Flowers For Me

Almost all writers who I know go through it--burnout.

It can sneak up you like a housecat...pounce...and take you out.

But this post really isn't about burnout. It's about how to prevent it, or fight it if it does catch you unawares.

One of my favorite ways is to garden. (ha! gotcha! you thought I was going to talk about riding!) I do love to ride, and it is one of the ways I do regain my balance, but sometimes it's easier not to drag myself out to the field, catch the horses, hook-up the trailer...etc., etc.

Of course this isn't going to work so well in the dreary winter months, but flower gardening really perks me up when my mind needs to rest or to get a break from characters, conflict and all the other pieces that go into a story.

Digging in dirt, placing my flowers, even weeding...it all gives my hands something to do while my mind can wander to my stories...or not. If I don't think about the stories, my mind can latch onto any other subject...work (not relaxing and not recommended), what we'd eventually like to do around here (some remodeling projects, plant hay and so forth) or any number of subjects.

I can easily dig, weed and plant while my mind rests. If I don't want to think about anything more than whether carnations are going to go well next to my grandma's wild roses, I don't.

There is something about warm earth, the sweet smell of flowers, the growing green plants that gives me not only a lovely garden, but a place to reclaim my balance and an urge to write again.