Now we've talked about saying yes and taking the leap into making memories, let's focus on how to retain them.
1. Take photos. You probably always have your phone on you, so make sure you're taking pictures of the things that interest you. It might be a building structure, the pigeon outside a cafe, a street performer - anything that seems interesting to you or relevant to the story you're writing.
Put these pictures into a special folder so you can find them easily to reference them when you're writing. Pictures can be really helpful if you're writing about something that's out of the ordinary for you, such as a different country or culture. This way you know you're being accurate about the more general things, and can also focus in on the nuances.
2. Bring your notebook. This is obviously less practical than taking a quick photo, but pictures only capture one dimension of a scene. Some things you might want to take note of include: smells, tastes, sounds, weather, etc. These can't necessarily be captured in a photo, but they'll add a lot more realism to your writing.
Another tip is to reference the photo in your notebook. For example, an entry might look like this:
6/7/19 - picture 27 - Northern Coast - lighthouse at sunset. Sounds - waves against the shore, seagulls, a ship's horn, wind. Smells - fresh air, salt, seafood restaurant nearby - garlic, fish, spice. Touch - the wind whipping my hair against my face and neck, smooth rocks under bare feet, wet sand, the heat of the sun slowly fading.
3. Live a day in the life of your character. What might they notice that you wouldn't - e.g. a dog's bark or a stray cat if they love animals; an aeroplane or hang glider; a particular species of tree or flower. Again, this is why it's so helpful to have pictures - there might be something that you miss that your character definitely wouldn't. It could even be down to perspective: your character might be taller or shorter than you, they might even be a child. Go into the shops that they would, not just the ones that you would; consider their reactions to things; what they would love and what they would hate.
Happy writing!
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