Walking with prompt cards

An intro to an exercise I offer in workshops and an invitation for your thoughts on it

The gatekeeper of Sylvan Dale

Hello walkers and writers 👋🏻

At a time when the most celebrated outdoor adventures are often the most challenging, fast-paced and extreme, I’m hitting the brakes and strolling along at the back of the group.

It seems I’m not alone in seeking out the leisurely life. Over the last four years, The Writer’s Walk has led me to people who also enjoy the outdoors at a slower pace. That includes Kyri and Ross Miller, the founders of Dayhike magazine. They’re creating a community in print, making connections through stories of people, places and small everyday moments that make time outdoors so meaningful. Their latest edition came out recently and it feels particularly special as they invited me to contribute an article. It’s all about slowing your pace and measuring your walks in moments. I’m in fine company – there are some truly lovely pieces in the magazine, paired with stunning photography that makes me want to grab my boots and set off. Dayhike is available to buy online, and you can catch a cheeky peek of my piece over on The Writer’s Walk Instagram feed.

So with the news roundup complete, let’s get on to this edition where I share something I’ve been experimenting with recently.

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Walking

I think the key to finding inspiration on a walk is to look at the things you see differently. I’ve said before that the only way for something to be interesting is to be interested in it – it’s an active process. A fallen leaf might not seem compelling at first glance, but look at it from a different perspective and a story might emerge. But sometimes we might need a nudge to help us find that different perspective, and that’s where the prompt cards come in. The idea is to carry them with you on a walk and use them randomly. When I spot something unusual or that catches my attention for more than a moment, I shuffle the cards, or pull one from my pocket without looking, and use it to think about what I’m seeing. Like these plastic beads on a patch of wet grass¹…

Lost beads on a wet coastal path

Sometimes the prompt card seems to be made for what I’m looking at…

Stranded seaweed at low tide at Danes Dyke nature reserve, Flamborough Headland, East Yorkshire

And sometimes it takes a bit more pondering…

Record-breaking lifebuoy

I’ve discovered through my workshops that the prompt cards work indoors, not just when you’re out in nature…

Wearing the Trousers (1971) by Alfred Gruber at Beverley library

It works with things people have made, like street art, signage or murals….

Waterside art alongside Beverley Beck, by muralist Emma Garness

You can use it to spark new ideas about what you see every day inside your home…

Pondering the inner life of one of my house plants

And sometimes it creates a little bit of natural magic…

Magic mushrooms in Millington Wood

So for your walk this time, I invite you to carry some writing prompts with you so you can draw on them whenever something catches your attention. And you can try this anywhere – in a city, on a country path, up a hill, on the beach, in a garden or park, in a museum or even in your own home. The idea is to use the prompt to help you look at, and think about, what you see in a different way.

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Writing

Here are a few more prompts to try on your next walk. Jot them onto small cards or scraps of paper and pop them in your pocket or backpack along with a notebook and pen.

• It comes alive at night. What does it do?

• Describe it in 10 words

• What can it see?

• Give it a song

• It’s gone viral on social media. Why?

• What’s missing?

• Where will it be 100 years from now?

• Give it a name – make it playful

Then all you need to do is pause when something catches your attention, pull out one of your prompts, then starting writing and see where the story takes you.

Thanks for reading. I said at the start that I’d like to get your thoughts on something. I’ve been playing with the idea of turning the prompt cards into ‘a thing’. My idea is to create The Writer’s Walk deck, with 52 cards, and maybe a few jokers thrown in for good measure. I have more than enough prompts, so my first step would be to make a prototype to play around with to see how they look and feel. So my questions to you are: what do you think? Would you be interested in something like this?

Happy walking and writing until next time.

Sarah

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More from The Writer’s Walk

If you enjoyed this edition, check out Walking around a library where I show you how to find a writing prompt inside the pages of a book.

Walking around a library

1. And yes, I did pick up all the beads cos I usually do a spot of litter picking on my walks.