I've been gazing at my garden with contented eyes and the sense that what is old is new again. After having been neglected over the winter months, I always enjoy watching my garden sprout new growth out of the ground, be it Bachelor Buttons, Clematis, Stonecrop, Coral Bells, Hosta, Creeping Plox, Honeysuckle, Hydrangea and much, much more. These days, a few of my favorite annuals, like Salvia, are actually rejuevenating after an unusually warm winter, an act of defiance which always excites me. I have two batches by my mailbox that are already 12 inches tall. Yay! Which means, this year I'm going to have a grand show and an early one at that. ;)
Springtime rocks! (Can I get an amen?)
In my garden, third and fourth generation flowers are growing wherever nature (or more like bird droppings) planted them. These hardy seedlings often need replanting in better landscape, where sun and shade are at optimum levels for the species and I've always got nooks and craneys to fill. I've also got tried and true originals, the bones of the garden, visual stablizers, usually in need of a trim, like Azaleas after they bloom, Holly, and Rhododendron. And then there is the free-zone where annuals like my favs, Lantana, Salvia, Geranium and Vinca, are planted to create a colorful show once the threat of frost has passed (usually April 15 in my neck of the woods).
Watching a garden grow is one of my favorite passtimes. Much preferred over watching a kettle boil. What is that old saying? "A watched pot never boils?" (Tell that to writers everywhere waiting on contest results or submissions.)
When it comes to gardening, if you don't provide fertilizer, water and sun, not to mention, tender loving care, a garden won't grow. And let's face it, someone's got to pick the weeds before they declare full-on war. The same can be said for anything that strikes your fancy, be it painting, scrapbooking, quilting or knitting.
I love to write so I'll put this in writerly terms.
Writers have to write, plain and simple. If a writer doesn't pick up a pen or touch the keyboard with his/her fingertips, the words won't write themselves.
Writers can sit and stare at a blank screen but that doesn't achieve The End.
Unless the gardener digs the hole (write the words), plant the seeds (string them together page by page), cover the seedlings with soil (write the book), and provide sun, water and fertilizer (revise, revise, revise), the gardener will not reap the harvest (sell the book).
It's spring! Spring is a great time for a redo. Didn't like last year's color scheme (plot)? Redo. The plants you chose for your home didn't quite measure up (characters)? Redo. The species you chose didn't like the soil, climate, amount of sun (genre)? Redo. Easy as 1... 2... 3.
What do you do when the writing needs a redo? When contest judges declare a redo? When critique partners don't get it?
Depends on who says I need a redo and why. Sometimes I do it. Other times not. I don't automatically assume I was wrong in the first place--or that I was right.
ReplyDeleteJean, you're so right! Our instincts are usually correct. But we also have to learn to weed out the negative and enrich our lives with the positive. So when confronted by criticism we can see things objectively enough to know what works and what doesn't.
DeleteI don't like to do "redos," who does? It is an arduous process and I generally wade through it like I am walking through quicksand. And, like Jean, it depends upon who says the redo is needed and why.
ReplyDeleteCheryl, no one wants to redo anything. I know when faced with revisions or revamping my garden, especially weeding out the chaff, I don't want to exert myself. The only way to get through any task is to repeat the Nike logo, "Just do it."
DeleteI find myself balking almost every time. Sigh. But in The End it's usually for the best.
There's nothing more disappointing than a wilter in the garden. I had hostas that were planted in the wrong place once that never made it past June. So sad.) So I transplanted them where they had the necessary shade and they died! Oh well, I just planted something else to replace them and it worked just fine.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you just have to replace plants. Half the time, getting the right plant to respond to the right conditions is the hardest part of all. ;)
DeleteOf course, no one wants to keep having to start over again. Sigh.
As for Hostas, they need at least half a day of shade, mostly shade if possible. And they like water. ;)
As Jean said, it just depends on who calls the re-do. If it is between Pantster and me then we try to talk it out.
ReplyDeleteOften contest judges are dead wrong for your story and just pushing their opinion on you.
I think that the gardens are beautiful now but the pollen prevents me from actually loving them.
You're so right, Stephanie. I've judged contests and I know half of the comments that have been made on my entries should be taken with a grain of salt. If I did every suggestion made, my book would be a jumbled mess. So who do you believe? I think the best recourse is to go with your gut. Chances are if you love the story, readers will too.
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