What is Nature Writing? Why Are There No Free Resources?
My free educational resources on nature writing
Hey there, I’m Gaia, and I write about nature, home, and identity. Subscribe for free to receive my open resources, or join The Way Home community to gain access to all my writings. Enjoy a mindful, ecocentric, and authentic virtual space, designed to bring balance to our chaotic and precarious times.
I love nature writing. I always have. Actually, no. That’s not entirely true. I’ve always loved nature and writing. It took me a moment to realize the two concepts could be merged.
As writing has been my career for a while now, I must admit that’s a little embarrassing. But hey, that’s okay. My journey has been anything but linear.
More than that, it looks like I’m in good company! The more I learned about nature writing, the more I found that many other writers didn’t know it was an option either!
Do you agree? Let me know in the poll. Don’t leave me hanging.
The Lack of Free Resources
As an umbrella definition, you can think of nature writing as creative nonfiction where the natural world is the main subject. This genre is often mistaken as environmental writing.
They are connected and overlap through the observation of nature. But their tone, history, and practices are different. They both need their own resources, as they branch out towards science and literature, respectively.
Plus, environmental writing is a more recent field, as it focuses on environmental threats and the impact of the Anthropocene on the planet. As a general rule, nature writing observes, describes, and reflects on nature. Environmental writing uses science to understand the natural world typically in relation to human impact.
Nature writing is a well-established field as well, just older and more fragmented. Some say it’s always been there. Why are beginner-friendly resources so hard to find, then?
I blame the internet.
Yes, because when you search for “nature writing” you actually find a plethora of paid resources: Skillshare courses, MA degrees, a bazillion books with the nature tag. And yet, there’s no one there to guide you with a bit of method. Not for free, anyway.
The existent free resources are scattered, outdated, or simply not very good or thorough. Even the Wiki page about nature writing is much shorter than you’d think. Find some exceptions at the end of this post.
Am I wrong? Let me know about your favourite free resources, if you have any!
After looking at the what’s already there, I decided that my grass could very well be the greenest one — at least when talking free resources. My learning journey could benefit many new nature writers out there.
Who Do I Think I Am?
You don’t know me — why would you? It would be weird if you did. I’m just a little krill in the deep web-ocean.
If you look at me up close, you’ll see that I am a rather skilled researcher-krill. Say it ten times fast.
I have three university degrees, and next year I’ll complete my PhD in the field of Science and Technology of the Arts.
I’m not an expert nature writer yet, but my aim is to become one. My resources will reflect that.
My Resources
Writing is my job; I treat it as such. What I create has value. Because of that, some of my writings are exclusively for paying members of The Way Home. But not my beginner-friendly nature writing resources. Those will always be free.
And I’m not talking about a freebie every once in a while. This is not a marketing strategy. I’m in full-learning mode! I’ll share my findings generously, and with all the enthusiasm of a devoted novice.
My free resources will be updated regularly, and I will be sharing what I learn on a weekly basis.
If then you decide you want more, by all means, get more! You can always become a paying member of The Way Home. These members have access to:
Everything I write.
All my educational resources.
My upcoming videos and podcast.
My observational essays on nature, home, and the self.
A small contribution means more time for me to write about what I love. The more paying members decide to support my work, the more free, high-quality resources I can create.
Ok, Now What?
Next week, I will publish the first resource titled The Fundamentals of Nature Writing. There, I will tell you what nature writing is, along with its pillars and limitations. Each resource will also include additional readings and external resources.
Some Starting Points
What is Nature Writing by the Nan Shepherd Prize
The Problem With Nature Writing by Jonathan Franzen
A Nature-Writing Starter Kit by Steve Donoghue (video)
Why I Started Nature Writing by
(video)
Thank you, everyone, and see you next week.
All the best,
Gaia
Hey L Jean! Thank you so much :) please send the link for Afteryears so I can check it out!