First Thoughts
These texts seem pretty similar to how others approach climate change. I’ve noticed that there tend to be two categories of climate change writing: those that glaze over the problem while being abundantly hopeful and those that present climate change in a way that is nihilistic and depressing. Each of our readings seems to fit into one of those categories for me. The texts that resonate with me have more of a combination approach to the subject with the author stating directly what is going to happen if we don’t do something about climate change but listing some possible solutions as well.
I think there are a few audiences for writing about climate change. There’s one audience that is trying to learn about the climate crisis and another that is already aware and looking for signs of hope that we’ll be able to overcome it. I think there is overlap too, because people who have a basic knowledge of this subject may also want to know if there is any way to avoid or get past the issue. I think combined, these writings do significant work to meet these needs and hopes, and I think it’s especially helpful in The Ministry for the Future that the author doesn’t coddle the reader by presenting a very possible, dismal future.
I think writing about climate change does a lot to inform us about it, can highlight the urgency of acting, and alleviate anxieties that may stem from climate change. Obviously, one thing it can’t do is actually solve the climate crisis, but I think by writing about it, you have some influence on people which could lead to a solution.
Final Thoughts
I thought Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future most resonated with me because I had never read anything like this text. I thought it was interesting how Robinson took real policies and imagined a possible and probable future based on those ideas. In terms of its approach to communicating the climate crisis, I think I said it best previously: “the author doesn’t coddle the reader by presenting a very possible, dismal future.” I think this is an effective approach because even though Robinson doesn’t sugarcoat what is happening to the world in this possible future, just like in real life, she reports both the highs and the lows. In other words, yes, it’s definitely sad at certain times, but the reader is able to see the characters try to fix the issues in their entirety which makes solving the climate crisis seem much more doable.
I mentioned this in my previous entry, but I think the most important thing that writing can do to help with climate change is that it keeps us informed. My insights have developed, though, in the sense that writing about the climate crisis is effective because it can introduce the problem as new and interesting. When we only hear about climate change and the efforts to remedy it on the news, after a while, we tune it out, and although you could read dense articles or scholarly journals, these texts aren’t for everyone. Climate writing can be extremely accessible, and since this genre ranges from realistic to fantastical, there’s something for everyone.
I decided to write a historical fiction piece that I knew I’d be able to write more about in the future. I based it on my own family history, with a special focus on my 2nd great-granduncle who was the first game warden in Alaska to fly a plane. I knew I wanted to write about him at some point this semester, and since I had been struggling to come up with something for this assignment, I decided now was as good a time as any. I feel like I did a really good job with dialogue and characterization. Fiction writing isn’t usually my first choice because I tend to have a hard time making dialogue sound realistic and creating characters that are dynamic, but I felt really good about my piece for these reasons. One thing I learned about nature writing from this piece is that it’s so helpful to ground fiction writing in history or real events when possible. Especially for me, since I don’t tend to write fiction, it’s difficult to pull a story out of thin air, so having that extra support makes the act of writing in this genre less overwhelming. One thing I learned about myself as a nature writer is that I just need to find the right things to write about. I spent most of this unit trying desperately to make another idea work, but I didn’t have any connection to it. However, when I finally started writing my final piece using my family history as a launch point, the writing went smoothly and I eliminated the writing block I was feeling.
