Cultivating your craft

On our evening walk, hubby and I discovered some delightful things on the school playground in our neighborhood. At the base of a tree, we found all these little decorative fairy stones probably designed by kindergarten students. 

Are you using your creativity to bake a yummy dish, create a fall craft, or craft a story?

                                                                               
This stepping stone reminds me of the photo albums of long ago when I had to lick the little black sticky triangles that held each corner of the picture in scrap books.

 It is your job as a writer to be observant. I imagine an older teacher was in charge of this classroom project, and the students were probably in 8th grade from the size of those thumbprint bees. What other things can you deduce from examining this photo? Leave a comment.                                                                                                                                                      
Last spring before school was dismissed for summer break, we noticed a community garden at the back of the school. We watched it wither in the oppressive summer heat, snap back after a rain, and against all odds, because Mother Nature was its only caretaker, produce produce.

 Did my last sentence make you stop, stumble, go back and read? If you are writing a manuscript, you do not want too many of these kinds of speed bumps. They cause the reader to stop and reread to discover where emphasis should be on which syllable.
                                                                               
Take a look at the foreground of this picture. See the parched hole in the ground from which this vine is growing? Trail up that one skinny vine and discover the lone prize tomato it produced. I am certain one of the classrooms is waiting for it to ripen. One day someone will notice a glimmer of red, and every student will be so proud. That is unless a squirrel makes off with that Big Boy, as they have been doing with our garden. They waddle down the fence carrying tomatoes as large as their heads.

The message here is good things come to those who wait. And sometimes, no matter how great a masterpiece you produce, it doesn't make it to the desired end result. In a writer's case, that would be publication. What if every disappointed gardener decided not to try again the next year? If you are a writer, don't give up. One day your story may crop up in a magazine, book, or on line.  
                                                                             
This sunflower has taken nourishment from the soil to provide nourishment for insects and birds.

Writers are a community of strugglers who persevere, give up, plow on, and  share their bounty. If you've been dormant too long, spent the summer away from writing (or whatever creative endeavor), get back into the swing of things. Cooler days are headed our way. Refreshing, cool morning air is one of my inspirations. What are yours?