The following is a guest post by Wendy Manner, one of the fearless women who participated in my most recent Fearless Writing for Women workshops.
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Everyone knows gardening is a metaphor for life. After all, “life’s a garden, dig it!” But as my family spends time walking our land and waiting for spring in all its splendor, I can’t help but see spring as a metaphor for my writing life as well.
I think about the seasons, the ebb and flow of how I feel about my craft. I think about leaning into those seasons, maybe allowing for some heavy sighs as I wait for all the inspiration of spring, but being at peace with the barren wintertime as well, thankful for the opportunity to rest on my creative haunches a bit.
As we amend the soil in our garden beds, I think of all I do to feed the soil where my ideas for writing will eventually sprout. To prepare ourselves to produce good writing we read good writing, we listen to good writers, we gather good material, we live lives full of experiences worth writing about. As I watch my husband take careful notes about all he does in the yard, I am inspired to grab my own journal to scribble down thoughts on our every day lives. Not anything worth sharing with the world, but reminders to myself of all the fodder for later writing options.
When we start seeds we doesn’t expect them to be ready for life outdoors right away. We must be willing to start small, to nurture and coax, to allow seedlings space and time to grow and strengthen. The same is true in our writing lives: not every idea is ready to be a full story right away, but that hardly diminishes its worth as a start.
It takes time for seeds of stories to flourish into something worth writing about. Some seeds take longer than others to sprout. But almost all of them are worth the wait and the work, given the right conditions and a willing gardener.
So as spring bursts victorious all around us, how are you amending the soil of your creative pursuits? What are you doing to enrich the places where stories bloom and beautiful prose passages blossom? What writing chores do you most look forward to as you wait for inspiration to sprout? What notes are you taking now that will feed your craft later in the season?
I welcome your comments.
May the explosion of pollen and petals inspire you today. Hurrah for spring!
P.S. (from Susan) You can check out Wendy’s blog at: www.mindthosemanners.blogspot.com
Well, yesterday where I live we had pouring rain, mudslides, howling winds that toppled trees onto cars, and a rare lightning storm that struck buildings, started fires in houses and hit at least one plane trying to land at a nearby airport.
Yes, this metaphor fits my creative life perfectly. Good one! 🙂
We all have days like this, John. Thanks for commenting and giving Wendy some feedback. 🙂 We need to encourage these younger writers, yes? Especially since we all have to go through the storms. It’s part of the writing life, alas….
Spring has this same startling effect on me as I see the tips of my garden iris push their way upward, reaching for fulfillment of their purpose. I dig in my garden and remove garbage and feel lifted by the sprouting buds.
This feeling carries over to my work as a writer, calling me to take notes, revise some ‘winter works’ that have been napping, and submit work to literary magazines and contests, breathing new life into my writing space. Ah, Spring. Everything blooms and blossoms…even writers.
Thanks, Wendy, for a nice reminder and Susan for sharing it with all of us who click away at the keyboard.
Lovely post, Wendy with so much wisdom.
Wendy, I definitely feel the changes that are anticipated every spring and after the long harsh winter most of us experienced, the allure of spring can be even greater. Staying on a metaphorical realm, i would say that autumn can harbor as much creative unleashing as spring. Autumn is a time to lay the foundation but many of us don’t pay as much attention because Mother Nature takes care of a lot of this, although still inspiring creativity. The leaves turning to their vibrant red, yellow and orange signaling the change. The release to the ground and decay providing nutrients to the soil. I would argue that this is natural creativity.
Out of the metaphorical, your article mentioned how your husband’s journaling inspires you to do so. If his journaling wasn’t about events that take place in the spring but rather other seasons, maybe the harvest and the rewards of bounty, would you be just as inspired to take out your own journal?
I don’t disagree with you, but what good is a thread without other opinions? Cheers!
hi travis! luckily for me, my husband is a year-round garden journal-er, so the metaphor can extend through all the seasons 🙂 I agree, there is much to be said for autumn and its harvest and also winter in its quiet and rest. but there is just something about spring, isn’t there? something about the anticipation, about the wonder of it, and I thought it was interesting to compare the bursting forth of blossoms with the need for preparation and other chores. but much can be said of every season and the “chores” they bring as well. not to mention each “season of life” both as humans and as creative types, don’t you think? thanks for your thoughtful response and perspective! wouldn’t be a good thread without ’em!
thanks, nancy! lovely thoughts on how some of our own winter works could use a little “spring cleaning.” glad to know you feel the change and warmth in the air as well!
hi john! it is funny: when I wrote this post, it felt like spring, then we had another wintry blast through here and I wasn’t sure the words would fit the weather when it came time for posting! but you are right, both aspects of spring are so appropriate, metaphorically speaking. but good gardeners have to learn to weather the storms, so I guess we writers have to ride them out, too! thanks for sharing your perspective.
thank you, susan bernhardt! so good to the readers are reading (and enjoying!). I appreciate your kindness.
I think we can gain creativity from nature and see the metaphor in Spring easily with new life all around us, but like Travis I also see inspiration in all seasons. My favorite part about Spring and summer is getting back outside in my garden. I’m the type person who loves the feel of fresh soil in my fingers and smell of the soil when I plant seeds and new plants. My husband says it ‘grounds me’ … no pun intended. I love this thread.
Hello Susan,
I like Wendy’s ‘germinating’ seeds idea. It’s certainly true for me that some of my ideas have been better left in the dark for a while. However, I don’t shut down in winter. Just the opposite, in fact.
I keep going year-round, too, Celia. I seize the day. Every day. And feel very fortunate that I get to do this thing I love–write (or at least attempt to write) a really great story.
To me, spring represents new birth or rebirth of old. Comparing that to a creative life should be easy. How’s this: Finally, my blossoming, creative “spring” has brought me new ideas and a zest for living.
I love it, Michelle. You must be a writer! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!