This blog has been silent for awhile because I’ve once again plunged into renovating a house. And once again the similarities to writing a book strike me.
With both a fixer upper and a book I can see the transformation so clearly – the mess of life into a published book, the1925 house into home. What fun, what a snap, what brilliant ideas I have!And then it all comes to a grinding halt. The fun, the snap and quickness and ease of it all. My brilliant ideas fall flat. Or at best seem nearly impossible to execute.
What I realize is that I only have so much bandwidth for decisions. When you write a book, fiction or non-fiction, you’re making decisions every other minute. What to put in, leave out, is that long description really necessary, does that dialog make any sense? The book hums under your life, everything you hear and see and remember is potential material. The same thing with doing a house: what about bathroom fixtures? Lights, paint, appliances et al. All of a sudden you’re noticing door knobs and sinks and chandeliers – the renovation hums constantly.
I finally sent a new draft of my manuscript off to my agent and was then able to focus on remodeling the house. A lot of demolition had to be done at first (those 1925 bathrooms and kitchen) and it’s a sobering experience to watch what you just bought being torn apart – like having your book edited by the toughest critic you can think of. But now all my energy is available for this house in Pasadena and if you want to have your socks bored off, just ask me about the excitement of three layers of linoleum removed to reveal Doug fir in the kitchen, or the range hood that I did extensive research on,(who knew there were so many ways to vent your stove?) and what I know about toilets now (Home Depot has toilet videos on line!). I’ve done this before of course with a number of old houses, but like writing a book, you learn how to do it over and over.
The latest chapter in the house story is my dining room wall getting knocked down to make way for French doors.
Next month I’m teaching “Kicking in the Wall” at the Writers Studio at UCLA Extension. It’s a four day intensive course to knock down writer’s block or whatever walls are standing between you and the story you need to write. A few spaces still available – come join us.
