I grew up and currently live in a pretty wooded area of southern coastal Maine, but my family is from farther north, so I feel very at home in the woods. My entire family loves camping, and my parents are no exception. I was born on Memorial Day, which is the start of camping season in Maine, so I was only a few weeks old when I went on my first tenting trip. To this day, I can’t wait for May to come because it means spending more time outside enjoying the fresh air away from WiFi and screens.
I know I’ve read a decent amount of nature writing, but the only specific piece I can remember is an excerpt from Annie Dillard’s essay, Of Frogs and Flowers. Her writing style is so engaging to me because she talks about nature in such a whimsical way, at least in the excerpt I read, that it almost doesn’t feel real. Still, you can imagine yourself in her place experiencing the world through her eyes which is really cool. I think nature writing can be informational or for entertainment. Quite often, I think nature writing accomplishes both, either intentionally or simply because of the subject matter. With all this considered, nature writing can be an effective tool for conservation efforts because not only does it provide the information needed to understand how important nature is, but it also keeps the reader engaged.
As a writing minor, I’ve been able to write in a lot of different styles and formats, mostly creatively, and I have already integrated a substantial amount of nature into my work. One thing I’ve noticed though is that I tend to write mostly about plant life and weather phenomena. While this is a subject matter I like to engage with, I’d also like to write about animals, specifically endangered or not commonly known species.
