Germination

As a gardener, I enjoy planting the seeds for my vegetable garden in late February. I make a mess as I mix the seed starter and water, fill containers, and bury the little seeds in the special soil. Then, I cover the containers with plastic and set them on top of my freezer. The moisture and warmth cause the seeds to sprout more quickly. After they germinate, they are put in bright light to develop their true leaves.  Over the next few weeks, they form more and more leaves until they grow large enough to transplant outside. They mature and, over the season, I pick vegetables until the weather grows cooler (or warmer – depending on the plant). 

Writing a book is similar to gardening. A tiny seed of an idea is planted in the brain. (I imagine it to be kind of moist and warm up there.) It’s given time to germinate through research and brainstorming. It sprouts and begins to develop its true leaves as the writing begins. I transplant it to my critique partners and rewrite, rewrite, and rewrite until it reaches the mature stage. Then I hope it will produce fruit through publication. 

Right now, my first book Waiting for Yesterday is in the mature stage. The proposal is written and will be sent out as soon as I receive the results of a contest, but more on that in another post. The second book is going through the critique/rewrite stage, which will include a new title. Now, I’m prepared to begin the planting of a third book—a new seed ready to germinate. I’m working hard to fill my garden with exciting, published novels to share with others.

Speaking of bearing fruit, I want to shout out congratulations to Jill Nutter. You’ll find her website link on this page. Jill recently signed a three-book contract for her Regency series. Congrats, Jill!