A Wonderkeeper Primer
WONDERKEEPERS
A Story Primer & Interview Question Guide
Every Wonderkeeper’s story begins the same way: a moment when the natural world reached out and touched something true in them. This primer is built to help you uncover that moment — and everything that grew from it — so the finished story places your Wonderkeeper, not the organization, at its center.
How to use this guide: Work through the sections in order during your interview. Not every question will apply to every Wonderkeeper — follow the energy in their answers and let them linger where the wonder is strongest. Check off questions as you cover them, and circle or star any answer that gives you a vivid sensory detail, a specific scene, or a turn of phrase in their own words. Those are the threads you’ll weave into the finished story.
1 The Spark of Wonder
Every Wonderkeeper can point to a moment — or a season — when nature stopped being scenery and became something they loved. Find it.
☐ What is the specific part of nature, place, or creature you fell in love with?
☐ Can you remember the very first time you noticed it — really noticed it? Where were you, and how old were you?
☐ Who were you with, if anyone? Did someone point it out to you, or did you discover it alone?
☐ What did you see, hear, smell, or feel in that moment? Walk me through it like it’s happening right now.
☐ Was it love at first sight, or did the feeling build slowly over time?
☐ What surprised you most about that first encounter?
☐ Looking back, what do you think that moment was trying to tell you?
2 Falling Deeper
Wonder that lasts is wonder that’s fed. Trace how a single spark became a lifelong devotion.
☐ After that first encounter, how did your relationship with this place or species continue to grow?
☐ Is there a particular memory — a trip, a season, a single afternoon — that deepened your connection even further?
☐ Did you ever learn something about this part of nature that changed how you saw it?
☐ Has your connection to it changed over the years, or has it stayed essentially the same?
☐ Who in your life understands this passion of yours best? How do they describe it?
☐ Is there a sound, scent, or sight that still stops you in your tracks today?
☐ What does this part of nature give you that nothing else does?
3 Choosing Their Conservation Path
This is the hinge of the story — the moment love turned into action. Get the specifics of how they found this particular organization, not just that they did.
☐ At what point did you realize you wanted to actually do something to protect what you loved?
☐ How did you first hear about this organization? Was it a person, an article, an event, a chance encounter?
☐ What made this organization feel like the right place for your time, effort, or support — as opposed to any other group doing similar work?
☐ Was there a specific person, conversation, or moment that sealed your decision?
☐ Did you have any hesitation or doubt before committing? What moved you past it?
☐ How did your involvement begin — volunteering, giving, advocating, something else? How has it evolved since?
☐ If you had to describe in one sentence why this organization earned your trust, what would you say?
4 Their Wonderkeeper Identity
The hero of this story is the Wonderkeeper. Help them tell you who they are, not just what they do.
☐ How would you describe your role in protecting this part of nature, in your own words?
☐ What does being a ‘keeper’ of this place or species mean to you, personally?
☐ Has caring for this place or creature changed who you are, or how you move through the rest of your life?
☐ What have you had to sacrifice, learn, or overcome to stay committed to this?
☐ Is there a belief or value this passion connects to — something bigger than the place or species itself?
☐ How do friends or family describe your relationship with nature? Does that match how you see yourself?
☐ What would you want a stranger to understand about why this matters so much to you?
5 Impact, Hope & Legacy
Wonderkeepers act because they imagine a future. Find out what that future looks like to them.
☐ What change have you witnessed — in the land, the species, or the community — because of this work?
☐ What do you hope is still true about this place or species fifty years from now?
☐ Is there a younger person, or a future generation, you picture benefiting from what you’ve done?
☐ What would you want this organization to keep doing, long after you’re no longer involved?
☐ If someone reading your story felt the same spark of wonder you once felt, what would you want them to do next?
☐ What does success look like to you — not in numbers, but in feeling?
6 Sensory & Scene Details
These questions exist to mine the texture of the story — the details that make a reader feel like they were there.
☐ Describe the light, weather, and time of day in your strongest memory of this place or creature.
☐ Is there a specific sound you associate with it — a call, the wind, water, silence?
☐ What does this place smell like? Does that scent take you back when you encounter it elsewhere?
☐ Is there an object, photo, or keepsake connected to this story that you still have?
☐ If you could put me right beside you in one single moment from this journey, which moment would it be — and what would I see, hear, and feel?
7 Closing Reflections
End with room for whatever hasn’t surfaced yet. Often the best material arrives here.
☐ Is there anything about this journey we haven’t talked about that you’d want included?
☐ Is there anyone you’d want to thank or acknowledge in your story?
☐ How would you want someone to feel after reading about your journey as a Wonderkeeper?
☐ Is there a title or phrase that captures the spirit of your story, in your own words?
Remember: the organization is the place where the Wonderkeeper’s love found a home — not the hero of the story. Keep the lens on them, their wonder, and their choice.
