--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How to begin writing this down? Shall it…" description: "\"“How to begin writing this down? Shall it be a simple inventory? A list of parts. Names. Dates. Genealogies. Sound begetting sound. Endless melody. If ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63c/richard-skelton-78070_music_how-to-begin-writing-this-down-shall-it_259550.jpg" --- # How to begin writing this down? Shall it be a simple… ![“How to begin writing this down? Shall it be a simple inventory? A list of parts. Names. Dates. Genealogies. Sound begetting sound. Endless melody. If I were to say – a robin sings in the trees across the field from this coppice – would that be enough? Could you flesh things out from such a meagre…” quote by Richard Skelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63c/richard-skelton-78070_music_how-to-begin-writing-this-down-shall-it_259550.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63c/richard-skelton-78070_music_how-to-begin-writing-this-down-shall-it_259550.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63c/richard-skelton-78070_music_how-to-begin-writing-this-down-shall-it_259550.jpg) > ““How to begin writing this down? Shall it be a simple inventory? A list of parts. Names. Dates. Genealogies. Sound begetting sound. Endless melody. If I were to say – a robin sings in the trees across the field from this coppice – would that be enough? Could you flesh things out from such a meagre outline? Or should I describe its song? Onomatopoeia. But the bird has long fallen silent before the words begin to form. And what of the other sounds – the constant polyphony? Distant hum of motorway traffic. Delicate rattle of leaf against branch. Everything in between. I fill the page as best I can, replace the diary under a stone, and retrace my steps down the darkening lane. But as I walk back under the eaves of those trees, I ask myself – could any film, recording or photograph tell you this? That whilst I dwelt within that wooded chamber, listening to those brief glimmers of song, I forgot about her, the river and its promise.”” [Richard Skelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-skelton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describing a fleeting, sensory experience can capture memory, but language may fall short of the full richness of the moment. **In simple terms:** Words try to hold fleeting sounds and sights. Key Takeaway Use vivid details to evoke sensory memory. Themes memory sensory perception writing nature Mood contemplative melancholic Type poetic reflective When to use this quote - journaling - creative writing - nature walks - audio recording Key Concepts phenomenology poetics subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - Which senses are hardest to describe? - How can you blend media to convey atmosphere? A Different Perspective Language can never fully replicate lived experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Genealogies Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genealogies-sound-2562056/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Outline Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outline-song-2562055/) [Poetry-life-spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-life-spirituality-145933/) [Robin Sings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robin-sings-2562057/) [Sings Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sings-trees-2562058/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Song Onomatopoeia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song-onomatopoeia-2562054/) ## Related quotes > [“Welcome the small cracking of your hard-clodded shell, Embrace the warm sting of tears, Kiss the shadow which frightens you awake as you turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-nordby/welcome-the-small-cracking-of-your-hard-clodded-shell-embrace-the/) [Jacob Nordby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-nordby/) > [“The trick is to ride the wave, Fast, wide-open and in deep Now-magic. Free, burning fear for fuel Generous, knowing there is always more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-nordby/the-trick-is-to-ride-the-wave-fast-wide-open-and-in-deep-now-magic/) [Jacob Nordby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-nordby/) ## More by Richard Skelton > [“And how to stop the rot? How to salvage something from time's passage? How long before the map makers decide to erase this structure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-skelton/and-how-to-stop-the-rot-how-to-salvage-something-from-time-s-passage/) [richard skelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-skelton/) > [“A night of exhilaration, of boredom and terror, in which the merest of sounds took on other forms - grew large in the expanse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-skelton/a-night-of-exhilaration-of-boredom-and-terror-in-which-the-merest-of/) [richard skelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-skelton/) [Explore all 3 Richard Skelton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-skelton/) ## More Music quotes > [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I'm at the edge of the world, Where do I go from here? Do I disappear? Edge of the world, Should I sink or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bring-me-the-horizon/i-m-at-the-edge-of-the-world-where-do-i-go-from-here-do-i-disappear/) [Bring Me The Horizon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bring-me-the-horizon/) > [I've seen a lot of people come out of Carol City, but I had this distinct vision for Carol City, just me coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-curry/i-ve-seen-a-lot-of-people-come-out-of-carol-city-but-i-had-this/) [Denzel Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-curry/) > [When you listen to someone improvise, the notes that are played are only half the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-laws/when-you-listen-to-someone-improvise-the-notes-that-are-played-are/) [Hubert Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-laws/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [ “Downloading's the same as what I used to do. I used to tape the charts of the songs I liked \[off the radio\]. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-gallagher/downloading-s-the-same-as-what-i-used-to-do-i-used-to-tape-the-charts/) [Liam Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-gallagher/) > [I've been writing songs since I was 10 years old and always had a penchant for rhyming. I started listening to hip hop through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoodie-allen/i-ve-been-writing-songs-since-i-was-10-years-old-and-always-had-a/) [Hoodie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoodie-allen/) > [Each woman is like an instrument, waiting to be learned, loved, and finely played, to have at last her own true music made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/each-woman-is-like-an-instrument-waiting-to-be-learned-loved-and/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I want people to hear my lyrics and my melodies and say, 'That dude's in pain.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-moody/i-want-people-to-hear-my-lyrics-and-my-melodies-and-say-that-dude-s/) [Ivan Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-moody/) > [I make dance music because I love to dance. But I want to think at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-make-dance-music-because-i-love-to-dance-but-i-want-to-think-at-the/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) [Browse all 55,293 Music quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How to begin writing this down? Shall it be a simple inventory? A list of parts. Names. Dates. Genealogies. Sound begetting sound. Endless melody. If I were to say – a robin sings in the trees across the field from this coppice – would that be enough? Could you flesh things out from such a meagre outline? Or should I describe its song? Onomatopoeia. But the bird has long fallen silent before the words begin to form. And what of the other sounds – the constant polyphony? Distant hum of motorway traffic. Delicate rattle of leaf against branch. Everything in between. 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