Adventure Writing Prompts

Travel to South Africa

7 Photos & Writing Prompts

By Kristi Tencarre

Ever dreamed of being on a safari? Imagine being within an arms reach of any of The Big Five… one jump away from a lion's powerful jaws, mere steps away from a wild male elephant's strong legs, tracking a buffalo or rhino on foot and then peering into the foliage at a sleeping leopard. Picture gazing up at the crooked neck of a calm looking giraffe eating leaves from the tips of acacia trees, watching the seemingly docile hippo wading in the water, sunburned back turning pink.

Imagine the southern most tip of the African continent, Cape Argulus, the point of rock where two oceans meet: one warm, one cool. Visualize standing on that jutting rock, waves crashing all around you, wind blowing your hair. Do you see ships rounding the "Horn of Africa"? Are you an adventurer, a pirate with a golden earring from days gone by? Have your ancestors lived here since the dawn of time, or do you descend from adventurous farmers yearning for fertile land unavailable in their homeland.

Adventure with me into South Africa!

African Penguins

1 Penguins in Africa. It has surprised more than a few people. Jackass Penguins live on a few of the Cape beaches in South Africa. These African Penguins are more commonly referred to as Jackass Penguins due their bray being remarkably similar to that of a donkey.

The recent movie "March of the Penguins" has increased penguin popularity worldwide. Brush up on your knowledge of penguins. Consider making a penguin a character or a character's interest in your next piece of writing.

Tall, Crooked-Necked Giraffe

2 Crooked neck in need of a chiropractor or gentle giant of the African plain? What do you see when you look at this photograph? Think outside the box. How can you make a giraffe a new and interesting character in a story for children… or adults?

Simple Beauty in a Single Flower

3 Beauty. It can be simple, as in a single flower in the sand or grandiose like an entire field of wild flowers. What does beauty mean to you? How does it affect you ~ your being and your creativity? How can you bring more beauty into your environment ~ inside and out?

Consider hanging artwork that you consider beautiful in your office or a special place within your home. It may mean working to eradicate negative thoughts so that you can enjoy your life better. Sometimes it only takes one simple change to create a whole new feel for an area. What is the first step you can take to create the environment you dream of and make it a reality in your life?

Elephants

4 Elephants live in matriarchal herds. Males leave once they are grown and proceed to live alone. Research the life of elephants. What can we learn from them? How can we create a sense of community in our life as creatives?

Kruger National Park

5 In this picture the difference in landscape colour delineates where Kruger National Park ends and farmland begins: natural, wild beauty vs. cultivated, pastoral countryside.

Visible and invisible lines dictate much of our lives. Be they political, geographical, or financial, they are powerful force fields. They can bar by nationality or career. There are also times when we ourselves set up fronts, with enemies and beloveds alike: lines that protect our hearts or our safety. When we pause to think about this subject, the types of lines is limitless.

Consider the lines in your own life. Some you have accepted and others you have created. Perhaps there are ones against which you are fighting. While some are negative, others are beneficial, such as setting a time to do your art and letting your family and friends know that this is your time to be creative. That is a healthy example of a line. How can you create healthy boundaries so that you can do your chosen art?

Never Smile at a Crocodile

6 A school of fish streaming past a crocodile; each fish in danger. Any moment and the crocodile could lunge catching a mouthful, thus ending life. However, the fish carry on swimming precariously close and then past the crocodile.

How can you make this a metaphor for your life? How can you skirt danger and scary monsters? Think about the many ways you can be like these fish and continue down the river, aware but ignoring the danger, as you continue on your way to your creative goals. Note too that not one fish is swimming past the crocodile's mouth. There is something to be said about going through life with eyes wide open, aware of the dangers, but forging your own path regardless.

African Plain

7 As the sun sets on the African plain, silence does not reign. While some animals drift into slumber, nocturnal ones begin to wake up. The night is indeed alive with sounds and footsteps.

Where are you in this photo? Are you safe within your rondawel hut? Are you in a tent, camped out under the stars? Are you alone? If not, with whom?

What is your purpose in South Africa — research, safari, adventure, humanitarian, or other? What are you hoping to gain from this experience? What animals are among you, whether unseen or visible? Whether you are a night owl or an early bird, what are your dreams — lucid, real, or subconscious? •

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© 2008 Kristi Tencarre. All rights reserved.

Updated 1/17/14