I was awarded my first writing residency and undertook this at the end of May, at Rocky River HQ. Nestled in the hinterland west of Byron Bay, this property is run by host Jess as a community hub, offering residencies 3-4 times a year, workshops, a reading tent, camping and accommodation in the off-grid cabin.
Surrounded by rolling hills and cows, it was an incredible experience to immerse myself in my WIP, The Sand, for seven full days.
I started my time away running the annual Queensland Writers Centre management committee retreat in Brisbane, then continued on to north NSW, giving me a solid ten days away from my family, including my two young boys. This was a huge challenge for me. I’ve never been away from them for so long, and I really felt it.
I share a bit more about what I accomplished at the residency further on, but before we get to that, I want to talk about the workshop I ran while I was there: Writing the Journey.
A writing exercise: Writing the Journey
While I was at Rocky River HQ, I ran a workshop for the local writing community. This is part of the deal of the residency, and it was a real highlight. I’m a registered teacher, and I love, love, LOVE sharing things that have helped me with other people. I want to share some of that with you now, and I have adapted the workshop to an exercise that you can do yourself.
In this exercise, we explore how a physical journey — movement through a landscape — can mirror and reveal emotional transformation. We’ll use a simple, universal story structure to build a scene that moves, and we’ll move ourselves at the same time, taking a walk through nature with writing stops along the way.
Stories are about change. A character has a problem. They go on a journey. By the time they arrive at the other end, they are not quite the same person they were at the beginning.
Think back to a journey you’ve taken… a drive to a place you hadn’t been in years, a walk somewhere loaded with memory, a trip you almost didn’t make.
Remember that feeling at the start?
That feeling when you arrived?
This exercise faces the space in between.
Prepare for your walking writing exercise
You will need:
- A walk you can take outdoors in nature
- A notebook (to write in on your lap)
- A pen
Starting the journey: your story structure
Before you begin your walk, let’s think about story structure. There are lots of universal story structures that we can use to frame a story and show our character’s transformation. The Story Bridge is one that I have adapted from a range of different models. It’s the one you received when you signed up for this newsletter. Download it again from here.
- Disturbance: character is thrown from the everyday. Change is on the horizon.
- Refusal of the Call: we see them resisting the change.
- Rising Action: things start to happen.
- First Doorway: now they can’t turn back: they must go on.
- Arena of Conflict: they have entered and now must fight to survive.
- Death Stakes: we understand what they are fighting for.
- Mirror Moment: what have I become? Why am I resisting this change?
- Second Doorway: final hurdle; impossible to go back to the way things were before.
- Falling Action: a sense of running towards the inevitable conclusion.
- Final Battle: they face the barrier to their change and overcome it.
- Transformation: they are a new person after the battle is won.
Brainstorming your character’s journey
Let’s now think about who the character is, and the journey they are facing. Think back to a journey you’ve taken… a drive to a place you hadn’t been in years, a walk somewhere loaded with memory, a trip you almost didn’t make. Or, use today’s walk as a frame for your story.
- Who is your character?
- What is the journey?
- What’s their opening emotional state?
- What will their transformation be?
Example: Julia, 48yo
Journey: Julia is travelling from her home in Cooran, to her mother’s home in Drake Village, because her mother has just passed away, and she must clean and empty the house.
Opening Emotional State: She is angry and in denial about her mother’s death because her mother didn’t tell her she was unwell. Also, her mother owns too much stuff, and Julia has always told her this.
Transformation: She must accept her mother’s death and move forward with her life with a renewed sense of hope.
Walk time and thinking time
Ok. You have your character, and your opening situation, and the end destination. As you walk, your mind will work on the details.
Using the natural world around you, think about how you can show their current emotional state as the story opens. What do you see around you, that could frame your character’s emotions?
- Senses: sight, smell, sound, touch, taste, interoception.
- Weather, environment, plants, symbols, built environment, natural environment.
When you arrive at a nice place to stop and write, sit down, and take your notebook back out.
Weaving backstory into your character’s journey
We now know our character’s Disturbance. By the you get up to keep walking, you will have crossed them through the First Doorway.
Remember:
- Disturbance: character is thrown from the everyday. Change is on the horizon.
- Refusal of the Call: we see them resisting the change.
- Rising Action: things start to happen.
- First Doorway: now they can’t turn back: they must go on.
What are the steps in their journey, and what will the character reveal/understand about themselves as they go on this journey?
You’re going to think about backstory now: 2-3 incidents from the past. Each of these will be dropped in one at a time through the story (never all at once). Take a few minutes to jot down a couple of moments that have brought the character here.
As the character moves through the story, you will alternate between external experience and internal reflection or flashback, and repeat. Always balance backstory with action.
Let’s use one backstory moment to show Refusal of the Call.
And what is the First Doorway that prevents them from turning back to the way things were before?
Jot down sensory details and environmental details to show the threshold being crossed.
Continuing the journey
Take another break from writing to walk again. Keep taking in the sensory details of where you are, and relating them to your character’s emotional experience. When you find another place to stop, take your notebook out again.
Your character is now in the Arena of Conflict.
- Arena of Conflict: they have entered and now must fight to survive.
- Death Stakes: we understand what they are fighting for.
- Mirror Moment: what have I become? Why am I resisting this change?
- Second Doorway: final hurdle; impossible to go back to the way things were before.
Let’s think about how you can show their Death Stakes: what are they fighting for? Remember: think about action/backstory, and sensory and environmental details.
What triggers the Mirror Moment: and what are they becoming if they fail in their journey? Sometimes this is called the Dark Night of the Soul, or the All is Lost Moment.
What is their Second Doorway? What changes, to prevent them from going back to how things were before? Why must they stand and fight for their stakes?
When you’ve written down some notes for your story, set off on your walk again. You’ll have one more stop to write along the way.
Bringing it home
Your character is coming to the end of their journey. What is the Final Battle? It should feel inevitable and like a falling towards the transformation.
- Falling action: a sense of running towards the inevitable conclusion.
- Final battle: they face the barrier to their change and overcome it.
- Transformation: they are a new person after the battle is won.
The Final Battle is all action. Everything that has come before is on the table. How will the conflict resolve? What sensory and environmental details can you use to show the intensity of the final conflict?
What is your character’s final Transformation? How do we show this using our sensory and environmental symbols? What changes?
In conclusion
This process can be used to move a story through an arc, of almost any length. The key is knowing your character before and after, and using tools to show their state. This allows the reader to immerse and feel the journey alongside the character. They will feel as if they are part of the story, not just being told the story. Remember: alternate Action with Backstory, and use Sensory and Environment details to make your story felt.
As you finish your walk and return back to where you started, let your character live and breathe inside you as you walk.
Where can you strengthen their story with texture and emotive details? How can you deepen the experience for your reader?
When you return home from your walk, take your notes, and begin to write. It’s time to bring your story to life.
If you’d like me to run this workshop with your local writing group, reach out! I’d love to help you in person.