--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing is seeing. It is paying attention." description: "\"Writing is seeing. It is paying attention.\" — Kate DiCamillo" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/kate-dicamillo-599_attention_writing-is-seeing-it-is-paying-attention_1662419.png" --- # Writing is seeing. It is paying attention. ![“Writing is seeing. It is paying attention.” quote by Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/kate-dicamillo-599_attention_writing-is-seeing-it-is-paying-attention_1662419.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/kate-dicamillo-599_attention_writing-is-seeing-it-is-paying-attention_1662419.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/kate-dicamillo-599_attention_writing-is-seeing-it-is-paying-attention_1662419.png) > “Writing is seeing. It is paying attention.” [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing requires attentive observation; seeing is a form of paying attention. **In simple terms:** Writing is about noticing. Key Takeaway Cultivate attentiveness before writing. Themes creativity mindfulness observation Mood inspired contemplative Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - journaling - research - teaching - daily life Key Concepts writing process artistic practice Questions to Reflect On - What do you notice daily? - How does attention improve your writing? A Different Perspective May overlook skill development. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Paying Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paying-attention/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I cannot find any patience for those people who believe that you start writing when you sit down at your desk and pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-cannot-find-any-patience-for-those-people-who-believe-that-you/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [The key to overcoming resistance to change is to frame your actions and continually adjust them as you move forward to so that those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-d-friedman/the-key-to-overcoming-resistance-to-change-is-to-frame-your-actions/) [Stewart D. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-d-friedman/) > [When you are dealing with a mass movement, as opposed to a quote-unquote "elite," you are talking to people who don't have time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/when-you-are-dealing-with-a-mass-movement-as-opposed-to-a-quote/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [We must work on our souls, enlarging and expanding them. We do so by experiencing all of life-the beauty and the joy as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/we-must-work-on-our-souls-enlarging-and-expanding-them-we-do-so-by/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [There is meaning in all things. But are you paying attention?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/there-is-meaning-in-all-things-but-are-you-paying-attention/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Paying attention and awareness are universal capacities of human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/paying-attention-and-awareness-are-universal-capacities-of-human/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [Staring at her face, she began to fancy her outer layer had begun to melt away while she wasn't paying attention, and something --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/staring-at-her-face-she-began-to-fancy-her-outer-layer-had-begun-to/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [ \[If\] we can celebrate that in a way that celebrates our love for New England as well as our love for the Italian culture… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/if-we-can-celebrate-that-in-a-way-that-celebrates-our-love-for-new/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [If we never leave our house except to drive to work, do we need to be even remotely aware of this powerful, humbling, extraordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/if-we-never-leave-our-house-except-to-drive-to-work-do-we-need-to-be/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I think in any writing you're paying attention to detail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/i-think-in-any-writing-you-re-paying-attention-to-detail/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [We often miss hearing God's voice simply because we aren't paying attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/we-often-miss-hearing-god-s-voice-simply-because-we-aren-t-paying/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Niches set back in the walls contained polished marble statues of entwined bodies. Will looked away from them hastily, and then back. It wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/niches-set-back-in-the-walls-contained-polished-marble-statues-of/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I want people to just be paying attention even if they're not necessarily laughing at something, or if it takes them a while to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-want-people-to-just-be-paying-attention-even-if-they-re-not/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [I want my whole life to be a great work of art, not just my art. And that means paying attention to my entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel/i-want-my-whole-life-to-be-a-great-work-of-art-not-just-my-art-and/) [Jewel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel/) > [There is a nationwide shortage of drugs for Attention Deficit Disorder. The FDA says they're not sure how it happened. I guess somebody wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/there-is-a-nationwide-shortage-of-drugs-for-attention-deficit/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) ## More by Kate DiCamillo > [In luggage claim at the Minneapolis airport, the guy came up to me and said, "Maybe you're wrong, maybe stories do matter." I wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/in-luggage-claim-at-the-minneapolis-airport-the-guy-came-up-to-me-and/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [“If every babe who cried were still alive, well, then, the world would be a very crowded place, indeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/if-every-babe-who-cried-were-still-alive-well-then-the-world-would-be/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [My father leaving the family shaped who I was and how I looked at the world. By the same token, my father telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/my-father-leaving-the-family-shaped-who-i-was-and-how-i-looked-at-the/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [Reader, you may ask this queston. In fact, you must ask this question. Is it ridiculous for a very small, sickly, big-eared mouse to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/reader-you-may-ask-this-queston-in-fact-you-must-ask-this-question-is/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [It wasn't until my fifth or sixth book where I realized I'm trying to do the same thing in every story I tell, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/it-wasn-t-until-my-fifth-or-sixth-book-where-i-realized-i-m-trying-to/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [ \[He\] had the soul of a poet, and because of this, he liked very much to consider questions that had no answers. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/he-had-the-soul-of-a-poet-and-because-of-this-he-liked-very-much-to/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [Everything about writing is hard for me except for that - the names pop into my head. That's one of the reasons why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/everything-about-writing-is-hard-for-me-except-for-that-the-names-pop/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [Reading a story should be a fabulous, wonderful thing. The most important thing that parents can do for kids is to read with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/reading-a-story-should-be-a-fabulous-wonderful-thing-the-most/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [You have to learn how to write each book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/you-have-to-learn-how-to-write-each-book/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [“If you have no intention of loving or being loved then the whole journey is pointless”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/if-you-have-no-intention-of-loving-or-being-loved-then-the-whole/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have found what I am supposed to do and to get to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/i-feel-like-the-luckiest-person-in-the-world-to-have-found-what-i-am/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [“Everything, as you well know (having lived in this world long enough to have figured out a thing or two for yourself), cannot always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/everything-as-you-well-know-having-lived-in-this-world-long-enough-to/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [“Dear God, thank you for warm summer nights and candlelight and good food. But thank you most of all for friends. We appreciate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/dear-god-thank-you-for-warm-summer-nights-and-candlelight-and-good/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [There ain't no point in making soup unless others eat it. Soup needs another mouth to taste it, another heart to be warmed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/there-ain-t-no-point-in-making-soup-unless-others-eat-it-soup-needs/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [ I remember wanting to write a book with someone, the someone being Kate \[DiCamillo\], and we decided to write about two friends. We had… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/i-remember-wanting-to-write-a-book-with-someone-the-someone-being/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) [Explore all 442 Kate DiCamillo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing is seeing. It is paying attention.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kate DiCamillo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/writing-is-seeing-it-is-paying-attention/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/writing-is-seeing-it-is-paying-attention/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/kate-dicamillo-599_attention_writing-is-seeing-it-is-paying-attention_1662419.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/kate-dicamillo-599_attention_writing-is-seeing-it-is-paying-attention_1662419.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/kate-dicamillo-599_attention_writing-is-seeing-it-is-paying-attention_1662419.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writing is seeing. It is paying attention.” — Kate DiCamillo", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Kate DiCamillo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Writing is seeing. It is paying...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/writing-is-seeing-it-is-paying-attention/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/writing-is-seeing-it-is-paying-attention/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```