How Using Nature can Enhance Your Fiction

What can nature do for your stories?

Jul 07, 2026

Allison Symes, Core Contributor

ISSN = 2977358x(online)

Introduction

Nature is glorious and inspires so much fiction. The titles which spring to mind here for me are The Wind in the Willows, the Winnie the Pooh stories (I’ve always loved the thought of the Hundred Acres Wood) and yes, The Lord of the Rings.

The contrast between the natural world of The Shire at the start and the horrors of Mordor as the book goes on is stark. The ill-treatment of the natural world is an underlying theme here too, especially with the destruction of the trees by Saruman.

There is also the category of cli-fi - climate fiction - separated now from science fiction as its own genre, which focuses on the natural world.

All stories must have some setting so nature does come into our fiction, even if we don’t write specifically about it. We can use it, in a good way, to enhance our fiction though.

Using Nature in Our Fiction

Readers need to know where your characters are so they can make sense of the setting.

If your character lives in a well watered land, I would expect to see mention of lakes, rivers, seas etc in the story. Your characters will know these things are there, would need to be aware of them. If they’re going on a quest, say, they need to know where the water crossings are. If it is just somewhere they go to get away from it all for a while, we need to know where this place is and what kind it is too. It will make it easier for the reader to picture.

You can also give some sense of your character’s overall attitude by showing their reaction to the natural world around them. Do they care about it?

Having a character spot a particular bird, for example, will show them as being observant and knowing something about the creature in question. For fairytales, a character’s ability to care for the world around them is more likely to get them help from a fairy godmother and the like in the story. They usually like caring characters and the reaction to the natural world, even in a fantasy setting, can contribute to that.

Also bear in mind the season will have a major bearing on your story too. If your character is off on a quest, they’re likely to do it in the spring and summer when light levels are at their best for the longest time available, assuming your created world is set up for seasons in the same way ours is.

Weather conditions too will reflect on your setting’s natural environment. Is that environment prone to flooding or sandstorms? Are there areas which are so wild most don’t dare go near them but your character has to for some reason?

All of these things bring nature into your fiction. The good thing here is you can use what you know of the natural world here (and can research still further on it) to create fictional natural settings, which because they are based on knowledge are more likely to be believable.

Tips

Think about how the natural world would impact on what your character has to do. It will have some bearing. Nobody, for example, goes anywhere in a snowstorm unless they have no choice.
Think about what the reader needs to know about your setting to be able to picture it. They won’t need to know the ins and outs of the variations of the seasons, for example. They will need to know your setting has this season with this major characteristic, another with other traits and so on.
Think about how your character’s natural world can help or hinder them. It is likely, especially in fantasy, the natural world will have elements which the character will need to factor in to be able to do whatever it is they have to do. If they know, for example, the trees (and again I’m thinking of The Lord of The Rings here), have magical capabilities, that should have an impact on how your character treats and/or reacts to them. There will be consequences from that too.
Use the senses. We appreciate the natural world via what we can see, hear, smell, touch and (sometimes at least) taste. Your characters should do the same. For example, a character drawing their cloak around them will indicate to the reader they’re feeling the cold. You can add to that detail by revealing whether it is rain, snow, hail, strong winds or any combination of those which make them feel cold.
Comparisons in nature can work well to show something of what is going on in your fictional environment. If your character recalls they don’t remember seeing so much rain at this time of year before, then that can indicate something is going awry. Your story will then go on to reveal what that is and, bear in mind, it is often true animals can detect changes in weather coming long before we can. That can happen in your fictional world too.

Conclusion

How much notice does your character take of their natural world? Do they only notice it when things are going wrong? There are plenty of ideas to be written from answering those questions.

Also you can show more about your character by sharing what they love/hate most about their natural world. If your character is, for example, especially fond of sunsets, I would guess from that your character has a sense of beauty and colour and I’m likely to feel empathic towards them.

Question

What would your character be prepared to do to look after their natural world and what would get in their way? What has forced them to take this path?

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