You don’t need to have studied English literature to be able to closely read other people’s nature writing for the purpose of working and work out what you think works and doesn’t work, and what ideas you might borrow. But it might be easier to do this, if you go about it quite methodically.

If at this point, you’re thinking that you barely have time to do your own nature writing, let alone read other people’s, then I’d urge you to consider this from a master of story-telling.

“If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. Reading is the creative center of a writer’s life.” Stephen King, novelist

Close reading is not the same as reading for pleasure – you do need to look at the text with a careful and critical eye – although it can and should still be an enjoyable practice.

“…slow reading, a deliberate attempt to detach ourselves from the magical power of story-telling and pay attention to language, imagery, allusion, intertextuality, syntax and form”. Elaine Showalter, literary critic

There isn’t one way to go about close reading, but, if this is the first time you’re doing it, what follows is one approach to close reading. I’d suggest choosing a short and complete piece of nature writing of about 300-400 words. The Guardian Country Diary series is a good source of great quality nature writing with diverse approaches. www.theguardian.com/environment/series/country-diary

First, read the entire piece from beginning to end.

Second, re-read the piece considering –

  1. Context: Where and when it was published, although it can be interesting/useful on occasions to look at a piece of writing without knowing this.
  2. Subject: What’s happening, in summary, central ideas and themes, and how the writer has woven them in.
  3. Structure: How the story has been told and concluded (narrative arc). How the paragraphs have been organised.
  4. Point of view: Whether the story is told in the1st/2nd/3rd person. The type of voice (authoritative? gentle? etc) and tone (sad? humorous? etc).
  5. Language and syntax (the arrangement of words and phrases to form sentences): The tense/s used. Rhythm and sentence length. Interesting use of metaphors, similes, and other language techniques.
  6. Purpose: The point/s the writer seems to be making. Clarity or lack of it.
  7. Success: Strengths and weaknesses. What you would have done differently.

And finally, and most importantly, what can you learn or borrow for your own writing?

Further reading
History of ‘practical criticism’ https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/classroom/pracrit.htm

An interesting example of close reading, in this example of a Robert Frost nature poem https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/closereading/