Personal Discovery of Eco-Fiction, an Author’s Genre that Celebrates Our Relationships with Nature

 

Personal Discovery of Eco-Fiction, an Author’s Genre                   that Celebrates Nature's Relationships 

 

“As environmental crisis grows ever clearer, the best eco-fiction can help 

                           realign our conception of nature…”

It was a special discovery that finally answered my question what kind of e-books talk about water and trees as real characters with plots, problems and resolutions.

Eco-fiction is defined as nature literature based on the relationship between natural settings and human communities. It is a voice drawn from ecological principles that calls attention to act responsibly to be good ethical stewards of the Earth. There may be warnings of dangers to ignore it.

This special author's genre can help answer two questions:

1. Can scientific facts be understood better through an imaginative creative license as an emotional, interactive first-person experience?
2. Can the unique power in figurative language known as personification give human characteristics to non-living things or ideas to make better associations to better relate with a sense of empathy that it matters?

I can now proudly say that I wrote 2 e-books that can be classified as eco-fiction by combining 2 parts: the science of ecology with the art of story writing.

Part 1: Ecology is the scientific study of the distribution and abundance of living organisms and how the distribution and abundance are affected by interactions between the organisms and their environment including both nonliving and living factors

Part 2:  A story composition includes basic elements of believable memorable characters, immersive settings, suspenseful plot lines, goals and challenges with resolutions at the end.

The Incredible Journey of a Water Sprite with Roots has the scientific basis of  the water cycle that describes the continuous movement of water as it makes a circuit from the oceans to the atmosphere to the Earth and back again.

The main character is a water sprite with roots who has natural affinity as a water resource and as a plant at the primary level in the ecosystem. He is a complex character existing in three states with a range of abilities, but the mystery is his mission to discover other Cyclical Truths as he returns to the ocean. Indeed, along the way, the suspense and amazement grow as to how many he will find and how they fit into interdependent ecosystems.

Indeed, he develops affection for a micro-organism, shares her pond’s education and experiences pollution at the micro level where it begins. A sub plot develops when he discovers a hydrocarbon molecule and is surprised at their mutual organic bonds for affecting climate change because they share carbon as well as hydrogen molecules. At the end, floating over the ocean he finds peace with his internal conflict  that in order to survive people need to balance and protect their ecosystems.  

Ecological Succession of Birchum Birch introduces a sensitive birch tree who undervalues his existence until a tree dryad inhabits him and her wisdom explains his functions and connections to his community. He lives through the value of seasons, why nature doesn’t produce garbage through the humus cycle, the interdependent food web, the variation of adaptations and seeds, and how a spider web can help to explain morality versus consumerism. He sees the ecological succession that happens after a forest fire and plays his own integral part in supporting his community as his legacy.

Ecological principles were the basis of both stories with a common theme that flourished about diversity and cooperation. The hostile antagonists were people who in short-sighted selfishness attacked or abused these principles. They didn’t understand that DNA starts in the nucleus of the smallest life-form and cycles through natural bio-systems, including the Earth's biosphere.    

In the end, the main question or challenge is how an eco-fiction story can help to change societal norms and beliefs about ecology, environment, and sustainability?

There are lessons to be learned from Nature's elements as real personalities. They can show  how to make the less visible more visible because the greatest law of Nature is we are all connected…if one part is missing, we all suffer.

How else can the water cycle come alive with surprise and mystery by a unique personality that deeply cares about his survival committed to common goals?

How else can a birch tree come alive with his curiosities, fears, flaws, strengths and affinity for his family home and community?

What’s more important than fresh water and a clean water cycle?

What’s more important than a tree to clean the air and combat climate change?

What amazing friends and true superheroes for children to know!

In fact, perhaps, the more we can understand the natural world from real participants, the more we can apply common experiences relative to both nature’s and people’s communities. In fact, don't we all need to adapt to changes in the environment and face common issues of how to manage connections, maintain diversity, broaden participation, and foster adaptive thinking…all ecological principles that require tolerance and patience?

 In the end, science and imagination synchronize and weave fascinating stories that only a water sprite with roots and a living tree can tell; that in order to survive, we need to balance our Earth’s ‘Cyclical Truths’  and protect its ecological ecosystems. 

Most importantly, the hope is for children of all ages to accompany and respect them in our natural environment even more around every chapter and care deeply for Nature's manners, fears and hopes.

Check out the e-books here.

Have you read this unique genre called eco-fiction? The question has been asked why more books aren't written to help explain Nature's point of view when in crisis. 

Comments are always appreciated.

Please note the series of podcast questions in these blogs... 

Annemarie

amarie10@gmail.com

833 471 4661 (leave a time to talk)

Who can better describe the microscopic food chain than a microorganism called Stentor as part of the Great Ecological Cycle?  He teaches the Water Sprite and his class, 

Excerpt: “This is one of the great Cyclical Truths … if one part lives, then the other part lives; if one part is destroyed then the other part will be destroyed in time? Isn't co-operation wonderful, a true democracy through diversity?"

PS:  Much more information about the evolution of Eco-fiction and examples of literary works can be found on dragonfly.org