The photo is of potatoes that ended up on my table.
Writing is a lot like planning and planting a crop. You have to begin, and you have to see the story through until the end. Editing equals weeding. Nurturing the ideas is the same as getting the rain and sunshine. You can have a drought.
It may be a bit of a gamble—and include some knowledge—to get the garden grown and the potatoes ready to be stored for winter.
Before the first word is on the page, you can already taste the flavor of the story, imagine a bit of the characters. See the lushness. Imagine the harvest.
Then the endeavor truly starts. The first word is written, and the book begins. A lot of hours are in front of the author, just as a lot of effort is in front of the gardener.
For me, I usually give up on the garden. But I can't give up on my characters.
Photo credit: Liz Tyner
Garden credit: Definitely not Liz Tyner