We’re five days in to this mindful writing challenge. Let me know in the comments how it’s going so far.
You’ve been incorporating pauses into your day. I’ve suggested at least one 5 minute tea break every day when you simply observe the world around you. Build up to three of these per day if you can. You’ve been using all of the senses available to you to observe the world around you, noticing colours, smells, tastes, textures and sounds. If possible, you’ve been on a mindful walk and have described the small details. Today we focus on atmosphere – your sixth sense if you like.
You can catch up on any day of the challenge you’ve missed by following the links from here.
During the pauses you’ve incorporated into your day – and if you’ve only got time for one that’s fine – think about atmosphere of the place you are in. Combine this with what we did on day four and go for a mindful walk in order to do this if you like – or reconsider a walk you’ve already been on.
For example, there’s a deserted shop at the end of our road that makes me feel melancholy when I go past, and I sometimes go walking in the old bit of our local graveyard, which feels peaceful – almost pensive, although I could imagine it turning frightening if I was there in the middle of the night. The shops at the top of our road are usually busy but felt rather lonely during lockdown, when I first ran this challenge.
Describe one place. This could be your front room, your garden or somewhere on your walk or on a journey you’ve taken. Come up with words to describe its atmosphere. (Of course it’s fine to use your imagination as well as what you’ve observed from life.)
If you like this idea and want to carry on with it, take the atmosphere you’ve created on the page and go further. For example, I could write a story about someone stranded in a graveyard in the middle of the night, or about the transformation of the melancholy shop at the end of our road into somewhere vibrant and full of life.
See you tomorrow for day six of the writing challenge when we’re going to bring it all together.
Until then, happy writing,
Lou