And no, I don't have a completed rough draft to announce....
But I am proud to have a fully renovated kitchen. It took over six weeks, but every microwaved and crockpot meal was worth it twenty time over. (I'm not sure all the delayed writing was though. I'll have to get back to you on that...that is if I get started back to writing my WIP.)
(Just joking...I think. ; )
We replaced the old vinyl floor with porcelain tile and the old counter tops with new tops that look wonderful. Added a new microwave/hood over the stove, under cabinet lighting, a tile back splash, and more outlets. All in all, an amazing up grade. Just like WIP drafts, though, not everything needs to be changed to improve. The old cabinets got a lemon oil restorative treatment and we didn't change the layout at all.
Writing is no different. We draft a story and then go back with revisions and renovations that made add new characters and subplots, but the basic story remains the same. Or we just add small details to a scene to make it shine.
I've spent a lot of time figuring out the place for everything and then putting everything in its place over the last few weeks. Writing is the same. Sometimes we move a scene from the front of the story to the back, or lop off the front altogether to create a new beginning further into the story. We pull out things that don't work like old worn out phrases and repetitive words. Or we repaint by adding imagery or setting details. And we restructure by rearranging the order of the plot or change a POV.
The large pass through opening used to be an outside window. Now it's open and admits a lot of light into the kitchen. And hopefully my rewrites will do the same by allowing a bright view of real life. So, when the revising, rewriting, remodeling headaches come in my writing, I want to remember that the outcome will be grand with a place for every character to live and a scene in every place the plot needs one.
What about you? Do you have a way to keep your head up during renovation of your WIP. If so, please share it with us all. ; )
(Copyright of all photos is Zan Marie Steadham 2013)
