The lilacs were in full bloom when I got the idea for this blog post, but now they are sacking a bit. I let a far too busy June keep me away from my writing practice. The corona restrictions where I live have lifted, and more and more people are getting vaccinated. This means we are seeing more people and are filling the calendar again with engagements. It is refreshing and a very welcome change. However, I also feel the abruption from a more peaceful daily rhythm. Whenever this happens, I know it is time to find some tranquility in the midst of commotion.

And to do this I turn to nature. First, the birds make themselves noticed.

Walking through the forest, I hear the cuckoo at half-past six every evening. When sitting down to journal, a particular blackbird with a higher pitch than the rest of the bunch of birds makes itself heard. I miss the lullaby from an owl we used to have as a resident. Instead, the dog next door barks whenever it hears a particular bird ( I haven’t figured out what type of bird yet).

I am not good at spotting birds, but my one-year-old daughter is a keen observer. Whenever a sparrow hops around in the branches, she points at it. The same goes for the seagulls and other birds she notices in the sky. Then she makes her growling voice which is the name for any kind of animal from beetle to lion.

So much for the tranquility found in nature. Joking aside, the attention to nature did ground me again. And as always use wherever you are in your writing.

• 1

  Imagine that your writing voice is like a particular bird.

• 2

  Write a paragraph that resembles a steady owl hoot or shift to a more frantic blackbird chuk.

• 3

  See what it does to the length of the sentences and pace of the piece.

• Bonus

  If you want to turn it into a story, continue the piece with a loud growl entering the scene and rustle some feathers.

And speaking of birds, one of my favorite books about writing is this one | Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

The lilacs I mentioned in the opening line of this post offer another chance to write a long side nature. Go to this writing session if you want to explore what the lilacs have to say.