Nature Lover

For as long as the written word has existed; when myths and legends were passed from clan to clan; whispered from ear to ear, nature has been at the centre of it all.  In fact, writers from Walt Whitman to Virginia Woolf all extolled the benefits of spending time in nature in relation to their craft. And I couldn’t agree more. By simply slowing down and observing what is around me, I’ve found that being in nature can provide inspiration in so many ways. 

But I haven’t always been like that. I grew up in London, and for a long time, regarded myself as a city girl. I loved the buzz from being around other people, and the excitement from all that cultural stimulation - art galleries, ballet, theatre and so on. But as the years went by, the constant activity began to unsettle me. So, I turned to nature. Nature soothed me. It slowed me down. And it gave me what I needed - a sense of peace and wellbeing as well as mental clarity and energy.  

You could say that my love affair with nature started some 15 years ago when I moved opposite to a park - with woods, a nature reserve and lakes. I was very fortunate to have such beauty on my doorstep. In fact, I grew very attached to it. No matter what was going on in my life, the park became my constant. It provided structure to my day - walking through it every day to get to and from the station for my commute - exercise and the peace and quite for introspection.

It also provided me with endless inspiration through simple observations: the sun setting on the lake in the midst of summer as sumptuous mauves and pinks lit up the sky. Or how snow lent an otherworldly, ethereal, magical air to the park as if I were transported into a Grimm fairytale. Somehow snow makes everything look prettier and there’s something about the starkness of trees in the depth of winter, with every branch and bough revealed, that makes them even more striking.

My favourite seasons though were spring and autumn, the former for the abundance of bluebells in the wood, which adorned the ground in regal blues and shades of purple. And when October seeped into November, a golden warmth descended upon the park with its red, russet and yellow leaves. 

I also loved the introspection that came from my solitary walks. In my beloved park, away from digital noise and distractions, my mind was able to wander. It provided the mental space for creativity, allowing ideas to emerge and flourish without interruption. In fact, the idea for my first novel came about on one of my walks in that park and slowly, slowly, a book came into being.

When I lived in Scotland for a while, an idea was sparked during a visit to the Highlands. Driving through remote, windswept, villages, with its backdrop of gothic-looking, pine forests, it struck me that it would make an apt setting for a psychological thriller. And so came about my third novel, which I am currently in the midst of completing. But nature didn’t only inspire the setting of this book, it is at the very heart of it. It is what drives and fuels the antagonist and protagonist, albeit in different ways.

I’ve learnt that nature inspired writing not only serves as a setting, such as a mountain, forest, or ocean, it can also shape the mood of a story. In particular, it can serve as a character, giving nature agency, if, for example, a storm or the forest is influencing events. Nature can also act as a mirror, reflecting a character’s internal state through their interaction with the natural world. A desolate landscape, for example, might echo loneliness, while a blooming garden might symbolise hope.

And when writer’s block rears its ugly head, which invariably it does, I go into nature and look around me. Nature is full of universal symbols: a rising sun for a new beginning; a storm to represent conflict or transformation or a tree with deep roots as a symbol of stability. As a writer, I have used nature to explore themes of resilience, interconnectedness, and the passage of time, hopefully reflecting universal truths and shared human experiences that resonates across cultures.

Yes, exploring a new city will always excite me but nature is something I simply cannot do without.