Mindwalks

Mindwalks are, initially at least, a bit hard to explain. It is a form of writing which I like, although it is possible to give a mindwalk to a listening audience. Mindwalking is when an author asks the reader to go on an imaginary trip (hence the name) for the purpose of observing something you can't (or perhaps missed) and/or self-exploration. Some examples could be a trip the author has went, making an account of his experiences, to explain how a certain environment is like, or to set up a scenario for the reader to consider. The author could have the mindwalk written either as though the reader is next to him or alone.

Imagine a moment where you are observing a number of people form a distance. From afar you can't tell who anyone is unless you focus in on one of them, missing out on what everyone else is doing, and the potential stories they might reveal. Look over there, at that small group of people who are moving and talking together. What is the thing that they have in common, that makes them a group? Then there is that woman behind them. She appears to be alone, engrossed in her private thoughts, with a wide smile on her face. Aren't you curious what she is thinking? If these people, once away from this crowd, are able to take you to an experience that they had, wouldn't you want to?

That above paragraph is a short example of a mindwalk. It starts out with a quick explanation of where you are and then tells you what you are sensing. Specifics that isn't needed, like what this crowd of people is, shouldn't be stated. This is to permit a wider potential audience, since not everyone has been, say, in a busy subway/stadium/whatever. The reader will just visualize the crowd however he or she happens to visualize it. It is concrete in style. A more abstract style might ask you to be in an empty room, no doors, windows, or other objects, except one... forcing you to notice things about that object.

One mindwalk I read by someone else had you starting out in a house by a forest at night. Again, the house isn't important. It then goes on with you walking into the forest until no sign of human life is noticeable. This done, your able to sense what you might not have noticed before. What struck my is this observation. While the dark forest has no sign of human life, the dark side of the Earth isn't dark because of human life!

It is important to note the difference between self-refection and forcing the reader to do something in the mindwalk. If you are going to do a mindwalk which is about harming someone, you won't get a lot of readers. Rather, asking questions about a certain person which you hate would probably be more appropriate. It is these questions which should lead to your point, if any... not forcing the reader to think or feel something. Say, "What do you think/feel about _____", not, "Do you feel angry about this?" If you want the reader to think/feel something, carefully write it so it seem to come naturally to him. I though don't recommend this.

Mindwalks then do reveal a lot about the author. The author is asking you, the reader, to partake on something with him or do something which he already done. The author of that dark forest do walk into forests at night frequently. If you are creating a mindwalk, then you want your audience to be curious, desire escapism, or learn/consider something. The biggest award for me to receive is to hear a wide variety of 'results' from my audience.

Considering something is not the same as asking someone to change their beliefs. If this is your goal, I suggest doing a mindwalk with someone who can offer an alternative viewpoint. Mindwalks are not argumentative works, but a chance for someone to notice things he never had before.

I wrote this up because I hope to eventually post a few on occasion. I did one sometime ago which I hope to redo this upcoming week if able. I don't write them often because my life is oh-so-boring. But I am open to suggestions!