Blog by VONNIE DAVIS -- International, Award-Winning Romance Author: Adventurous...Humorous...Amorous.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

A Writer's Eyes...

Writers tend to look at the world in a different way. We scan newspaper articles, especially those short fillers, for story ideas. We watch news clips for something to twist and turn into a plot. At restaurants and the mall, we observe people: how they dress, how they interact with others and how they talk. After all, we can't create realistic characters if we don't study the human race.

We watch the world around us and try to explain to ourselves what it is we see, so we can write about it when the need arises--the color and shapes of clouds, the sound of a motorcycle, the feel of a biting arctic wind, the animated beauty of a child or the serene joy of two senior citizens holding hands.

We read printed material and online references for research. In short, we use our eyes not only to see this world, but to create our fictictional worlds. Our eyes are tools of our trade.

For this reason, as well as the usual ones, we get our vision checked on a regular basis. And as one ages--and I shudder as I use the "A" word--our eyes are prone to change. Today my eye doctor told me my cataracts are getting worse, not bad enough to require surgery, but given time they will. Currently, the proceedure and healing times are more a nuisance than a risk; in other words, the surgery is no biggie. He also informed me that I have macular degeneration, which kept unchecked, can cause blindness. So, I'm doing all I can to stop its progression--avoiding cigarette smoke, eating healthy and taking Occuvite (vitamins for the eyes). Unfortunately what vision I've lost is lost; it's not something one can reverse.

So, to all you writers, keep your eyes healthy. They are your memory banks, your tools and the apparatus by which you breath life into your words.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I'm sorry to hear about the mac diagnosis. My husband's grandmother is 92 years old and is totally blind from the disease. She has about 20% peripheral. She used to send us birthday cards and little letters in the mail. She can't do that anymore, but she does line dancing with her walker and loves to shop!
You are so "write" about the writer's brain and the eyes always a-studying. In the past, I wrongly assumed this meant that I should be a psychologist. I always put writing on the back burner. When I was growing up, being a writer wasn't considered a worthy, paying pursuit.