleast wishes to create a romantic passage will gaze at all around him in the same light. Thus, even an airport setting will appeal to his romantic avatar. Each individual walking into sight would, for him, resemble a Rhett Butler or a character essayed by Shahrukh Khan! Romantic scenarios would serenade each other in his mind even if he would be in the process of showing his boarding pass to the counter clerk!

A writer of mysteries would eye most people with suspicion by virtue of his own fixated mindset. He would create situations in his mind which would potentially be out of the ordinary and even a bell boy could turn into a dacoit! The writer of non-fiction is more pragmatic of course, but even he could be in a specific zone that screens out other aspects of life. And thus a travel writer would surely notice ticket counters and ease of access to heritage sites.

Authors like Leo Tolstoy could write tomes on each scenario of course, their minds’ eyes being as powerful as their memories. Most of us are able to describe only a fraction of what the world actually presents before us.

But it is the knack and the innate habit of being a natural observer by nature, coupled with the skill of recollecting and recording details later, which stands out. My maternal grandfather used to advise me to maintain a diary to record notable happenings from each day. Somehow, I turned out to be less meticulous than he had hoped. But his urge to plunge into the ocean of written words definitely had a salutary effect on me. And I often feel that he still reads each word that I write, long years after he ascended to the heavens.

vivek.atray@gmail.com