The Writing/Gardening Connection by Kelli A. Wilkins
A terrific guest post on gardening from author Kelli A. Wilkins, author of IN ANOTHER WORLD.
Since spring is finally here, I’ve decided to share my blog about the writing/gardening connection. I’m an avid gardener, and I love spending time outside. In fact, I’ve written most of my books while sitting outside in my garden.
Exploring the Writing/Gardening Connection
By Kelli A. Wilkins
Hi everyone,
Since spring is finally here, I’ve decided to share my blog about the writing/gardening connection. I’m an avid gardener, and I love spending time outside. In fact, I’ve written most of my books while sitting outside in my garden.
One day after working in the yard last year, I stood back and took a look at my handiwork. I had just finished pruning my lilacs and weeding a huge flowerbed. Everything seemed to be glowing and vibrating with a renewed energy. The yard looked better and felt better.
I always feel bad about cutting back the lilacs, but then I thought, “The pruning needs to be done; otherwise everything gets overgrown and suffocated.”
Then it dawned on me that I’ve been doing the same thing with my writing—pruning and weeding what’s long overgrown.
For the last several years I was in a cycle of re-releasing my romances previously published by Amber Quill Press and Medallion Press, while writing new books. I rediscovered the stories and characters after being away from them for many years. Each book was revised, re-edited, and in some cases, parts were completely rewritten.
I deleted scenes that no longer worked, added new scenes, and gave each story a pruning—of dialogue tags, excess words, too many exclamation points, and yanked other “writing weeds” that needed pulling from these gardens. As a result, the books are stronger and better than ever. (And most have fabulous new covers.)
If you’re editing a short story or a novel, ask yourself, “What is necessary to this scene? What can I cut?” You might be surprised to find that tightening a scene or a chapter makes it stronger and helps the story flourish in the long run.
But I’m not stopping my “pruning” process with my books. I’ve also weeded out other things in my writing world that need to go—old market guidelines, bits and pieces of story ideas I no longer need, short romance stories that never went anywhere… the list goes on. I’ve sorted through about a hundred file folders and recycled bins full of paper. And I’ve extended this to my electronic world by deleting unnecessary files and updating my blog, social media pages, and website.
It’s refreshing to have less stuff to maintain. Now I have a clearer path to what I want to work on next, and I’m not bogged down with clutter or overwhelmed by “writing weeds.”
Each spring, I ask myself a few questions about my flowerbeds: What do I want to plant? Where? What died off over the winter that needs to be replaced? I’m asking these types of questions about my writing life too, wondering: What do I want to write next? What are the top five stories I feel I “must” write? Have I really given up writing romances forever? Should I take some time off from writing?
I don’t have all the answers yet, but I’ll sit in the garden and think about them!
Writing and gardening take time, energy, and commitment, but in the long run, the results are worth it. After a long day, you can sit back and admire all your hard work.
And speaking of hard work, my latest release, In Another World, was a labor of love that took about five years to complete. (You can read more about that here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/blog)
Here is the book summary and links:
IN ANOTHER WORLD
A Paranormal Mystery/Romance Novel
Disgraced psychic medium Julie Kershaw has finally met her soul mate. The problem is he’s dead… and his spirit haunts the car she just bought.
The spirit of Detective Eddie Mahoney is determined to find his killer and needs Julie’s help. At first, she refuses. She’s tired of being called crazy and swore she’d never use her abilities to speak to the dead again—even if Eddie is handsome and charming.
Eddie persuades Julie to contact his former partner, Lou Kaplonski, to ask him to reopen his case. Skeptical, Lou dismisses Julie as a fake—until she proves she can communicate with the dead—and he finds out Eddie has a lot to say.
Julie channels Eddie’s spirit and together with Lou, the unusual trio tracks down leads and follows clues to solve Eddie’s murder. The case takes them down a dark and dangerous path filled with secrets, where nobody can be trusted.
As they work to find his killer, Julie falls for Eddie. Funny, smart, and sexy, Eddie is the guy of her dreams—and he doesn’t look or act the least bit dead. To her surprise, Eddie discovers a clever way they can be together, and they begin an ethereal romance.
When Lou’s investigation brings him too close to the killer, his life and Julie’s are put in danger—and Eddie may be the only one who can save them.
Order your copy here:
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09R11STRN
- All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/bpw16g
Read reviews here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/in-another-world
Until next time, happy reading!
Kelli A. Wilkins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 20+ romance novels, 7 non-fiction books, and 5 horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes to scare readers with her horror stories.
Her latest novel, In Another World, was released in early 2022. This contemporary mystery/romance is set in the world of the paranormal.
She also released two horror shorts, More Than I Bargained For and Silent Sentinel in 2021.
In 2021, Kelli published Journaling Every Week: 52 Topics to Get You Writing. This fun and innovative guide to journaling is filled with hundreds of thought-provoking prompts designed to get you writing about your feelings and emotions.
Kelli posts on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor.
Visit her website/blog www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list and to find all her social media links.
