Exploring
the Writing/Gardening Connection
By
Kelli A. Wilkins
Hi everyone,
Since spring is finally here, I’ve decided to share my
blog about the writing/gardening connection. I’m an avid gardener, and I love
spending time outside. In fact, I’ve written most of my books while sitting
outside in my garden.
One day after working in the yard last year, I stood
back and took a look at my handiwork. I had just finished pruning my lilacs and
weeding a huge flowerbed. Everything seemed to be glowing and vibrating with a
renewed energy. The yard looked better and felt
better.
I always feel bad about cutting back the lilacs, but
then I thought, “The pruning needs to be done, otherwise everything gets
overgrown and suffocated.”
Then it dawned on me that I’ve been doing the same
thing with my writing—pruning and weeding what’s long overgrown.
For the last five years I was in a cycle of
re-releasing my romances previously published by Amber Quill Press and
Medallion Press, while writing new books. I rediscovered the stories and
characters after being away from them for many years. Each book was revised,
re-edited, and in some cases, parts were completely rewritten.
I deleted scenes that no longer worked, added new scenes,
and gave each story a pruning—of dialogue tags, excess words, too many exclamation
points, and yanked other “writing weeds” that needed pulling from these
gardens. As a result, the books are stronger and better than ever. (And most
have fabulous new covers.)
If you’re editing a short story or a novel, ask
yourself, “What is necessary to this scene? What can I cut?” You might be surprised
to find that tightening a scene or a chapter makes it stronger and helps the
story flourish in the long run.
But I’m not stopping my “pruning” process with my
books. I’ve also weeded out other things in my writing world that need to go—old
market guidelines, bits and pieces of story ideas I no longer need, short
romance stories that never went anywhere… the list goes on. I’ve sorted through
about a hundred file folders and recycled bins full of paper. And I’ve extended
this to my electronic world by deleting unnecessary files and updating my blog,
social media pages, and website.
It’s refreshing to have less stuff to maintain. Now I have
a clearer path to what I want to work on next, and I’m not bogged down with
clutter or overwhelmed by “writing weeds.”
Each spring, I ask myself a few questions about my
flowerbeds: What do I want to plant? Where? What died off over the winter that
needs to be replaced? I’m asking these types of questions about my writing life
too, wondering: What do I want to write next? What are the top five stories I
feel I “must” write? Have I really given up writing romances forever? Should I
take some time off from writing?
I don’t have all the answers yet, but I’ll sit in the
garden and think about them!
Writing and gardening take time, energy, and
commitment, but in the long run, the results are worth it. After a long day,
you can sit back and admire all your hard work.
Until next time, happy reading!
Kelli
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has
published more than 100 short stories, 20+ romance novels, 7 non-fiction books,
and 5 horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes
to scare readers with her horror stories.
Her latest novel, In Another World, was
released in early 2022. This contemporary
mystery/romance is set in the world of the paranormal.
She also released two horror shorts, More
Than I Bargained For and Silent Sentinel in 2021.
In 2021, Kelli published Journaling Every Week: 52 Topics
to Get You Writing. This fun and innovative guide to
journaling is filled with hundreds of thought-provoking prompts designed to get
you writing about your feelings and emotions.
Kelli posts on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor.
Visit her
website/blog www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list and to find all her social media
links.
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