Success at Growing Seeds

It's that time of year again here in Virginia where I start my seeds for this year's harvest. When I first began growing vegetables from seed, I didn't realize that there is a certain art to growing seedlings. That without proper care and soil, they can get diseased and die off (called damping-off) before they even grow their second set of leaves. Sometimes the fungus can be contracted in the soil, especially if the soil is not sterile. I went to the store and purchased a fresh soil mixture just for seeds. I used jiffy pots made of peat moss. I made sure the containers I worked with were clean. And once the seeds sprout, I only water the seedlings in the AM so the top surface of the soil dries out, preventing the fungus from developing. The seedlings are also put under a plant light until the second set of leaves appear, then they are repotted into fresh soil and pots. All careful beginnings of what I hope to be a healthy bounty of fresh broccoli or head of bib lettuce around May.

What an interesting metaphor for our writing. As our projects begin, they are the mere seeds of an idea. But as seeds, they need good soil to grow, adequate light and warmth, tender care, and careful nursing to prevent disease from robbing them of their final fruit. Just jotting down words isn't enough. Just as sprinkling seeds in dry soil do little. The seeds of our writing also need light (God's anointing), good potting mixture ( good themes that readers can relate to and good writing that sells in an competitive market), water (getting your work into the right hands once its polished). All are necessary to seeing your book grow and land a contract to be read and enjoyed by many.

GUEST Bloggers coming up! I am pleased to announce that Lisa Harris will be joining me as my guest blogger for March along with some wonderful giveaways! If you have not subscribed yet to this blog, please do (see the upper right-hand column) so you don't miss out on these wonderful giveaways and guests with important messages for writers in all stages of their career. In the coming months Blissful Writing Thoughts will also feature such Christian authors as Vickie McDonough, Martha Rogers, Loree Lough, Laurie ALice Eakes, among others.

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