Observation

Writers must be very observant.  This is not my strength, sadly. But every skill can be strengthened with practice, even observation.  One of the best things you can do to improve your writing is to use the character's senses, all of them, as often as possible.  Sometimes I like to create a little scenario and try to write the scene including all five senses.  This is part observation and part imagination, but it strengthens the use of all five senses.

Here is an example of a scenario.  Would you like to try writing about this scene?

 Let's say a character fell into a cold river.  He has been rescued and is suffering from hypothermia, trying to warm up near a campfire.  Try to describe his experience using all five senses. How would you describe the ache from nearly frozen feet?  The scent of the fire?  The colors of the fire that are so hypnotizing?  The sound of voices of his rescuers, muted because of the water in his ears?  Does he still hear the rushing river?  Can he hear his own heartbeat? Maybe he tastes blood in his mouth.  Maybe he has the bitter taste of black coffee in his mouth.  Even if you have not experienced this yourself, combine observation and imagination to make it as real as possible.

Having fun yet?  Maybe you are ready then for this challenging writing prompt. What if a character did not have the use of one of his senses?  His other senses might be even more sensitive.