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GARDENING AND WRITING

Creation began in a garden. Ever since, gardens have served as metaphors for all sorts of creative endeavors. Stemming from the basic concept of life itself, the garden metaphor also applies well to the creative writing process.

Every written article, essay, poem or story must begin with a seed of an idea, which may eventually germinate and grow into a full-blown creative work.

This process may be traced in stages, as the horticulturalist observes his growing plot of land.

PREPARING THE SOIL

Before a writer may ever set a pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard), he or she (henceforth called "he" for brevity's sake) must cultivate the ground. Advance preparation is essential. First, the soil must be fertile. Is the writer open to new ideas and concepts?

For a writer, enriching the soil may mean training, research and continuing education. The best writers are also enthusiastic and voracious readers, who keep their own minds filled with new and fresh ideas continually.

PLANTING THE SEED

Like a tiny seed, a miniature idea may sprout within the writer's creative thoughts and grow into something wonderful and fruitful. Often, writers must tuck such seeds into a safe spot of their subconscious minds and wait, until those ideas are ready to germinate. This process can take time!

WATERING THE SEED

Before a germ of an idea can take root and grow, it must be watered often. Revisiting a concept regularly keeps it fresh in a writer's mind. Like a vigilant gardener, an active writer pays attention to his plantings, so he will spot any new developments immediately.

GROWING THE ROOTS

In a garden, most of the early growth occurs underground, where it may seem invisible to a casual onlooker. This is where a plant's roots are formed, which feed and sustain it. Likewise, a writer may accomplish his most important tasks in private, planning and structuring a work. To a casual onlooker, the wordsmith may seem to have accomplished little. However, quite often, the reverse may be quite true!

ENJOYING THE GROWTH
In time, a plant's growth will become evident to all. From a tiny and frail seedling to hearty vegetation, the progress will be plain to see. To a writer, this is the point at which written drafts begin pouring out of the printer. Writes and rewrites pile up.

As the chapters freely flow, so does the sap in a wordsmith's veins. Motivated by the motion, the writer continues to write.

PRUNING AND DEADHEADING

Of course, the painful process follows. A smart gardener knows

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