Writing what you see is similar to painting what you see. Writing exercises keep the creative ideas flowing. I look at someone–a man with broad shoulders and dark hair, or a woman jogging on a treadmill–and I wonder how I would describe them.
Here is my description of someone I saw working at a small fish store on a pier:
We were at Avila Bay, south of San Luis Obispo, on California’s Central Coast, and a woman sold us fresh fish from her market on the pier at San Luis Bay. She was young, blond hair falling across her eye, and smiled wonderfully in response to our questions. She sounded like she wanted to please. She waited patiently as we asked questions about the crabs in the tank and when her store was open.
She was almost as tall as an average man. She wore a grey hooded sweatshirt, just baggy enough to soften the profile of her breasts.
