About a year ago, I began working on a children's book. It was supposed to be a simple picture book, but I ignored Patricia Highsmith's good advice of plotting out the length and size in advance, and just began writing. The text soon spiraled out of control! It grew to fifty single spaced pages. I realized that I wasn't really enjoying the writing and I didn't feel it was up to the standards of what I would read, so painful, after a year, I gave up. Looking back on it recently, I realize I was right—it isn't really that good. It's not always a bad thing to "give up," especially if you are forcing something that isn't really working. I've always loved reading and feel in many ways I am a good writer, but I don't have the discipline or interest to maintain a long-format work. And that's OK! It was a relief to give it up. It also allowed me to get back to something I enjoy more and am better at, the biographies and portraits for "Skeletons & Rainbows" and the large watercolors I love making. As I wrote the story, I also worked on the illustrations (the only part I really enjoyed), so here they are!
Garden Of Earthly Delights Artwork
The story was about the Green family who lived in Dirtytown. They were a hard working, but poor family who had a tough time making ends meet. They lived in a very urban city, surrounded by empty lots that were full of plants and wild life. Quite by accident, a potato plant (and other vegetables) grew magically in the lots surrounding their house. They end up with a huge, fruitful garden. BUT, the evil, greedy, criminal landlord gets wind of the garden and decides to evict them. In the balance are all the creatures who live in the Four Lots surrounding them, led by a wild rat. The ideas were good, the writing was not. I didn't live in that world, I didn't feel like Highsmith did, fully envisioning the complete lives of the characters. I am not a writer! At least not a writer like that. And that's OK, because Patricia Highsmith wasn't a very good artist!
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