The Process: Wild Attention

A journaling exercise and creative exercise

a picture of Mary Oliver, a poet who talked and wrote often about the magic of attention

Welcome friends,

I’m glad you enjoyed last week’s Process letter, which was all about tending to the quiet work. This week’s letter is about attention, and how we can cultivate attention to help us with our creative work.

Inspired by the brilliant Linda Cracknell, we will be drawing our journaling prompt/creative exercise for the day from the landscapes we inhabit; bringing our attention to the wild places, and how this attention can inform our writing practice.

Sometimes I’ve felt as if the script is already waiting to be found, that simply paying attention can tease words from the cracks in rock or allow me to hear them in a crow’s cackle

Writing Landscapes

Through attention, we also cultivate embodied writing. We are not only writing about where we are or what we see, but through engaging our senses, and welcoming our wild attention, we also “rediscover our own creatureliness within the thickets of the world”. Simply, we remember the wildness of our bodies, and our place amongst the more-than-human world — for living is embodiment.

Below I have two wonderful exercises which will help you begin your embodied writing journey.

Enjoy!

Your Practice -

Journal Prompt: “WHERE AM I ROOTED?”

At the top of the page, write the journal prompt, then engage all the senses, and in a stream of consciousness, write out anything which comes to mind: thoughts, feelings, senses. We are not writing work that is supposed to make sense or be grammatically perfect; what we are trying to do is tap you into the present moment, to bring your attention to your surroundings, and your place within it.

Creative Exercise: Translate the aliveness of the world

Picking an environment, perhaps a river, or a field, and bring aliveness to a place that, without our attention, can often feel passive. List the essential qualities of this place. Utilising metaphor and verbs to bring this landscape to life. Does a landscape carve or meander? Does it dance or sing? Give yourself 500 words to draw out the aliveness of this landscape.

If you feel called to, please share your reflections in the comments section below!

Happy meandering :)

Me at Plum Village, 2023

If you are new here:

Hi, I’m Hannah!

I'm a writer & creative mentor based in the UK, a regular writing contributor to the transformational learning platform, Advaya, and work within the climate space focusing on fostering resilience amongst young people. I’m also a student of Zen Buddhism, an avid reader, and a lover of the natural world.

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