In the spring a writer’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love. And murder. And family drama. And history. And alien worlds. And vampires with a three-legged dog, an unfulfilling career, relationship woes, and daddy issues.
Here are ten ways writers celebrate spring. It may not do as much for their house’s curbside appeal as, say, a tulip, but it does wonders for those manuscripts.
- Shine a ray of light on a character’s dark and wintery soul.
- Open the windows to air out those stagnant subplots.
- Plant seeds of conflict.
- Round up those details that seemed like great ideas at the time, and toss them in the recycling bin.
- Polish winter’s grime off a scene to make it shine.
- Peel off a layer or two of obfuscation.
- Vow to root out all those weak verbs. Tomorrow.
- Dig deep into the fertile soil of imagination.
- Carefully nurture those new bits of life.
- Sit on the porch every once in a while to watch the fruits of labor bloom.
Ha! I’m always Scarlett O’Haraing chores, so I love #7. I’ll think about that next week.
Oh, I love “Scarlet O’Haraing” as a verb!