Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Flower Arranging Fail


This is kind of a "fat guy in a little coat" joke of a bouquet.






(See the clip from Tommy Boy, if you don't know what I mean.)

But I love how daffodils look in this blue vase. How was I to know the blooms at the new house would be way too short for my favorite daffy vase? I suppose I could have predicted it, since the length of the flower stem from a bulb plant is directly proportional to the amount of time it's been frozen. Thus in Laramie we had "leggy" tulips; in Santa Fe, the daffys are short.

These are, however, the first daffodils of the season and thus to be celebrated.

And, yes, I'll go dig out another vase for them. The color contrast won't be as good, but they won't look quite so swallowed up. One has to trade off, now and again, to get the best possible result.

Writers often debate balancing dialogue with narrative, the advantages and disadvantages of first person vs. third. Everyone wants to find the magic formula. Over time, one discovers that there's no such thing. There are no rules, only general guidelines. And even those guidelines can lead you astray.

Unpublished writers tend to be much harsher critics as contest judges than published ones are. They're much more likely to cite a raft of "thou shalt nots" and rank a manuscript low if commit the sin of transgression. Published writers more often focus on the story itself, and whether it works. They're more likely to understand that you're really going for the yellow and blue contrast. They might point out the vase is too large, but if the whole thing is pretty, who cares?

Sometimes, it makes the joke.

5 comments:

  1. By extension, do you think training in ikebana would help a writer gather her thoughts in a pleasing, if Japanese, manner?

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  2. I like this concept, Marin! It reminds me of a psych study of gardeners that showed people with chaotic personal lives planted very formal, neat gardens, where people with orderly personal lives tended to have the wilder, cottage gardens.

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  3. At least you have daffodils. I'm still waiting for the crocus and greening of the grass. Soon, though. Soon.

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  4. Good point, I agree to an extent. I don't think all unpub'd authors are harsher, more so those that (1)haven't been at it long or (2) those full of workshop & craft knowledge with little hands on experience--meaning those with no finished manuscripts or those not even close to having one finished.

    It's always easier to tear someone's work apart when you have no first hand experience at doing it yourself.

    (look, I acutally commented on the topic this time) :-)


    And I totally believe in the results of that pysch study on gardeners. I started out with the most orderly garden around (I used a ruler to ensure straight lines and proper spacing)-- and yes, my life was a disorderly mess at that time. But as I've worked to balance myself over the last few years, I've noticed that while I've not let go completely of my orderly garden, I am a bit more Devil May Care with it (but I still have my limits-lol)

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  5. Wow, and when you comment on the topic, La Tessa, you make good points! Funny that you experienced a change in the orderly gardening thing. I'm a wild-garden gal, myself!

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