Sunday, May 4, 2008

Why writing is like remodeling



It started with a gallon of paint. Luminary was the color. For various reasons, it took almost two months from purchase to application. The results - shocking! A nice, rich gold morphed into school bus yellow. In my bathroom!

A day later, my perspective has changed. Why have a safe gold color when you can have a HAPPY Bathroom? A Cinco de Mayo explosion of color? The start of a bright and expressive place to live?
With the shift of thought, we've begun a complete remodel of our condo. No more boring neutrals (maybe the carpet, which needs replacing.) No more safe choices. Today, we started with a new kitchen table. Wednesday, we pick up my new craft table, which replaces a boring desk I don't use. A large worksurface with shelves underneath equals more opportunities for creativity, which should spill into my writing. If you look closely, you'll see the top has a seam down the middle. It folds onto itself, but unfolded, the worksurface is twice as deep. Notice the shelves, perfect for baskets. I could go on and on.
But wait, you say. What does this have to do with writing? Simple, oh young one. One simple spark, an idea, a twist in the plot, can lead you and your characters on a wonderous journey. Sally isn't the girl next door that you envisioned. Instead, she's a space pirate. The hero's best friend is the real father of his daughter. The heroine's boring backstory suddenly becomes the catalyst of terrible problems. Or choices she has to make, each one suckier than the last. Your characters will go on a school bus ride of epic proportions, with ruts in the road and dead ends, mudslides and terrorist attacks. But somewhere in the adventure, they'll find a new side of themselves. Better. Colorful. And maybe, if they're lucky, they'll find what they didn't know they'd been searching for.