by Nancy Casey
Today, write about what happens when the sun shines.
Put the sun at the beginning of every sentence. Your sentences could begin in any of the following ways:
- The sun makes …
- When the sun …
- Because the sun …
- The sun influences …
- After the sun…
- If the sun …
- The sun …
Those are a few of the possible beginnings. You will probably come up with more as you are writing.
Because the earth has spent its whole life orbiting the sun, you could probably say that the whole planet and everything on it is the way it is because of the sun. But be specific.
Try going outside and noticing as many things as you can that have been brought about by the sun. Some things can only happen in a shadow. Are those things caused by the sun?
When you are in a closed room with no access to sunlight, what things can you find that wouldn’t be there if not for the sun?
Can you notice the effects of the sun with your eyes closed?
What about when a sliver of sunlight comes through a crack in the closed curtains?
If it wasn’t for the sun, would there be sunglasses? What other things have been invented because of the sun? Pictures? Eyes?
Our eyes are very attuned to effects of the sun, of course. Yet not everyone can see. What about our other senses? Is it possible to hear the sun or taste it? What does it feel like? Does the sun change the way someone perceives the inside of their body? How does the sun affect emotions?
What does the sun do to plants, amoebas, dirt, or plastic? What else does the sun affect?
Fill up a page with your observations and ideas about what the sun does. When you have finished, go back through them and draw a star next to (or on top of) each idea that is personally important to you. Use different sizes of stars to indicate how important each of the things is to you—big stars for “really important” and smaller ones for “less important.” Will some things get no stars at all?
When you have finished, give your work a title. Make sure the date is on it somewhere, too. Add decoration and color to the page as needed. When you have finished, get out and enjoy the sun!
Here is an example of what a person could write.
Share what you have written! Post it as a comment below. You can type in your work. Or post a picture of it.
Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. Sometimes she teaches writing classes at the Recovery Center. You can find more of her work here. She offers (free!) writing help to anyone in recovery. This can be for any kind of writing project—resumes, letters, stories novels—email latahrecoverycenter@gmail.com for more information.
Latah Recovery Community Center, Inc. 