Personification Invaded My Afternoon Walk

Walking around the lake relaxed my brain while sparking creativity. During my stroll, nature invaded my senses leaving all the conflict, news, and emotional questions of current events on the roadside. The sight of birds, animals, and insects became the impetus to produce phrases that would spark images in a reader’s mind when I sat down to write. The sound of cows mooing, the wind blowing through the willows, and a chainsaw in the distance serenaded the motion picture playing in my head.

A mind in motion remains in motion. Thus, when I returned home and sat down to write, the words rolled onto the page. Just as physical exercise strengthens the bones and muscles, mental exercise expands the vocabulary and triggers ideas.

Nature inspired my senses, pushing my mind to play word games. Whenever I steal time from writing to go for a walk, I return enriched and inspired to capture experiences by placing words on paper. That is what happened today.

My walk prompted the sharing of the day’s mind game. Recently, I have been trying to expand imagery in my writing, I experiment with developing short phrases prompted by the sights and sounds encountered. These are the snippets I carried home.

Simile — a comparison using like or as

• The red-winged blackbird landed gracefully on the tip of the cattail like a gymnast dismounting on the balance beam.
• The sparrows spoke their own language confusing the listeners like the Navajo Code Talkers.
• A deer jumped the fence with the speed of an Olympic runner and the perfection of a pole vaulter.

Metaphor - a comparison without using like or as

• The red-winged blackbird was a gymnast as he landed gracefully on the tip of the cattail without making a sound.
• The sparrows were Code Talkers as they spread their messages in their own language confusing the listeners.
• An Olympic runner jumped the hurdles becoming a dear running towards a goal.

Onomatopoeia — a word that imitates a sound

• The growl of the chainsaw invaded the quiet, reminding me of impending development.
• Startled by the cow’s moo, I jumped, causing the gravel underfoot to crunch and spray in multiple directions.
• Three squirrels playing tag in the field excitedly twittered as they retreated, squealed when caught, and released a taunting cheap when they escaped.
• The roar of the wind in the distance warned of destruction coming with a low, hollow groan.

Hyperbole — an exaggeration

• The spike at the top of the cattail possesses the dignity of the torch held by The Statue of Liberty
• The grasshoppers covered the ground making it impossible to walk without feeling responsible for the death of a nation.
• The fawn’s ears grew bigger as she listened to my movements, and her head turned as she heard my heartbeat and the blood racing through my veins.

Personification — attributing human behavior to something nonhuman

• The chainsaw ate the tree trunk leaving chunks of wooden meat and crumbs of sawdust littered on the ground.
• A battalion of frogs crawled on the bank of the lake as they invaded the area in search of food.
• The willows bowed down to a gust of wind that announced an approaching gale.

Writers benefit when they step away from the writing and arrange time to consume the surroundings. Designate time alone to appreciate the environment and exercise the brain so you develop the ability to share experiences with readers. The more detailed the description, the more a reader can relate. Also, by comparing an event or item to something familiar, the writer creates a commonality that the readers can relate to and understand.