Exercise: Describe a Place in Nature

The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen, is a brilliant combination of writing from the senses, adventure, and a spiritual journey. Notice the sound of the river, the colors of the leaves and birds, his use of similes and fresh images. Here’s one of his journal entries:

From deep in the earth, the roar of the river rises. The rhododendron leaves along the precipice are burnished silver, but night still fills the steep ravines where southbound migrants descend by day to feed and rest. The golden birds fall from the morning sun like blowing sparks that drop away and are extinguished in the dark.