The writer’s mindset: 7 ways to see the world like a writer
The world is talking—Are you listening?
I recently studied for a masterclass on thriller writing with Harlan Coben. It felt uncannily as if he were my (much more successful) twin brother. Harlan takes notebooks with him everywhere in case he has an idea and needs to write it down.
I have a whole suite of notebooks - one for each novel I’m working on; a notebook for ideas; a notebook by my bed. A teeny notebook that fits in my handbag. A notebook for taking notes on books, podcasts and lectures.
I also seem to have an identical rucksack-packing-strategy to Harlan.
‘Confession: In that backpack of mine I don’t have just one notebook; I have several. I have seven or eight pens. I have a couple of snacks in there as well.
I’m always ready to write. If you wait for the right moment, the right moment will never come. If I arrive early for a meeting, I take out my stuff and get down to work.’
Harlan Coben
Confession: I also arrive early for meetings so I can get a little writing done.
Having a notebook with you at all times means you can catch ideas. If you wait to write them down, they’ll have slipped away.
But notebooks are more than a place to hoard ideas. They train your mind to be open—to see, to question, to make connections. They help you cultivate the writer’s mindset.
‘Leave your mind always open, on the setting I call “engaged”.’
Harlan Coben
You see, the difference between a writer and everyone else? Attention. Writers don’t just move through the world; they pay attention to it.
We notice the way light catches in a puddle, how a stranger hesitates before crossing the road, the way a child hums to themselves when they think no one’s listening.
Because it’s there—in those moments—that stories live.
As Natalie Goldberg put it:
“Writers live twice. They go along with their regular life… but there’s another part of them that they have to get to, write about, and think about.”
So, how do you start thinking like a writer?
Here are my seven suggestions to help you acquire a writer’s mindset.
1. Cultivate Curiosity: The Art of Asking Why
Writers are nosy. Not in the eavesdrop on your neighbours and take notes kind of way (although, let’s be honest, we’ve all done that). It’s about looking at the world with relentless curiosity.
Why is that man wearing a white suit to walk his dog? What made that woman suddenly check her phone and turn away? What’s the real story behind that perfectly-presented house with its manicured garden and picture-postcard family?
The best writers don’t just accept the surface—they dig beneath it.
‘A writer takes that real-life moment and asks, what if?’
Harlan Coben
2. Observe: Writing With Your Senses
Most people glance at the world. Writers study it.
A storm isn’t just ‘rain’ to a writer—it’s the way wet leaves slap against the pavement, the way thunder rattles inside your ribs, the smell of wet tarmac after the first heavy drops.
Good writing is specific. It pulls the reader in through the senses.
If you described a place without naming it, could someone guess where you are just from the sounds, the textures, the way the air feels?
3. Capture the Ephemeral: Because You Will Forget
You think you’ll remember that brilliant idea. You won’t.
‘I go everywhere with my notebook. In my notebook I’ll put phrases, ideas, memories, things I overhear – and you must do this too. Don’t let things disappear because then you will have forgotten or lost them.’
Carol Ann Duffy
Inspiration is fickle. It strikes at inconvenient moments—mid-conversation, in the shower, on a run. If you don’t catch it, it’s gone. (Harlan Coben keeps a waterproof notebook in his shower. Just saying.)
Keep a notebook, use your phone’s voice notes, scrawl things on receipts if you have to. Just get them down.
4. Pattern Recognition: Where Ideas Collide
The more you collect, the more connections you start to see.
That strange dream you had last week? That newspaper headline? That woman in the green coat you saw twice in one day? Maybe they belong in the same story.
Writers don’t always invent from scratch. We notice things and assemble them.
‘A great story usually involves two or three ideas that lock together in some mutually supportive way. Ideas are like atoms. Two or three will combine to make a stable molecule.’
Lee Child
5. The Power of Questions: Beyond ‘What If?’
‘What if?’ is a classic writer’s trick, but don’t stop there. Try asking:
Why does this moment matter?
What’s the untold story here?
How does this connect to something universal?
If you only ever ask ‘What if?’, you’ll generate ideas. If you ask deeper questions, you’ll generate stories.
6. Embrace the Mundane: Nothing is Too Small
A chipped coffee cup. A slight hesitation before a handshake. The way someone checks their watch before giving an answer.
Great writing often comes from the smallest details. The ordinary, seen in the right way, becomes extraordinary.
Train yourself to notice.
7. Train Your Subconscious: Becoming a Story Magnet
The more you do this—pay attention, ask questions, take notes—the more ideas come to you.
Your brain starts working like a writer’s whether you realise it or not. Suddenly, ideas will appear when you least expect them.
Writing is a Way of Seeing
The poet Carol Ann Duffy makes lists of words in her notebooks. Words that resonate with her. Sometimes those words will unlock memories, stories from her past, stories from her childhood.
She says, ‘Think of the words you’ve gathered in your notebook as the paint on your palette. Try combining the different colours to see where they take you. You won’t know where in advance, but you will discover something along the way.’
Thinking like a writer isn’t about waiting for inspiration to strike. It’s about training yourself to notice—to tune in to the world’s details, whispers and hidden stories.
It’s about seeking out ideas.
So get yourself a notebook. A beautiful one. Start writing things down.
The world is already talking to you. Your job is to listen.
The Writer’s Mindset Exercises
Here are a few tasks you might like to try - just for a week. See what stories start to emerge.
The Stranger’s Story – Watch someone (discreetly!) and invent their backstory. Why are they here? What are they thinking?
Sensory Scene-Setting – Describe a place using all five senses without naming it in such a way that someone could guess where you are.
The ‘What If?’ Game – Write down ten ‘What if?’ questions based on things you notice today, or overhear at the school gates, in the staff canteen.
Notebook Roulette – If you already keep notes, flick through an old one. Find two random things and connect them into a story idea.
Ordinary to Extraordinary – Pick a mundane object and describe it as if it were magical or terrifying.
Make a list of words or phrases that are important to you – Do they spark a hidden story? Prompt a memory? Like the paint in a palette, try combining random words. What will they generate?
One Week, One Notebook – Carry a notebook for a week. Fill it with observations, overheard phrases, and ideas. At the end, look for patterns.
Let me know how you get on!
Thank you for this wonderful post. The note you made about the couple in Lidl reminded me of a couple that I overheard in my local Co -Op today discussing fruit (bananas) and they had a little bicker about it, unbeknown to them it made me chuckle. They may just feature in one of my short stories somewhere one day. Everything and everyone is potential inspiration when you are a writer. I best grab my notebook and pen.
Love a good notebook!