Gardening and Writing – Part 1, Easy, Peasy!

Now that I am no longer “workin’ for the man” (yes, I’m a child of the ’60′s) – I have time to pay attention to my yard and garden. Let me tell you – 13 years of neglect shows! I’ve got my hands full with weeding, digging, and general overhauling! But – some plants just seem to take care of themselves. Like these beautiful blackberries!

These berries are so prolific and low maintenance – except they can totally take over the area! I have to prune them every winter, and this year I’ve tied them up (although you can hardly tell it!) and next year I’ll probably be even more brutal!

That reminds me of the first book I completed. The first draft practically wrote itself! It was heaven to be so much in love with a story that even as I was typing it, it seemed like I was reading it instead! Easy, peasy!

Then I’ve got these guys! The prickly gooseberries!

They’ve been easy, too. Except for things like picking (ouch! thorns!) and then two years ago they were attacked by the dreaded currant fly – and boy, was that ever a chore to get those things destroyed! Not fun at all!

I would liken that to getting a first draft done and then handing it over to your critique partners! Ouch! Some of those suggestions, as good as they are, hurt! And… what if mid-revision you realize there’s a bigger problem! You’ve got to go after it like the story’s life depends on it! It can probably be saved!

And, last of the berries… the blue kind!

I’ve got two blueberry bushes. This is the first year I’m going to have more than a handful of berries. The bushes took special care planting, they need a particular type of soil and mulch and fertilizer. I hope I’m doing it right!

They remind me of a book I’m working on right now. It’s taking more research, careful plotting, and mindful nurturing. It’s not a “straight from God to the page” book. And, for me that’s different. Not bad, just more of a challenge.

Berries and books both need the proper care and feeding to become the best they can be. Fertile ground, pruning, and fearless fixes when things appear to be disastrous are absolutely necessary!

Writers love for their readers to see the end (best) results. But, I can tell you – not everything in writing and gardening turns out exactly like one hopes it will. Tune in tomorrow for part 2 – when things are less than perfect!