Sit A While In My Garden...

 

 

 

 

(Wikipedia Commons)

 

My mother loved all types of gardens.  She loved being outdoors.  I can remember flower gardens every place we lived when I was growing up.  I remember the happiness my mother found working in the dirt to bring some beauty into our lives.  It wasn't until I became an adult that I realized the time and effort she put into such a simple thing as a flower garden.

 

While working in my yard yesterday I realized that writing is very much like tending a garden. What I thought would be an easy chore as I have a very small yard, turned out in fact to be quite tedious and took more than four hours to just do the basics.

 



 

(Wikipedia Commons)

 

 

If I were to cut my yard in a simple pattern with the object being only to get job done with as little effort made as possible, it would the same as it I threw a few cactus into the ground and called it a garden.  Yeah, the rudimentary elements are there and some would indeed call it a garden, but there wouldn't be much color or beauty to the finished project.  It's the same with beginning a new story.  I can throw some Who, What, When, Why, and How into it, but does it really become a great story with just the basics?

 

 

(Wikipedia Commons)

 

Now, how about if I take out my weed eater and trim the edges of my yard?  Start to shape things and make sure everything in my yard has a specific purpose for being there?  Maybe add a little splash of color here and there to help bring excitement to my landscaping?  Then it would be more like a Japanese garden where the balance between functionality and beauty draws attention to my handiwork.  But still it might be lacking something.  A missing piece which invites the world to come by and take a look.  If I add tension and a strong plot to my stories, it might capture the attention of my readers for a few pages or maybe even a few chapters.  But if the magical element or spirit of the story doesn't hook them, they will leave without caring about the ending.

 

 

(Wikipedia Commons)

 

How about if I trimmed the hedges, planted flowers, set up cozy chairs amongst the beauty and welcomed the world with open arms?  Wouldn't that be a garden worth visiting?

 

My writing should be like a garden...well thought out, well tended, every aspect of it planned out for optimum exposure.  It should have a subtle sense of purpose and have a strong voice to entice readers to come for a visit. Only then will the beauty of it be seen by others.  Only then can I comfortably sit a while in my garden...and plan the next one...