Hidden Talent

Wandered the historic neighborhoods of Arlington Heights, Fort Worth on Sunday on the Hidden Garden Tour. It's fun to "sneak" into backyards (albeit with paid admission) and judge others' hard work. This process made me think about how agents must approach a slush pile - no doubt with hope of finding hidden talent, and with trepidation - i.e. incurring poison ivy or tangled in weedy words.

This bungalow had an outdoor chandelier - rather kitschy cute. Not my taste and probably back into the slush pile for me. Otherwise, the backyard had a lot of interesting corners with various plants, lawn ornaments, statues, and hidden treasures. If I dismissed the yard based on my first viewing, I would have missed a lot.

Sunday was swampy. No other way to describe a humid 92 degree day. We glistened as we strolled, eager for a breeze. This wall dragonfly caught my eye, and like a great opening sentence kept me yearning for more delights. I came away with a favorable impression of the owner's viewpoint.

Xeriscape, when done right, offers another avenue in gardening world. The outer perimeter of this garden was a bit grassy and messy, but inside the fenced area this turtle reminded me to trod slowly and enjoy the small details. Again, agents wading through the grass don't have time to encounter turtles. Back to the dragonfly opener - flap the wings of wild words to grab attention. Plenty of time to plod along with backstory and character sketches.

My friend, Ann, and I were far more critical of the garden tour this year. Were we delirious from the heat? Or did we have more garden tours under our belt to use as comparison? It was a mixture. That's true for agents, I'm sure. There are days of delirium when nothing written suits, and there are plenty of books - really well-written material in their library that shine.

As a writer, I must pull weeds and let the flowers garner aclaim.