A Writing Lesson from Andy Rooney

bydavidweitzel

22 followers

5 years ago

Andy Rooney, best known as the 33-year veteran commentator on the CBS Sunday night “60 Minutes” news program, died this past Friday at the age of 92. Less than a month ago he delivered his final essay on the show and headed into retirement.

If you have never seen or heard Andy deliver his commentary, or read any of his essays, you’ve missed out on experiencing one of the most relatable curmudgeons of all time. He commented on a wide range of topics, from wondering how to write an essay about yourself and why so much cotton is stuffed into medicine bottles to telling us why he likes things you can put things into, to serious criticism of war and politics. Sometimes the things he said got him into trouble but most of the time viewers watched because he was able to weave the slightest of observations into interesting commentary.

And that’s the writing lesson I want you learn from Andy Rooney—that observation is at the very core of finding writing ideas.

Whether you write for yourself or write for others you are expected to have an unending stream of ideas—creative, provocative and just downright GOOD. Clients expect magical prose to entice clients and customers to their products and services. Magazines want fresh perspectives that will attract and keep their readers coming back for more, and publishers want a hook for your book that seemingly snatches readers from thin air just by hearing its title. And if you have a blog, well, you know how demanding the schedule—and readers—can be.

You can meet and exceed those demands by using your powers of observation.

Eavesdrop

I’m not advocating that you become some sort of covert conversation intruder with your ear pressed up against a wall trying to hear the details of your neighbors’ argument. I’m talking about simply paying attention. Listen to the conversation going on behind you as you wait in line to order your double shot mocha latte with whipped cream and sprinkles (or, if you’re like me, a black coffee, please). Listen to radio interviews and news programs. Pay attention when you are in conversations with your family, friends, kids, coworkers or the person who mows your lawn, paints your house or fixes your plumbing. They are all constantly telling you what they – and others like them – want. Consider yourself always working (and writing)—talk less and listen more.

Read

Newspapers, ezines, product manuals, direct mail, blogs and tweets are excellent idea sources. Many of the topics I write about come from snippets of content I read somewhere else. Sometimes an interesting phrase becomes a great tagline for a client, an unanswered question is transformed into an article submission, or a brief mention that deserves more attention is turned into a blog post.

There is always “more to the story” that can be told if you gauge your reader’s eye with a writer’s perspective.

Watch

“People watching” is an underrated idea generator. Many years ago, a friend and I would occasionally take an afternoon trip to a museum, park, zoo or fair and spend the majority of our time watching others. We’d choose a nearby individual, couple or family and make up our own stories about where they came from and what their lives were like. One of our outings led to my writing my first published short story. But people watching can do more than stir up imaginative stories. When you tune out the sound, you tune in to the nuances of the action. For example, take a moment to watch a mom struggle to get her resistant toddler into a stroller at the mall. Look at her face—is she calm, frustrated, angry? Does she drop her pocketbook or other bags while trying to accomplish this feat? What emotion do you see on the child’s face? Fear? Defiance? Does a left shoe get kicked off during the commotion? Now look at the stroller. Is it too difficult to maneuver? Is it too small for the child? Is it impossible to keep stationary each time mom makes her attempt? What do bystanders do when they see the struggle? Take all of your observations and put them into an article pitch for a parenting magazine.

When you use your powers of observation, you will generate ideas for relatable content—content that centers on people’s truths. As Andy Rooney said in his final 60 Minutes commentary, “I probably haven’t said anything on “60 Minutes” that most of my viewers didn’t already know or had thought about. That’s what a writer does. A writer’s job is to tell the truth.”

Start observing the truths around you and you’ll never run out of writing ideas.