Activity 3-2: Prompts for Writing
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Motivation
Written language is one of the clearest distinctions between humans and other creatures. But because language shapes so much of how we think, it can also be a powerful tool for encouraging us to consider our connections with our ecosystems. Like the visual art in Activity 3-1, writing requires awareness and attention to detail. Writing can also be helpful in exploring your own thoughts and feelings, making you an integral part of the park's story. |
Things to Try
Feel free to use any of the prompts below that inspire you. One of the great things about writing is that it is highly portable. You can easily take a notebook and a pen to the park to write in the shade of a favorite tree. Or you can find inspiration in the park and write about it later. One of the things that made my original Moments in the Park daily writing sustainable was that I could notice something, consider the composition of the words during the rest of the day, and jot down what I came up with whenever and wherever I had a chance. That was much more manageable than even taking a photo while trying to keep my energetic dog from sprinting off after a squirrel.
Feel free to use any of the prompts below that inspire you. One of the great things about writing is that it is highly portable. You can easily take a notebook and a pen to the park to write in the shade of a favorite tree. Or you can find inspiration in the park and write about it later. One of the things that made my original Moments in the Park daily writing sustainable was that I could notice something, consider the composition of the words during the rest of the day, and jot down what I came up with whenever and wherever I had a chance. That was much more manageable than even taking a photo while trying to keep my energetic dog from sprinting off after a squirrel.
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"Moments in the Park"
Moments in the park (my phrase) are short compositions that try to convey a specific observation. They usually take the form of a single sentence and often draw on elements of poetic language, such as metaphor or alliteration. Moments often describe a visual image, but may also focus on a scent, sound, or tactile sensation. Moments recognize that each day brings a unique set of conditions and each place is different, and they are therefore recorded with a location and a date (and often a time). During 2016, I made a practice of writing a Moment every day throughout the year. Here is a selection of favorites from that year that trace the cycle of seasons in Minnesota. You can find more examples in my blog on the Appreciation page. For more background on the inspiration and my experience of the project, read this essay. Haiku
Haiku is a traditional Japanese verse form. When written in English, haiku typically include three lines with five, seven, and five syllables, respectively. In both Japanese and English, haiku commonly invoke images from the more-than-human world. In their brevity and theme, haiku are close cousins of moments in the park, and I have written several Moments in the form of haiku. Five Senses
As the name suggests, five senses poems (or just five senses writing), describes something through the lens of each of the five senses--sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. You can chose a tree, plant, rock, or just a particular spot in the park as your subject. (Maybe don't take taste literally. Or maybe do, see Activity 3-4.) |
Acrostic Poem
Choose a theme word, perhaps the name of a plant or animal, a season, or a type of weather. Write the word vertically down the side of a page, and compose a line starting with each letter of the word. Free Write
When free writing, the goal is simply to keep the words flowing. Find a comfortable spot and let your pen run over the page, doing your best to keep your inner editor at bay and just write whatever comes to mind. If you like, you can set a timer and write for five, ten, or fifteen minutes. You don't need to worry about writing about anything directly related to the park. This prompt is more about the experience of being in the park and exploring any thoughts you may have. I find that free writing is much easier with pen and paper than with a keyboard and its much-too-convenient delete button. Short Story or Children's Story
If fiction is your style, try writing a short story set in the park. The squirrels, rabbits, birds, and other creatures that inhabit parks might lend themselves well to a children's story. Chalk It!
If you are so moved, you may want to share some of your writing through sidewalk chalk. Moments in the park and haiku are particularly amenable to this form of "publishing." Be sure to check local rules and regulations to make sure that chalking is allowed. (I was once informed in no uncertain terms that chalking in Chicago's Millennial Park was considered defacement. More on that story.) |
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The moon hangs low in the west, big and round and golden, as though the sun forgot to set long after daylight left it behind.
March 21, 2016 ~ Pierce Butler Route This Moment is my favorite from the 2016 project.
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Suggested Reading
Braiding Sweetgrass chapter: "Learning the Grammar of Animacy" - As a reader, writer, and all-around logophile (lover of words), this is among my favorite chapters in the book. In her struggles to learn her ancestral Potawatomi language, Kimmerer comes to a deep understanding of the power of words and language to shape our thoughts and actions. In stark contrast to English, Potawatomi is a language of animacy, of being, in which 70 percent of the words are verbs and grammatical rules depend on whether what is being spoken of is considered to be alive. The language grows out of and fosters a worldview that hinges on the being-hood of many things that English considers objects, from animals and plants, to rocks, wind, and water. One of my favorite passages in the whole book is this: "...I could smell the water of the bay, watch it rock against the shore and hear it sift onto the sand. A bay is a noun only if water is dead. When bay is a noun, it is defined by humans, trapped between its shores and contained by the word. But the verb wiikwegamaa--to be a bay--releases the water from bondage and lets it live." A Thousand Mornings: Poems; Why I Wake Early: New Poems; or anything else by Mary Oliver - Mary Oliver's poetry is born out of intimate, intricate observation of the beings around her and a keen sense of our need to be in mutually supportive relationships with them. She writes in relatively simple language without artifice but with a quiet power. Some of my favorites from these collections include, "Extending the airport runway," "On traveling to beautiful places," and "How everything adores being alive." |