I Sense a Theme . . .
What can I say? It's spring.
Yesterday, you all got a long-winded story of the transvestite canary known as Zen. Today's spring theme? My garden.
House plants? Brown thumb. I forget they're there. I have two bamboo plants, but that's it. I realized that house plants were beyond me, accepted my limitations indoors . . . and turned my attention OUTdoors, where, now that I live in a temperate climate, I am having great success. I read everything I can on gardening--and have thus chosen shade plants for the shade and full-sun plants for up front. I have Roma tomatoes, and lemon grass and basil and oregano . . . and lots of flowers.
And let me tell you, judging from my aching back after lifting heavy bags of mulch yesterday? It's hard work.
But I am never so content as when my hands are getting dirty in the earth.
Which brings me to writing. So much of gardening isn't the hard work of digging and turning the earth and planting . . . it's what you do once your plants are already in the ground. Like fertilizing (I'm going green--COMPOST). And "dead-heading"--which means plucking off the dead heads of flowers to push the little plants to grow fresh flowers. And that is like writing.
I had to figure out what worked and what didn't. I had to nurture what did work for me--and mercilessly dead-head what didn't. Dead -eading, for me, means:
Yesterday, you all got a long-winded story of the transvestite canary known as Zen. Today's spring theme? My garden.
House plants? Brown thumb. I forget they're there. I have two bamboo plants, but that's it. I realized that house plants were beyond me, accepted my limitations indoors . . . and turned my attention OUTdoors, where, now that I live in a temperate climate, I am having great success. I read everything I can on gardening--and have thus chosen shade plants for the shade and full-sun plants for up front. I have Roma tomatoes, and lemon grass and basil and oregano . . . and lots of flowers.
And let me tell you, judging from my aching back after lifting heavy bags of mulch yesterday? It's hard work.
But I am never so content as when my hands are getting dirty in the earth.
Which brings me to writing. So much of gardening isn't the hard work of digging and turning the earth and planting . . . it's what you do once your plants are already in the ground. Like fertilizing (I'm going green--COMPOST). And "dead-heading"--which means plucking off the dead heads of flowers to push the little plants to grow fresh flowers. And that is like writing.
I had to figure out what worked and what didn't. I had to nurture what did work for me--and mercilessly dead-head what didn't. Dead -eading, for me, means:
- Killing my darlings--and learning what that really means
- Not keeping scenes just because I think they are clever unless it advances the plot
- Not keeping dialogue--same reason
- Pruning single words that just aren't necessary--like too many adjectives and adverbs
- CHOOSING my verbs and adjectives carefully so I can use one, not three
- Knowing when I am forcing it and letting a story grow on its own
Labels: dead-heading, gardening, pruning your writing
posted by Erica Orloff at 7:08 AM
9 Comments:
Your garden sounds dreamy. I've dead-headed TV, mostly. By the time I go to bed, I'm too tired to watch, anyway! Good luck with the garden! I haven't got an hour each week to garden, but I live vicariously through other's gardens, LOL.
Hi Spy:
My garden eats up lots of time--but it's a stress-reliever.
And that's a good one--I've deadheaded TV, too. If I get in an hour a week (usually to watch something with my younger daughter) that's a lot. Usually I fall into bed exhausted--way too tired to watch TV.
I LOVE being outside in teh yard, whether it's the flowers or trimming trees or whatever. In writing, I just cut 27 pages from my WIP LOL Talk about killing your darlings though honestly, it didn't hurt that bad.
Every spring I start out with big dreams. This year I will manage to grow a lush garden. My hanging baskets will thrive. My perennials will, indeed, come back.
Alas, mostly my gardens run wild. If I'm lucky, it'll rain enough to keep everything I plant alive in spite of my neglect.
Yes, the pruning of negative people. A definite must!
amie:
I think I like it because my grandmother had a garden I always loved and I remember being out there with her.
E
wendy:
One person, in particular, was "dead-headed" this year. But it's something I try to be conscious of. I like to think, for the most part, I attract like-minded souls.
E
I've dead-headed a couple of faithful-but-poison "friends" recently. I miss them, but I know I'm better off without them. They were controlling, and beat me up every chance they got. If I let them come back, they'll probably kill me.
As far as the writing goes, I feel a little lost and confused without my old buddies. But it's getting better. By the grace of God, it is.
Jude:
Hang tight.
E
When it comes to editing my writing, I feel like a blind gardener.
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