Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The Art of Chaos

A place for everything and everything in its place.

Yeah, right.

I can only wish my closets looked like the picture here. I've spent the past several days tidying up. Between one kid moving out to college, swapping rooms between children, new carpets and unpacking from RWA, I've been in a constant state of disorganization.

Normally a little mess won't bother me. I often sacrifice the house for writing. But when it gets too cluttered, I can't write. It's as if the mess around me turns into a mess in my brain. Like me and the kitchen. I cannot and will not cook if it's dirty. And I hate dirty dishes in the sink. Okay, I admit I have issues. But it's hard for me to process clean food around unclean countertops...just like my writing.

How can I get fresh words to my monitor when my fingers constantly itch to dig into the stacks of crap around my desk? Without my notebook by my side, how can I be sure I'm not renaming a character or giving him/her the wrong flaws and attributes? Even worse, when do I end my chapters? (I'm a chapter writer. I set a certain number of pages as a goal and write to that end state. Works for me.)

To keep this rant short, I admit to cleaning all morning long. I also ran errands. I now feel complete and able to write. Yea!! Tonight I plan on at least a chapter if not more. I'm closing in on The End and if feels grand.

Smiles.

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