Writing About Nature: A Creative Guide, Revised Edition.

Front Cover
UNM Press, Dec 15, 2003 - Language Arts & Disciplines - 216 pages

Originally published by the Sierra Club in 1995, this handbook has already helped thousands of aspiring writers, scholars, and students share their experiences with nature and the outdoors. Using exercises and examples, John Murray covers genres, techniques, and publication issues. He uses examples from such masters as Barry Lopez, Annie Dillard, Larry McMurtry, Edward Abbey, Ernest Hemingway, and Henry David Thoreau. Also included are recommended readings, a directory of creative writing programs, professional organizations for writers, and a directory of environmental organizations. This revised edition includes a new chapter on nature writing and environmental activism.

"Nature is our grandest and oldest home, older than language, grander than consciousness. John Murray knows that in his bones, and he shares his knowledge generously with anyone who opens this book. Whether you write about the earth for publication or only for deepening your perceptions, you will find keen-eyed guidance here." - Scott Russell Sanders, author of Staying Put

From inside the book

Contents

The Writing Process
23
Figurative Language
73
Character and Dialogue
87
StoryTelling
95
Style
105
Fiction and Poetry
115
Revision
129
Research
137
Workshopping
149
Environmental Activism
171
Copyright

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About the author (2003)

John A. Murray is the author or editor of forty books, including Cinema Southwest, which received the Southwest Book Award, and Mythmakers of the West, recipient of the Colorado Book Award. He lives in Denver.

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