I love to garden and I love to write. Both require germination. Seeds need sun, moisture, a thin layer of dirt and time. In story germination, one needs to free-write, outline, research and do lots of lucid dreaming.
One helpful tool for plant germination is eco-friendly plant fabric that lets in sun and water, yet keeps temperatures warm and pests out. A helpful tool I've found in organizing nascent story is the Scrivener corkboard feature, with its virtual Index cards on which you can "jot down" plot points and then reorder endlessly. Find out about Scrivener here.
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| The Scrivener Virtual Corkboard |
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| Seedling Tray |
When plants get bigger and outgrow their seedling trays, they must be transplanted directly in the soil. When a story gets richer and more fully fleshed out, one must plant it firmly in a laptop file, and plow straight ahead to the end, only to go back to the beginning and revise. Both need love, patience and smart pruning.
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| The Voynich Manuscript, from around the Renaissance |
Perhaps, you'll combine writing and plant images in a mysterious tome, such as the Voynich manuscript, which depicts alien plants and a blurb in a language that no code breaker has yet figured out. No kidding. Check out this Smithsonian site.
But first, leave a note about what germination means to you. How do you grow your plants, your story, your life?