Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Bye, Bye Bonsai


I have an ornamental bonsai tree which stands outside at the corner of my house.  Much larger than this one, but shaped pretty much the same way.  I've always liked the exotic look of it and thought it was a nice addition when I decided to buy my house.  Tonight, however, when I came home, I discovered that someone had cut three main branches off my tree clear down to the trunk. 

My house is finally being repaired after last years storms and I believe the workers in their haste to put up my new gutters, thought it was easier to cut down my beautiful tree than to walk around my house.  I was devastated.


Oddly enough, as I stared at those brutal cuts into a tree I have come to love and admire for its individuality, I thought about stories I had written in the past.  So many stories I have nurtured into full grown manuscripts.  Stories rich with characters and scenes and action, all done with artfully placed words to draw my readers into the world of my imagination.  

But if I want the best creation possible, I must cut the excess away.  I must trim my story down to its bare roots so that only the best of it may continue to grow.  With gardeners, they call it pruning and with writers, we call it editing but the action is still the same.  Shaping the things we love the most, all in the hopes of the best and final outcome.



Maybe I can salvage my bonsai.  Maybe I can trim and shape it until once again it will be a thing of beauty at my home.  My stories, however, may take a little bit longer.  I will need to continue to nurture them, cutting out a phrase here, trimming an excess word there, until only the core beauty of the story remains.


Bonsai trees can live for hundreds of years and can be shaped into countless images.  If I'm lucky, so will my stories...







10 comments:

  1. Nice metaphor Donna, although I'm still sorry about your tree.

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    1. Thanks, Julie. I was devastated when I pulled into my driveway tonight. Thankfully my contractor is as upset as I am and will find out what happened tomorrow. His last words to me is that SOMEBODY was going to pay and that it wasn't going to be him or me! ;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  2. I love Bonsai trees but I don't have a green thumb and can't get anything to grow. Using the techniques of bonsai as a metaphor for editing s brilliant.

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    1. Awww, thanks Stephen! I was trying to make something good out of something bad...my bonsai tree is actually about 8 feet tall and now one side of it is lopsided...;0(...I don't actually do anything with it except trim it up every once in awhile...previous owners and now Nature does all the work.

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  3. Thought it was thunder, but it was the wood nymphs who were shouting at the chop-happy ax-man. Sorry it happened. Let's hope it grows back better than before. Like your stories.

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    1. Thanks, Janet, I try to turn bad events into good ones. Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  4. Congratulations! I have selected you as a winner of the One Lovely Blog Award. All you have to do is visit my blog http://cupcakepetrillo.wordpress.com and leave a comment to receive it. The rules of the award are there.
    Love and licks and loveliness,
    Cupcake

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    1. Well, thank you, Cupcake! I am honored and I can honestly say this is the first time I received an award from a canine...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  5. So sorry to hear about your bonsai tree, hope its sorted tomorrow. Congrats on your award, you deserve it.

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    1. Thanks, Diane! I also wanted to let you know that I haven't forgot about your books. I was on my way to the post office to send when the water break happened. Now the post office won't be open again until Tuesday...;0(...I promise they will be on their way soon! I feel HORRIBLE about this...

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