"The little things"

I think I've written before about how my father, an ardent Welshman, would take it as a personal affront if daffodils didn't flower in the garden on March 1st, St. David's Day. Well, this year, with so mild a winter, they came so early I was really worried that they'd all be over long before the due date, but I found a patch this morning just about to burst into flower - I'm sure they'll do the decent thing and open tomorrow!

St. David's last words to his followers were reputedly about doing the little things they'd seen and heard him do - the little things being the important ones. I always think that the same applies to writing - it's attention to the little things, the details, that really make the difference. At the moment I'm reading "Four Seasons In Rome" by Antony Doerr and it's his attention to the minutiae of everyday life that makes his writing so fascinating - the way he brings every paving stone, every shop window passed so clearly into focus, you feel that you're walking down the street with him as he pushes his twin sons along in their stroller. I recently read "The Memory Wall", a volume of his short fiction and found the same there - although the stories embraced a variety of locations (South Africa, China, Eastern Europe) in each the sense of place was so strong because of his close attention to the smallest detail. A great talent.