A Botany Lesson for the Writer: Growing Your Novel

I like to think that I’m a rather nature-oriented spirit. I’m quite proud of it, actually. I will admit though, that I lack the ability to keep anything alive for longer than a few weeks. But I’m no professional botanist, I am a writer, though. And writing a lengthy piece of work, or an entry for my personal blog, requires a lot of the main components.

Here’s how;

Watering. Giving your book constant hydration is key. If you stop writing it, it will dry out. And when you come back to it, its leaves will be a crunchy, unattractive brown. Don’t stop until your story has reached its natural closing. 

Trimming. Keeping your novel precise, and fresh is not optional. If the reader needs to sort through too many tree-branches to get to the juicy core, then you are one branch-to-the-face away from disaster.  

Refreshing the Soil. Most writers tend to keep a skeletal outline to longer pieces. Even if it’s just a messy page in the back of your planner, it counts. Don’t be afraid to reach your hand in there and mix things up a bit. You never know what soil arrangement will be ultimately the best nutrition for your work, but make sure to watch out for the roots, moving these can injure your book as a whole. 

And like with any plant, you must give it patience, understanding, and love. Never forget that you are, after all, bringing life to the pages of a once living tree.

Write on.

giselle