Many of you might know that since July of 2021 I’ve been busy not with writing, but with remodeling some of our house. It’s been hard, challenging, fun, tiring, exciting, stressful, and rewarding. But along the way, I’ve learned some things. And some things that just might be helpful for writers.
1– Gut It
If you want to really remodel a room or a story, you have to be willing to take it down to the studs. That means ripping off wallpaper, tearing out lath and plaster, knocking down ceilings and getting dirty! Stories can also need remodeling. Be willing to get dirty and spend time tearing your story apart if needed so you can make it even better.
2– Watch for Treasures
In the demolition of the rooms, I discovered some treasures. Not just the hundreds of square nails, nor the old ripped up newspapers, but an old button and most interesting–an invitation to a ball from 1885
Yes, it was and still is pretty exciting. 😀
But if you are changing your story, don’t just delete it and start over, there might be some hidden gems in there: sentences that capture the imagination, conversation that sparkles with whit and humor, or scenes that touch the heart and trigger the tears. Keep your eyes open for the treasures in your story even if you don’t use it in the same place, you might use it in a different scene.
3 – Prepare for the Unexpected
Preparing for the unexpected is as important as preparing to get to work because, let’s face it, something unexpected is bound to happen. It might be something exciting like finding an invitation to a ball, or it might not be as fun like when we realized we had to rip of the sub floor in half of a room. But if you are prepared for the unexpected then it won’t throw you into a tizzy if your story didn’t get finished because a new niece or nephew was born, or you discovered that the character you thought was the bad guy turns out to be innocent and you now have to start your search for the villain all over again.
4 – Expect Delays
Delays. Waiting. I don’t like to wait, but I found myself having to wait quite often during the house remodel. We had to wait for the guys to hang the drywall, wait for the finishers to come, wait for this, that, and the other. Why I hadn’t expected delays, I don’t know. It happens in writing too. You have to wait for a beta reader to get finished with your story, wait for your cover designer to find the right image (that’s harder than you might think at times), wait for your proof copy to arrive, wait for the book to appear for purchase. Yep, there are a lot of delays that can happen when you are writing a book, so except them.
5 – Celebrate Progress
Did you get the ceiling knocked down in 15 minutes? (I did!) Celebrate with some chocolate cake. Is the insulation completely up? Eat some ice cream. Did you get your first draft finished? Go read a book. Is your editing done? Have some chocolate. Take time to celebrate progress. No, your story (or your remodel) might not be finished, but it’s okay to take a bit of time and celebrate. Just don’t forget to return to work. 🙂
Have you ever done any remodeling? Have you had to remodel your story, edit and change things? What is your favorite way to celebrate progress?
I enjoyed this post … great comparison between remodeling and writing. 😀 Also, that ball invitation!! 😮
I know! I was pretty excited when I found that invitation! I wasn’t expecting anything that exciting and fun in the walls! 😀
Very good comparisons. The “Expect Delays” part is a reminder I especially needed right now. Sometimes when I get excited about various writing milestones I can mentally get ahead of myself on the next steps, hoping or expecting them to happen faster than they most likely can or will. It’s even more true since I want traditional publishing and that’s a slower process (but worth it with my needs, wants, and goals) and I have to be careful not to compare my progress to my indie publishing friends who are on a totally different path. Last night I was having a mini writer confidence crisis and your post feels like a nudge from the Lord telling me it’s okay and I need to chillax and reset my expectations. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Oh, I’m glad to hear this post helped you. Even though I’m Indie published, I still find myself bothered and frustrated by delays at times. 🙂 It’s a part of life and you’d think we’d get used to delays. I haven’t though. 🙂
I like seeing the comparisons between remodeling and story writing! Wow, that invitation is really fun! That would have been so exciting to find. It would make a good story! 😉 I have had to remodel a story, and it’s not always easy. It still needs some work, but I’m closer on it, so that’s nice. 🙂 That’s a good idea to celebrate progress! I think I usually just go from one area right to the next! I’m always thankful to God for helping me get that far, and I’ll usually stop to tell a few friends.
Redoing stories isn’t my favorite thing, but sometimes it needs to happen. And they are always better because of it. 🙂
Telling friends can be counted as celebrating, but sometimes you just have to do a bit more than that. 😀
Yes! I hope to do more next time! That sounds fun.
😀
That’s so exciting to find a ball invitation! Have you decided what to do with it?
Thank you for this great post, Rebekah. I loved the analogy. My dad does most of the remodeling around our house; mom and the rest of us girls focus on the decoration/layout of the room. I hope your renovations continue to go well! 🙂
I’m not sure what I’ll do with the invitation. I want to take it to the library or town museum and see if I can find anything out about the ball.
My dad was busy working and my mom and sister aren’t construction people, so I “got” to do most of the demo. 😀
That sounds super exciting! (and the beginning to an intriguing mystery story!)
My dad let us use a sledge hammer during a kitchen remodel. My younger sister thought it was a lot of fun 🙂 Did you have fun with the demo process?
Yes, actually it was rather fun knocking things down. 😉 I perfected my technique of knocking down a ceiling and can rip off old wall paper and lath and plaster quite quickly if you don’t want to save the square nails. 😀
Eeeeek!!! That ball invitation! 😍
Anyone else think we should bring back balls??? Seriously though! 😍
I know! Isn’t it fun? I was pretty excited when I found it. 😀
WOW!! That ball invitation is SO cool! Wouldn’t it be neat to know how it got there in the first place, if the person who got the invitation attended the ball, what the ball was like, etc.? (Now my brain is spinning with idea! 😅)
Oh, I know! I’d love to find out. I want to do some research on it.
I love how you were able to find similarities with writing and remodeling. And such good lessons to be learned as well! 😊
Thanks. 🙂