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.

Comments

  1. I envy you this. I plant flowers, but only because I like looking at them. I HATE gardening. It's one of those things I do only for the result, kind of like writers who like having written books but don't really enjoy the writing process.

    I guess if I'm going to dislike one process or the other, I'd rather dislike gardening. :-)

    Good post, D'Ann.

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  2. I love gardening, although it's pretty wet this year and I've only had one sunny day correspond with a day off.

    I love the sense of accomplishment that I get from getting a flower garden weeded.

    And I do believe it helps with plotting.

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  3. Flowers or writing, I like seeing the results of my handiwork. Although, I think my writing is *slightly* prettier than my gardening. About mid-summer I lose all interest in weeding and things get a little...well, hairy. ;)

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  4. I used to love gardening but not so much anymore. Now it feels like work. When I get the writing blues I let it come. Only because I know it won't last.

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  5. Thanks, fellow gardners, for coming by!

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  6. D'Ann, just another thing we have in common. I LOVE gardening. I'm a total green thumb. Gardening has helped clear out soooo many plot related road blocks in my writing. While I'm gardening, my mind wanders to all different places--I play the what-if game with myself.

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  7. I can kill plastic plants. No gardening for me. I let the hubby do it, and enjoy the fruits of his labor. Great post, D'Ann. As usual, you always make me think!

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