Tending Your Garden

It's planting (and writing) season in Wisconsin.

Springtime in Wisconsin is my favorite time of year. The long winter finally releases its grip. The ground thaws and animals come out of hibernation. Outside, the bright green grasses finally replace drab grays and browns of winter. Trees bud out in reds, golds and greens. Yellow daffodils and purple crocuses sprout from the cold wet earth. Inside, my seedlings are getting stronger. They’re forming their first ‘true’ leaves and spreading their toes in the soil.

As the temps rise, I’ll air out the shed and find my gardening gloves. I’ll rake away the dead leaves and detritus leftover from the fall. I’ll plot out my garden.

This is my raised bed garden in June of 2022. We were still in process of adding gravel and plantings had just begun to grow.

Here it is in full bloom around midsummer last year.

Besides the mental health benefits I gain from being outdoors and getting my hands and knees dirty, tending garden reminds me to slow down. The process reminds me that all creations take time to germinate, cultivate and grow. To bloom, to bear fruit. they take plenty of nurturing, feeding, water, trimming and weeding.

Just like any other creative endeavor.

I’ve been writing for my whole life, but I only just began to write novel length fiction about 12 years ago. I had a lot to learn. It has taken time for me to gain the knowledge, and learn to edit, read, and edit again. To learn how to tell a story. It has taken time to cultivate my writing and learn the industry. My skills have just begun to bloom.

Early in my process, I attended an author event at the Madison Public Library down town. The author told us all about her debut book and described in detail how it took her ten years to get published. She quoted Steven King who tells authors virtually the same thing in his book, On Writing.

I didn’t believe her.

I thought certainly not all authors take so long to get published. I took it as a challenge. I thought, I can do better. I can do it faster!

Right.

But the truth is, a seed takes as long as it takes to sprout, grow roots and develop into a substantial, fruit bearing vine.

A book takes as long as it takes to write, edit, polish, and publish.

I’m content with my process these days. I’m not too fast, or too slow. I’m just right for me. I’m in the perfect place, independently publishing romantic suspense and working on the next thriller project. I’m pacing myself with the marketing and social media. I’m doing what I want, when I want. I’m self employed. I’m also my own boss. I’m living the dream, some friends have said.

I no longer expect my books to fly from my fingers onto the shelves. I give them nurturing and love in the form of critiques, edits, revisions and polishing.

And my garden is beautiful.