Usually our porch is covered in planters filled with all the summer basics--Petunias, Pansies, Marigolds...
This summer, the desire for pot and pots filled with flowers seemed like more work that fun. The desire was there--sort of. I kept checking out the plants at the farm and ranch store where my daughter works, Wal-Mart and the nursery. But I didn't buy any. Not one. The two big planters in front of the steps looked especially barren.Finally, I filled those two with basic Petunias.
My perennial gardens are flourishing. But they're minimal work. Weeding? Sure, a little. Fertilizing and watering. Easy. They're beautiful, they're permanent.
All this is a little like my writing this summer. I
love writing. Still do. But lately, it seems exactly like my gardening. It seems easier to leave the planters empty and tend to the perennial gardens. In other words, it seems easier to tend to the published work, than plant something new. The planting, (new story), weeding (editing) and fertilizing (marketing) all seem like just too much.
I gotta get out of this slump.
I need my flowers. I need to write.
We are in the same place, I think, even with the flowers. I finally planted petunias and marigolds in the flowerbeds nearest the porch, and gave them so little time it's a good thing they're strong enough to choke out weeds. It seems to be a tired kind of summer. But you'll get it back, D'Ann. You will.
ReplyDeleteD'Ann,
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling well! Lovely analogy. I'm in a similar situation. When summer comes and the weather is beautiful, it's easy to just start coasting along. My advice about the writing, start working very early. You can put in two hours before the day has even begun.
I totally get your blog this morning because I'm going through the same thing. I'm in a slump. I think part of the problem is not trusting myself to go ahead and write. I'm questioning things too much. I love writing and I know how to write. I think Nike's slogan fits what I'm going through right now. "Just do it" :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't plant flowers, either, this summer. My hibiscus from last summer made it through the winter, and I think it might bloom soon...I did buy a new planter - with flowers already planted.
ReplyDeleteAs for the writing, it's fits and starts - I have a good writing day (the kind when the words flow) and then the next few days it's hell just to get 1000 words in...but I'll find my rhythm, I know, if I just keep moving.
D'Ann, you and I are going through the same thing. My perennial gardens look beautiful, but all of my planters are still bare--and they probably will remain that way this season. I just don't have the energy or desire to plant annuals. As for my writing, I'm in the process of editing my latest WIP--getting it ready to publish. Then comes the task of marketing and promoting, which wears me down. And during that time, I should be writing another story. I can already feel my brain shying away from that.
ReplyDeleteTaking a break from things won't hurt you. You'll feel fresher when you get back to it.
ReplyDeleteI kept thinking I'd get some more flowers too, because I almost always have a few plants outside. I bought petunias for Memorial Day and promptly forgot to water them. I didn't notice until they started wilting that, oh, yeah, those alive. I had tomatoes and a basil plant last year, this year all I've got are those silly petunias that now have a pie pan under them so I won't have to water them so frequently. Here it is middle of June and it hardly seems worth the effort to do anything else this year. :p
But take it easy. Your writing will come back when it's ready.
Ever since I began writing, my interest in gardening has been waning. One of my friends thinks it because my creative need is satisfied by writing.
ReplyDeleteIt feels like you need to let the ground rest right now. It's been so fertile and productive for so long that it needs to rest. Sprinkle -- don't plant -- some seeds around. Some will bury themselves in the rich soul and germinate. Others will blow away in the wind or be eaten by birds. But soon you'll see something growing, and it'll be magnificent. In plain English -- maybe this is your time to be thinking of things to write, not writing. And thinking is a part of the creative process.
ReplyDeleteSophia Ryan
--She Likes It Irish
--In The Bad Boy's Bed
It seems like you've been going at those books hot and heavy. Maybe you need a break. We all need renewing from time to time.
ReplyDeleteI wish I were a gardener and I'm sure I will be, eventually. Just don't have much time for it at the mo!!
ReplyDeleteI hear you! I'm feeling it too, but mine is because my day job is taking over my life. Hopefully after Friday when I'm done, I will have more time to sit and write. Come and get me muse!
ReplyDeleteI love flower gardening. I used to plant tulips, but I haven't done that in years. Love how you used a gardening analogy with writing-I dislike both types of 'weeding'. : - )
ReplyDeleteMy Hubs has a saying: I take care of the outside, you take care of the inside. Therefore, I dare not plant anything because it's not my domain. He did relent earlier in the year and plant a small flower garden for me. But I admit, growing up with a gardening fiend for a mother, I have little to no interest in this. I'm happy to visit the gardens of others and praise their achievements. What you've created at your home is spectacular. Carving time to do this work isn't easy! Thank you for sharing your garden with me.
ReplyDeleteHugs, D'Ann. I know what you mean. I'm not a gardener, but I'd like to be :) But yes, it's so much easier to deal with what's already finished than start new and have to cultivate.
ReplyDeleteHang in there D'Ann. Like a flower garden, it takes time for ideas to bloom.
ReplyDeleteOh God, we're twins! I am doing the same thing both in writing and gardening. I didn't plant a single annual this year. And I haven't written a new book this entire year. I'm working on the 116 I've already written. I thought I should get some of them published. Do you have poison ivy? I do, and it's driving me crazy (I thought you might since we seem to be living the same life)
ReplyDeleteGirl - give yourself a break. You just had a major life upheaval - leaving your job. You've released 5???? books in a year. Think of all the promo for that. Give yourself a chance.
ReplyDeleteI don't garden--I have a black thumb (I touch it, I kill it)--but i know exactly what you mean about taking the easy route and working with what is already done. I've been doing that for the past year with the exception of 1 book. And now all the stuff I had written is out and I'm actually having to write again. I guess it's like trying to cut through tough prairie sod--hard as hell the first time you do it (first draft). But then it gets easier and you can play again. Hang in there, D'Ann!
ReplyDeleteDitto what Sophia Ryan said so eloquently! I used to belong to a crit/create group where we sent out weekly excercises and writing in different genres/forms in short form seemed to stimulate creative juices for my longer works.
ReplyDeleteAnd I haven't hardly planted anything new this season either. And weeding--forgetaboutit. I have a huge thistle threatening everything within distances and dandelions--who knew they could get waist high???
Thanks for all your comments, everyone! I appreciate them!
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