“Keep a green bough in your heart and the singing bird will come.” - Chinese Proverb

Introduction:

Lately, I have felt the abruption (aka family vacation time)from a more peaceful daily writing rhythm. To find tranquility amidst the commotion, I turn to nature for a walk.

Sounds and Silence

First, the birds make themselves noticed. Walking through the forest, I hear the cuckoo. When sitting down to journal, a particular blackbird with a higher pitch than the rest of the bunch of birds makes itself heard. 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 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. Every afternoon she visits the owls in our barn. Mostly, the owls accept her visits, and sometimes they take flight in stealth mode out of the round hole at the gable end. They are so quiet on their wings.

When vacation began, I took my daughter to a toy store (not so quiet). In the game section, I spotted a beautiful cover of a game called Wingspan (this is not an affiliate post). I plan to go back and buy it because I definitely judged this one by its cover, and it is all about bird watching. I want to play, learn and have fun during vacation time. Then when I go for a needed walk next time, I can spot a new bird, and in the end, my writing will become more detailed.

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

Writing Session:

• Imagine that your writing voice is like a particular bird.

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

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

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