Strawberry blossom near my porch steps.
I started to weed around my front flowerbeds this morning, but with my pale complexion, I could only stay out there for about ten minutes without the risk of becoming “Lobster Girl”. With all the rain we’ve been having, my yard has become a jungle, but a lot can be done in a little bit of time.
Chives in Bloom
I’m not a dedicated gardener, I’ve NEVER lived in a house that didn’t have some clutter, I HATE doing housework, and I consider ANY free time as precious. When I tackle a project, be it at work or at home, I tend to get overwhelmed if I look at the big picture. I have to break things up into steps, or use the clock and only devote a certain percentage of my time.
Strawberry Blossoms
I write like I garden. I tend to edit chapters as I go. Sure, I’ve heard that it’s best to write the entire story and THEN go back and edit, but I can’t seem to follow that advice. I’ve learned that it’s too overwhelming for me to try to edit an entire story all at once. It takes the fun out of writing.
Wild Snapdragons They showed up on their own one year, and keep reseeding themselves.
The story I’m finishing up was originally written all the way through, and silly me, I thought all I’d need to do is go back and edit it. WRONG! It was terrible! The story’s voice in the beginning didn’t match the ending. There were forgotten plot holes big enough to throw a house into. I almost had to start from scratch and rewrite the entire thing. This time, I’ve been going at it slowly, one Juli-step at a time. I’ve never taken a creative writing class before, so for those who know about such things, you have my permission to shake your heads at me. It’s OK, really it is. This time around, I write a chapter, edit it the best I can, and then go on to the next one. When that chapter’s done, I edit it PLUS what’s been completed as a whole. I ask myself questions. Does the story still flow? Am I still working within the parameters I’ve already established? Did I put enough imagery into my story without bogging it down? I don’t know if this is right for everyone, but it’s right for me, and it really doesn’t take me that long. I’m almost finished playing with Chapter 18. I probably won’t reread ALL the way from the beginning, but I’ll at least start from Chapter 16, and make sure those three chapters flow together and make sense.
Random piece of wood
Ten minutes here, ten minutes there…small chunks of time are all I have to get stuff done.
JH
These photos are all from my yard. Yes they are random, but I had fun playing with my camera. I took them this morning before the sun got too bright.
