In the Garden of (a Writing) Life

 My meditation garden looks FABULOUS! this year. 😁 I've worked hard on it, but I do every year. Whether I'm contemplating going on strike because the males in my house are making me insane, or killing off a character, I find that putting my hands in the dirt and planting flowers, pulling weeds, and trimming bushes helps me think. Here are the results of my gardening:

 My Star Gazer Lilly

Snow white Yarrow

Sunny Day Lillies and Coreopsis

My purple Irises finally bloomed!

Perky Purple Petunias

Pretty Pink Astible

Hosta (or as 2-year-old son said, pasta!)

Classic Marigolds

Mini Daisies, one son's big favorite

The lustful Ferns

Cool Coleus

Um, I forget 

Yeah, forget this one too

My garden is kind of like my writing life; some days/years are better than others. Sometimes plants- and novels- die. Or are too weak and I have to remove them. Others, like the lusty fern, take over and have to be trimmed. Some plants, like some manuscripts, just never thrive and the next year I have to try something else. Plants such as marigolds are always dependable- like a good character that gets a sequel. Yarrow, which some might consider a weed, has beauty in my eye, like some of my stories, even though others may not see it. Coleus is a new plant I'm trying this year, like a new idea for a novel (series?) I have percolating. Going through my files, I find stories that I'd forgotten, like the plants I have and I don't remember their names. 

My writing, like my garden, requires constant attention, although there are times when it's best to let both rest and go fallow, storing energy until its time. 

So today I will pull a few weeds- in both the garden and an old manuscript so both are pleasing to the senses. 

Of course I'll be doing one of them poolside. With a cold drink. 

Happy Summer!

Char