One key point in Lauret Savoy's article is the idea that "every aspect of our lives (has) ecological ancestors because we all have been in relation, whether admitted or not, in time and place" (Savoy). I really enjoy the closeness to nature that this idea suggests. Often times, we discuss pieces that describe nature from an observation standpoint. Savoy seems to suggest that we should be writing about nature as something we interact with, influence, and are apart of. I find this sentiment beautiful because when I go out in nature, I don't just want to look. Sometimes I want to kneel in the grass, touch the flowers, chase after squirrels. I want to interact with my surroundings. But most environmental writers act like this is not an option. That in order to write about nature, you must not disturb it.
What do you think? Should we interact with nature when going to write a piece or leave it alone? What is your go to method for writing an environmental piece? Is most of your research internet based or personal experience?
I think it can be really helpful to actually be near what part of nature you're writing about while writing, or to at least have some notes (mental or recorded) on it. When writing my last couple of journal entries, I actually sat near a pond while I was writing about it, which helped me think of more ways to describe the setting and think more in depth about it. It's a bit like an artist using a reference-- it's easier to capture your muse when you can look right at it, or interact with it in some way. You might be able to come up with a couple of different ways to describe the grass in a field or flowers in a garden purely based on past experience or hearing others' descriptions of them, but if you actually kneel in the grass or smell the flowers it's more likely you'll come up with new ways to write about them. I would also think that researching the places you plan to write about is a good idea, not only to be accurate (and respectful) in your representation of it, but also to spark more ideas about it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bean Bag: it can often be helpful to interact with nature as a way of strengthening one's writing. I fully support the act of engaging with nature to actively write, to actively experience the subject about which you are writing. I feel as though immersing myself in a natural setting helps me write more senses than just visual. For example, I wrote about a really rainy day in one of my journals, and I felt as though walking through the rain itself helped me capture more of the sensory detail. The cold feel of the drops, the sounds of the people and the rain, the smells, those are things that can't necessarily be replicated without first-hand experience. Perhaps it's more relevant when discussing something less familiar (like a mountain; not everyone has been on a mountain). Experience is helpful in a way that secondhand research cannot emulate. At least, it is that way for me. I'd never dream of doing something to disrupt nature itself, but there are certainly ways to immerse oneself in a natural environment as a way of evoking inspiration without disturbing wildlife/nature.
ReplyDeleteI agree and think that immersive yourself in nature through interaction can help strengthen a person's nature writing. Being in that environment allows the writer to really experience the sensory imagery and make their sensory descriptions in the piece stronger. I know for may nature journals I go sit in front of those trees and write about their bark. Also for my short story about jalapeños I spent time watching them in the grocery store and holding them in my hands. However, I do think that outside research is also beneficial to nature writing because it strengthens specificity. I think in nature writing it is most important to find a happy balance between immersion and research.
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