Nourishing Your Writing

During this growing season, there are some parallels between gardening and writing that have occurred to me. Just as I have to nourish my garden regularly with water and fertilizer, so do I have to nourish my writing with regular practice and attention. A well-tended garden gives back produce and beauty. A well-tended writing practice gives back recognition and inspiration. I have to work at my garden for it to flourish and this sometimes means making some difficult cuts. Not every bud will transform into a bloom or fruit and not every plant will survive. But in order for the garden to survive as a whole, I have to be willing to prune regularly and let go of the stems and leaves and shoots that don't appear to be thriving. It's the careful pruning that ensures my garden will not only thrive, but burst with growth. Likewise, not all of my writing will thrive either and I have to be willing to let go of ideas that don't work, projects that don't seem to be growing in a productive way, and work that may not be the quality I want it to be. It's difficult to cut or toss writing that I've put a lot of effort into, but if I want my writing to flourish as a whole, I have to be willing to cull the bad writing so that the good writing can come through. In the end, my garden thanks me for the careful attention and pruning and pays me back with a beautiful display and harvest to enjoy. My writing practice will pay me back too and, if I tend it well, will reward me with the satisfaction of publishing success.