Semi-bored, I sauntered through the Sherlock Holmes exhibit. A passel of schoolchildren entered the hallway and careened along its blacken walls. I winced. Turning to my right, I glanced a casual side-eye to spot the piece of paper. It seemed an afterthought in the glass case until I read its message. Eerily appropriate for this day, this time. Indeed, my life this year:
Holmes’ words around “The Art of Observation” propelled me back to his era. As quickly, my mind jerked me back to where I stood. A whipsaw journey for an ex-reporter absorbing too much of daily surroundings, fast-forwarding to a writer determined to grow her storytelling skills. Further afield lies a chauffeur-in-waiting, prepping for a 19-day road trip.
Was the Universe trying to tell me something?
I stopped and turned back around. The rousing antics of youngsters faded away. I leaned in to peer beneath the glass. Sherlock Holmes’ advice about seeing but not observing left me blushing “guilty!” He wrote of inspiration, forensic science, discovery.
I read on and begin to substitute words. Personalize. Connect. Words written in the 19th century morph into new meaning in the 21st.
Storyteller becomes detective, exploring the why of characters doing things as they do, propelled by setting, mood, temperature, intangibles awaiting discovery.
“I am a writer; observation begins everything in my profession.”
My heart pounds, remembering what’s approaching. A road trip through three states across 19 days. With a fellow observer. There’s something for both of us to see, observe. Discover.
Thanks for the reminder, Sherlock. Or is that “thanks, Sir”?
We’re all detectives — or can be — if we see lightly, observe deeply.
