I’m thrilled to have just finished Dr. Suzanne Simard’s new book, Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest (you can follow her on Instagram here)! In particular, I was struck by the distinct humanness of the forests she describes, by trees’ need for community and symbiotic relationships with those around them.
“Trees need to be near one another, to establish in receptive soil, to join together to build the ecosystem, mix with other species, relate in patterns that produce a wood-wide-web, because the forest becomes resilient from this complexity.”
This emphasis on relationships got me thinking about the ways the environment can reflect or contrast with the lives of our characters. Getting comfortable with the interconnectedness of our characters’ environment can open up completely new worlds to explore by developing our settings and deeply rooting our readers in the sensory moment. I’d love to zoom in on a few aspects of nature with you and give these usually-silent observers a chance to speak.
“It is a philosophy of treating the world’s creatures, its gifts, as of equal importance to us. This begins by recognizing that trees and plants have agency.”
How do parts of the environment interact with and influence one another?
For this week’s guided writing, I’d like us to focus on the natural environments in which our characters live, whether a literal forest or a few stubborn tufts of grass growing up between slabs of concrete. By exploring the environment’s perspective, you may gain a new understanding of a scene or character that adds complexity and depth. Happy writing!
To get us started, consider your current environment where you’re writing. Is it stormy or still? Humid or dry? Buzzing with insects or silent as the grave? Without worrying about any characters (unless you really want to!), look around and examine the environment in as much detail as you can muster, noticing how each sense interacts with the world around you. Now, write it out as though you were describing your surroundings to a friend. Write for six minutes.
Next, examine a new or pre-written scene in your WIP, and jot down a quick list of environmental factors (taking no more than two minutes). Consider the air quality, temperature, and especially any plant life near your character. When you’re finished, choose one aspect of the environment that you noticed, and use it as a thread of continuity throughout your scene, weaving it into your character’s thoughts, dialogue, and senses. It’s almost as if a particular aspect of your character’s environment has a gravitational pull and gently tugs your scene back to its center. Write for ten minutes.
This time, consider the same or a different scene, and write from the point of view of an environmental factor. Perhaps the dead leaves skittering by your character’s feet have something to say about the centipede crawling past, or maybe a swaying willow wishes your character would get out of their hair. Whatever the case, write from the perspective of your character’s environment and describe the scene through their eyes. Write for nine minutes.
How did it go? Did you dig it? Subscribe to The Fool & the Page for more guided writing and cosmic conversation.
KAY TEEKELL is Claire’s Summer Communications Associate and fellow creative writer. She has five years of writing and editing experience that ranges from content writing for blogs and magazines to grant writing for nonprofit organizations. Kay is passionate about the power of storytelling and strives to amplify voices that might otherwise be forgotten. She is excited to use her artistic and literary skills in her professional aspirations and will continue to develop her talents for the rest of her life.