The natural word is an impossibly rich wellspring of inspiration for me. If I'm ever without something around which to build an essay or article, I have only to take a hike around our land. With eyes and heart open, I'm sure to encounter something I've never noticed before. I think about related observations, and the central theme that unites them. I'll often comb my daily nature journal for details. I cook essays in my head for weeks, sometimes, before the final version flows out. For me, the sythesis that is writing is a natural extension of watching. And I watch, all the time.