Animal empathy writing exercise

• What is the fox thinking?
• What does the fox want?
• What can the fox see? 
• What can the fox hear? 
• What can the fox feel? 
• What can the fox smell? 
• What can the fox taste?
• Lastly, ask them to give the fox a name!

When your done, ask the group to share something from each category - I tend to solicit open responses and take one or two from each category.

Step 2

Next, we'll ask participants to write a story from the perspective the fox using the details they've collected above. Ask them to focus on what it must feel like to be a focus and to try to bring that out in their story.  

Writing prompts

Say the first prompt and then give the group 5 minutes to free-write using this sentence to start. Let everyone know they have 30 seconds left, then ask them to write down the second sentence and continue for another 5 minutes. Repeat for the final prompt.

1. When the fox woke in their den, it felt...
2. The fox had a special way of finding food ...
3. But the fox was afraid of something...

You can choose a first person variant on the sentences if the group needs a little more direction. (ie When I woke in my den, I felt...)

Tips

• In advanced groups, you may not need to use the prompts and let them freestyle!
• Some groups prefer more time writing on each prompt - ask them how long they'd like!
• Using the prompts in the above order is helpful for many groups as it implies a story structure.

Step 3

Invite the group to share a short paragraph if they wish. For teaching purposes, try to highlight any moments that particularly demonstrate empathy and animal-like language. 

Next, debrief with the group. Some suggested debrief topics are:

• What did you learn?
• What did it feel like to write as something that wasn't human?
• What other things might you want to write from the perspective of? 

Variations