Random mapping for rich ideas…
Topography displays no favorites; North's as near as West. / More delicate than the historians' are the map-makers' colors. —Elizabeth Bishop, “The Map”
Anybody else love to drop down in a random spot via GoogleMaps and pretend you’re there?
If not, I invite you to get on board with this odd pastime + playful writing activity!
Sometimes we just need to feel transported to gather new ideas: this includes visualizing new or current characters and how they occupy space, as well as describing the personality of a particular corner/block/neighborhood/green space.
Feel free to swap this activity with another writer and have them drop a couple pins for you! Could be fun.
Guided Writing: A stroll down a digital street
Take a deep breath before you get started. Close your eyes for one minute. Thank yourself for taking this time. Thank the journeys you’ve made and the journeys you have yet to take. Thank the space around you. Take another deep breath, and then proceed.
Map to a random location using GoogleMaps. Pick a country, then zoom in. Pick a town/city at random—one whose name speaks to you in this moment. Use Street View to stroll along a digitally captured street. An example: a random lane I picked in the Outer Hebrides, a place that is dear to my heart. It can also be a location that is totally new and strange to you. Write for 7-8 minutes here, wandering a bit and pausing every couple blocks and describing what you see, either from your own POV or a character’s. What do the homes, shops, fields, walls look like?
Now pick a spot for you or your character to land—it could be an actual home where your character is headed, or a place to stop in for a coffee and meet up with some locals. Describe the exterior, and imagine the interior. Write for 8-9 minutes, allowing yourself to make up all kinds of stuff about the inside of this location.
Now imagine heading inside. Who’s there to greet you? Or rebuff you? Are there people/creatures/friends/enemies? Take 10+ minutes here to describe an encounter/conversation that takes place in the interior you’ve imagined. How does the interior inspire the vibe of this conversation? How do the characters take up space in this place? When does your character settle in, or conversely, bolt?
Finally, one last breath. Thank yourself again for taking this time. Thank the space around you, and the spaces on the other side of the world. Thank your mind and all its storytelling layers.
Want weekly writing prompts? Follow @bluestonewriters on Instagram for regular Writing Pauses, dropped each week to invite you to pause…write…breathe.