A Meeting in the Wild
Describe your most memorable encounter with wildlife, focusing on sensory details and the feelings it evoked in you.
Suggested length: An essay or article: 800 to 2,500 words
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Find one surprising fact and build around it.
- Use one example from your own life.
- Open with a specific story, then widen out to the big idea.
Writing essays
A mind at work, one subject at a time.
An essay collection gathers short nonfiction pieces: personal, critical, funny or all three. What ties them together is the writer's voice and way of seeing.
What readers expect
- A distinctive voice
- Personal stakes
- Surprising connections
- Pieces that stand alone
A tip before you start
Follow a question, not a thesis. The pleasure of an essay is watching someone think.
More Nature prompts
- A Day That Changed EverythingWrite a personal narrative about a day you spent in a natural setting that profoundly changed your perspective on life. Include descriptions of the…
- Awe Beneath the TreesWrite a personal essay reflecting on a time when you experienced awe in nature. Describe the scene, your feelings, and how this encounter has…
- Seasons of ChangeWrite an essay on the emotional impact of seasons changing in your life and how it parallels changes in nature.
- The River's Pollution ProblemReflect on a local environmental issue in your community (such as river pollution, deforestation, or urban sprawl). Write an investigative piece…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
Chapterly gives a draft somewhere to grow: chapters, daily word goals, and readers when you're ready.
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