October 2008

Fall is a busy time in my garden. It is all about taking stock of what worked and what needs changing. All the Tuscan Rosemary plants are mature and larger in scale than I imagined they would be. I have to decide if the dwarf boxwoods planted between each rosemary plant will need a new home. Since I am a beginning gardener and this is the fourth year for the garden many of the plants are reaching their stride, and need space to spread out. Big sigh, first time gardeners learn from experience.


And yes, when something works it is spectacular! The four year old Italian plum tree has, for the first time, produced a bumper crop of luscious purple fruit. And this is because of pruning and three series of dormant spraying at just the right time.


Writing is also about taking stock of what works and what needs to be edited. Self editing is a necessary task for any writer. Learning to cut out whole scenes takes courage; especially if the scene is well written but simply not working for the plot line. I have a “cut’s file” for each manuscript and this is where anything I edit out, ends up. Do not, repeat, do not, edit and throw away scenes. You may surprise yourself and find a use for that scene, or a variation of it, later on; or you may need the idea for an entirely different manuscript. Good ideas, well written are gems to be saved.


Not unlike the plants in my garden. Beautiful plants may need to be moved, need to be saved. And given a new place to thrive they will give back their beauty.