Nature Writing Considerations

I have been mulling over in my mind the various considerations that go into writing about nature. A common approach is to describe one's observations out in the field. This is what readers of nature writing enjoy most--learning about plants and animals and the earth in its natural state. How do the various kinds of animals act? How do they react to the other things in their environment? What about plants? What grows well in the area you are observing? What does it contribute to the environment?

In addition to simply describing observations, what else could go into nature writing? It depends, of course, on your intended audience. Are you going to write in a more technical way, or are you writing for a general audience? The latter would be my own goal--to write so that any reader can enjoy what I have to say and learn a little in the process.

Environmental concerns often enter into nature writing. This is a good thing because I believe that humans should be good stewards of their environments. There is a wide range of opinion on how this should be accomplished, though, and that will affect what outlets are available to you for publication of your nature writing. Some venues will support one viewpoint and others another. I do believe that we need to be aware of how what people do affects the environment. We need to avoid pollution of land and water and air. However, a certain amount of pollution is inevitable in normal human activities. Some blame capitalism, some blame humans en masse, some blame other things.

My personal viewpoint is that the earth was created for the benefit of man. It is a place for people to grow and learn and develop their talents and abilities. It is not okay to trash the environment, but it is okay to use it wisely. I believe that the more property that is in private hands (individuals or businesses), the better the care that property will receive. People are more likely to be careless with that which does not belong to them. If it is theirs, they will want to conserve its resources and use it wisely, preserving it so that it continues to produce food or beauty or whatever it is that is intended.

Writing about nature (or any other subject) helps one to consider his viewpoint and to make decisions about what approach to take. This leads to research and investigation to find information to help make those decisions. It seems to me that writing, whether for publication or not, can help a person solidify his ideas and learn to express them well. It develops talents and abilities in that person. It develops discipline of mind and thought. It can also help those who read the writing to learn and grow and have ideas to consider. For this reason, I write and hope to someday publish some of my work so that others might benefit. In a sense, I am publishing my writing on this and my other blogs, but it is for a somewhat limited number of readers. Still, however small the audience and whether people agree or disagree, they will have something to consider.