Julie Sellers book
Julie Sellers is the Guest Blogger today. Wise words from a fine writer.
The Spade Work of Writing
As spring nears and I watch my flower garden for the first signs of bulbs poking through the cold earth, I’m reminded of all the work my husband and I did to prepare the flower beds that bring me so much joy. We transformed an area along the side of our home where grass wouldn’t grow into a vibrant display of color across spring, summer, and fall. Of course, that meant there was a lot of spade work involved in ridding the area of grass and preparing the soil before we could plant the bulbs, plants, and shrubs we chose. Each time a bud unfurls in fragrant hues, we realize all the digging and raking and fertilizing and sweating was worth it.
Author L. M. Montgomery referred to her pre-writing process as “spade work,” a fitting term for the purpose with which she approached her craft. She penned the classic Anne of Green Gables, along with twenty-three other novels and over five hundred stories and poems (each!), along with other miscellaneous pieces. She also journaled—regularly. Montgomery was both a prolific writer and an avid gardener, and she knew a thing or two about how to make her gardening and her writing life flourish. Both endeavors represented hard work, and both took careful planning and tending to make them thrive among all the other demands of a busy life.
Spade work might constitute different approaches for different writers and genres. When I write as an academic, my spade work is by far the bulk of my writing process. It involves hours of research and chasing leads from one source to another. Often, my research is qualitative, and I invest a considerable amount of time contacting potential sources, securing interviews, conducting those interviews, and then listening to and transcribing them verbatim. Use of material from interviews requires a signed permission for some publishers. I then have to dig through all of that material and organize it before I can even begin to write.
As a creative writer, my spade work is different, but it is still essential. It involves, firstly, setting aside a time to write and sticking to it. I build this into my early morning routine so that nothing else can steal that time from me. I also set aside time on specific days or dates when I know I can tackle a project that might take more time. Making the time to write and being faithful to that writing time is akin to marking off the boundaries of the garden I intend to plant.
Spade work for my fiction, non-fiction, and poetry differs according to the piece I’m writing. I still might have to do research to make sure I portray an event, location, or character faithfully, or to understand and use specialized terminology. If I want to experiment with a poetic form that is new to me, I need to study it and read examples. For longer works of fiction, I must develop character studies and block out the action; in fact, I’ve found this to be so useful I often do it for shorter pieces, too. Reading, for me, is always a part of my spade work for all my creative work. It helps me cultivate ideas and study what works, what doesn’t, and why. Although the pre-writing steps look different by project, they’re essential to each one.
I am not a master gardener, but I know enough from my own flower beds to know that caring for them goes beyond the original spade work; this is true for my work as a writer as well. Once I plant the seeds, I need to water and feed them to make them grow. Sometimes, I have to take steps to protect the blooms from a late freeze or marauding deer and squirrels. This is like the writing process: bringing my ideas into full bloom requires work, dedication, and care from activities that try to intrude on my time or naysayers who want to intrude on my determination. Once my flowers are blossoming, I have to go back and weed out any invading dandelions or other pesky weeds, much like revision. From there, I have to seek out ways to share my written work with others, be it in traditional or online publications, a blog, or simply with family and friends. Just as arranging flowers does not come easily to me, this stage of the writing process is a challenge, but it’s one that’s worth it after all the other work I’ve invested.
Neither writing nor gardening is a linear process, but the preparatory step of spade work is key to both. Embrace this phase of your writing activities as the one that readies the ground for the words you will bring to life.
BIO: Julie A. Sellers was raised in the Flint Hills near the small town of Florence, Kansas. Those great expanses of tallgrass prairie and reading fueled her imagination, and Julie began writing at an early age. After living in several states and countries, Julie resides in Atchison, Kansas, where she is an Associate Professor of Spanish and Chair of the Department of World and Classical Languages and Cultures at Benedictine College. Julie has published three academic books, and her creative prose and poetry have appeared in publications such as Cagibi, Wanderlust, Unlost, The Write Launch, 105 Meadowlark Reader, and Kansas Time + Place. Her first book of poetry, Kindred Verse: Poems Inspired by Anne of Green Gables, was published by Blue Cedar Press in 2021. Julie was the 2020 Kansas Authors Club Prose Writer of the Year.
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