Observation is
the Answer
“Wow, where do I start? I really enjoyed the book, the way
things kept you hooked. I thought that you put great detail in
the story. How did you come up with such a story? It had a
little bit of everything in it.”
This was the response of Koby, a 12-year-old boy who read Jud’s
Journey with his family and wrote this critique.
How did I come up with such a story? Good question. Where does
a writer come up with such a story? I wondered about that myself
as I thought back on the different parts of this adventure story
of a pioneer boy crossing the plains. I certainly wasn’t there,
but were there experiences in my own life that had slipped into
the book? As I searched my memory I realized the answer was yes.
I was raised on a cattle ranch in south western Montana, so had a
first hand knowledge of wagons and horses. It’s true, my father
never had a team of oxen, but research taught me about their use
and dispositions. There are many deer and elk hunters in my
family so those descriptions came easily. I have never seen a
prairie fire, but have seen a number of forest fires and can
relate to their frightening power. In my book, the fire is
extinguished by a sudden unexpected hailstorm, much like one I
experienced with my family while camping one fourth of July. I
learned how to trap fish while teaching outdoor survival to a
Girl Scout troop. I’ve seen the results of a fierce windstorm in
the mountains above our summer home and experienced the
oppressive heat of hot dry summer days and the chilling cold of
below zero temperatures. I have climbed a mountain, been lost
in a dense forest, and heard the sounds of the forest including
the mournful cry of coyotes and the terrifying scream of a
mountain lion. I have walked through and photographed fields of
beautiful, fragile wild flowers, watched rainbow trout swim
lazily in a mountain stream and smelled the splash of the crystal
clear water on the wild mint and willows along the creek. I have
marveled at the morning light over the eastern horizon as dark
turns to daybreak and observed the beautiful colors and patterns
of many sunsets which have touched my emotions.
Writing about emotions also requires a personal search. Through
the years I have experienced the death of a small child in my
family, agonized at the tragic deaths of close friends as well as
the deaths of my own parent when I was very young. There have
also been many happy times. Thank goodness, life is not all
sadness. Hopefully, in all our lives, the happy days outnumber
the others. One thing I have learned is the amazing resilience
of the human spirit. I often draw on my own personal experiences
when writing of human emotions.
One of my hobbies is collecting descriptive phrases. Whenever I
read a book or article, I make a note of the good descriptive
phrases used by the author to paint a picture. Of course I never
use these phrases as they are written, but certainly do use them
for inspiration. I used to paint landscapes and while I was
learning, found that I saw color everywhere that I had never
noticed before. Since I started writing seriously, I hear more
sounds, smell more smells and observe my surroundings more
closely.
I often play a game with myself. When it storms, I write a
descriptive phrase in my mind of how it looks, smells and
sounds. If I like the result, I write it down for future use in
a story. When I see the sunrise over the eastern mountains or
the sunset to the west or observe our valley shrouded with smoke
from nearby forest fires, I do the same thing. When I attend
local basketball and baseball games, or observe the folks in a
crowned mall or airport and see someone or something interesting
I make a mental note. Perhaps it is the way two old friends greet
each other after a long separation or how loved ones say good
by. I used to sit in the airport on layovers and write
descriptions of the people I saw and try to imagine where they
were going and what their story was. One of my favorite places
to observe is in my daughter’s pre-school classes where sweet
innocent conversations and interactions are exchanged with total
untainted honesty.
Observe, observe, observe, is the answer to Koby’s question. I
realize that not everyone has the same personal experiences but
much can be learned from observing those around us. Descriptions
and story situations are all around us every day. They are free
for the taking. We have but to take advantage of our senses of
sight, sound, smell, and emotions, and let them fill in all the
details that make our story come to life.
By Fay Waldemar McCracken Author of Jud's Juourney, American Book
Publishing
