David Sedaris’s Tips for Observation as Inspiration

One of America's preeminent humor writers, David Sedaris is known for his sardonic wit and incisive social critiques. He writes about his own life in essay collections and non-fiction books, from his childhood in upstate New York to his high school years in Raleigh, North Carolina. He often weaves in hilarious anecdotes that include his parents and his five siblings—Paul, Gretchen, Tiffany, Lisa, and Amy Sedaris—or his partner Hugh.

First recognized for his story Santaland Diaries which he read on NPR’s Morning Edition in 1992, Sedaris’s writing career has spanned almost three decades. He’s been nominated for five Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word Album and Best Comedy Album, and received the Thurber Prize for American Humor. He and his sister, Amy—a writer and performer—write plays under the name The Talent Family that run at the La Mama Theater in New York City. Their shows include The Book of Liz, Incident at Cobbler’s Knob, and Stump the Host.

Here are ten works for which David Sedaris is known:

1. 1. Barrel Fever (1994)
2. 2. Naked (1997)
3. 3. Holidays on Ice (1997)
4. 4. Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000)
5. 5. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (2004)
6. 6. When You Are Engulfed in Flames (2008)
7. 7. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary (2010)
8. 8. Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls (2013)
9. 9. Theft By Finding: Diaries (1977-2002) (2017)
10. 10. Calypso (2018)

David is one of the funniest observant writers, often writing about the human condition vis a vis his own life experience. Here are four of his writing tips for observing the world:

1. 1. Document your observations. Begin to keep a diary, a habit of jotting down details you notice in the world. Keeping a diary where you write down things that happen to you, things you find funny or interesting, dialogue you overhear and love, and character traits, will help you see the world differently. Tuning in to your surroundings will open you to moments that could become stories and the parts of your world that belong in your writing.
2. 2. Ask people questions about themselves. Don’t ask people questions that don’t lead anywhere (“How are you?”). If you ask more interesting questions, you’ll get more interesting answers. Part of your job as a nonfiction writer is to live with your boots on the ground, meaning you’re learning, observing, and actively attempting to have meaningful connections with people. To write about the world, you have to be in the world. Think of a series of questions to ask strangers throughout your day. Experiment. Look for questions that encourage people to tell you more about themselves. Make a habit of being in the moment and watching people’s faces for reactions to your questions. Note which answers delight you or surprise you or make you laugh. Write these responses in your diary.
3. 3. Let the moment play out. If you’re observing someone, let the situation play out naturally instead of drawing attention to it by taking notes as it’s happening. People might feel self-conscious if they see your notebook, or, even worse, they’ll become aware of the way they’re being observed by you. That will alter or shut down what might have happened without the notebook. You can always jot down notes once the moment is over.
4. 4. Eavesdrop. Practice eavesdropping. Listen as strangers recount incidents from their own lives and then link those random conversations to something meaningful in your own life. Use the strangers’ conversations and the related incident from your own life to start an essay.
5. 5. Turn your observations into essays. Many of your diary entries will be short and good for a laugh. Some will be longer and will feel more meaningful. The trick is to learn when and where you can make an incident in your diary—a short anecdote or a funny vignette—part of something deeper and larger and, therefore, turn it into a full essay.

One of the best writing activities you can do is employ your powers of observation. Here is how becoming a better observer improves your writing skills:

1. 1. Observation adds realism to your writing. People often think of the mind as the writing center from which ideas flow. But to create a multidimensional world in your writing, you need to use all of your faculties. Being an observer engages all of your senses to inspire descriptive details in your writing. Slow down and zoom in on the world around you. You’ll learn to use this in your writing to create a rich, multi-layered text that readers can see, smell, hear, and touch. Every piece of writing relies on sensory details to deliver a great story.
2. 2. Observation allows you to write believable characters. Sit somewhere in public and watch real people. Observe how they are in the world. Listen in on nearby conversations. Then give yourself a writing assignment. Write an observational essay in first person about a character you saw. Think of the main points of their character you want to convey. Keep it in the present tense to make it active, describing the details of their behavior and movements.
3. 3. Observation helps generate ideas. Writers spend a great deal of time trying to think of ideas. Many writers, like David Sedaris, are prolific journalers. Journaling is a resource for good observation—it can lead to essay topics that eventually become books. Start keeping a diary and write your observations.

Whether you're just starting to put pen to paper or dream of being published, writing demands time, effort, and commitment to the craft. In award-winning essayist and humorist David Sedaris's MasterClass, learn how to sharpen your powers of observation, how to translate what you see, hear, and experience in the real world into memorable stories, and how to grow as a writer.

Want to become a better writer? The MasterClass Annual Membership provides exclusive video lessons on storytelling, character development, and the path to publication, all taught by literary masters, including David Sedaris, Malcolm Gladwell, Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume, Dan Brown, and more.