Garden Writing: Cultivating Words About the Gardens You Love

Technically considered a newbie, I started garden writing a little over three years ago. Being a stay-at-home mom and a full-time student, I wanted to find a way to combine what I enjoyed most and use my personal experiences, good or bad, to help others achieve that which they love or would like to learn more about. And so my garden writing dream was born. What began simply as a passion for gardening and a strong interest in writing soon transformed itself into a unique way for me to help others, as well as a way to express myself, all from the comfort of my home.

Garden writing has its shares of ups and downs, as does anything in life. There are days when I am nearly overwhelmed with creative topics to write about, and then there are the days when my mind just seems to go blank. Writer's block, as it is so often called, is common with any form of writing, and garden writing is no different.

So how does one become successful at garden writing? To this there is no sure-fire answer, as each of us is different. For instance, I have never had any formal writing education, other than my previous English writing class and a couple of related courses hare and there. I have had plenty of English and grammar classes though, but only because I love it, not because I needed them to write. So to say that everyone must have some form of writing-related or garden writing experience in order to be successful with garden writing (or any writing) just isn't true, although knowing and understanding grammar and the English language along with some type of writing skill is definitely helpful (and certainly recommended).

Garden writing, for me anyway, has been a growing journey. I enjoy writing about all forms of gardening, including that which may not be considered my strongest area of expertise. Nonetheless, I'm always willing to learn, even as I am attempting to teach or guide others. Not only does some personal experience play a big part in my garden writing, but there is also a lot of research that goes into it as well. At times I find myself just as addicted to learning new things as I am to collecting new plants, of which I admit to being a bona fide garden junkie.

As with all forms of gardening, garden writing is a learning process. Each day I try to learn something new and try something different. I enjoy experimenting, especially in the garden, and then I try to pass on what I have learned from the experience to others who may be interested in learning or trying the same. Sometimes I succeed; other times I fail miserably. This applies to both my garden and my garden writing. Sometimes my words and plants thrive, and sometimes they don't quite reach their potential. Putting pen to paper is merely my way of expressing these ups and downs.

They say to write what you know. I say to write what you can. Some days you may not know much of anything; your mind just seems to shut down or freeze up. So you compensate by writing what you can. Sure, it may be nothing more than gibberish at first, but you leave it be until your mind thaws out. Then you weed your garden writing, taking out the unappealing words and replacing them with something a bit more useful. In fact, with garden writing, you are pretty much cultivating your written words just as you would a garden. There will be times when your garden writing flourishes. Then there will be times when it requires some amending, just like the soil, in order to grow into something worthwhile.

Of course, not everyone is into gardening writing, but all of us enjoy something. Regardless of your education (albeit, knowing how to read and write is important), it is possible to take what you know and love and write about it. Whether it's garden writing or another interest, becoming successful at writing simply takes practice. It takes time, and it takes patience. Don't expect millions from garden writing (or whatever), but write what you know, and know what you write. Eventually, your passion will shine through.

I certainly do not claim to be an expert when it comes to garden writing; however, I do know what has worked for me. And just as no two gardens are quite the same; no two garden writers will be either. You simply find what works for you and go with it. Experiment and have fun with your garden writing. It will prove to be much easier in achieving your goals. Forget about being perfect, nobody is perfect, no garden is perfect, no writing is perfect. Nothing in life is perfect, and that's what makes it interesting. So take a stroll down the path of garden writing, you may be surprised at where it leads you.