Writing and gardening are my two main activities and I would argue that they they need a similar mindset.
Being Creative
Of course! When I am writing it is very much a visual experience, where pictures or a film reel transposes into words. A creative mind is one with imagination, having an idea of what the finished article is going to be like, whether it be picturing a flower bed or imagining a novel.
Cutting out the dead wood
It has taken me years to be more ruthless in my garden (there does appear to be a rogue cerise foxglove in the bed above) but it has to be done, trimming, cutting back, pruning and even rooting out plants that have become too big or are in the wrong place. Similarly, the various layers of editing a novel are just like that.
Aiming for a harmony and consistency with the characters
Plants from a spectrum of colours look beautiful together, but so do those chosen carefully for height and contrast. Each plant then needs to be part of the whole picture. It may have beauty in itself, but if it is not consistent with the plot it will look out of place.
The Structure in the design completes the picture
In a garden, the walls, fencing, gravel, decking, grass, all play their part in creating a complete picture. It is the description of setting, which draws the picture for the reader, but it mustn’t be too overpowering taking away the wholeness, so that the reader is distracted or bored.
Sometimes the Result can take your breath away
My last novel, released days before lock down, has not reached the dizzy heights (for me that is) of Murder Now and Then, but Missing Past and Present is very special to me, and as one loyal reader said, ‘You really have discovered your true voice!’
Finally you’ll just have to let it go
If you are forever tweaking a garden and noticing every weed as it pops its head up, you will never stand back (or better still sit and relax) and enjoy the whole garden. It is a tough moment for an author to ‘let go’ of a completed novel. There will always be a word to change or a scene you are sad you left out because it didn’t quite fit. You need to know the moment to Let it go and enjoy the ride!
Diana Jackson 