If you've been following the weather in the States, you are already aware that it's been an exceptional winter for snow in the midwest and east. With at least a foot of snow on the ground, I've been spending a lot of time watching television.Over the past few days, I've spent hours watching a pretty young lady whose business is buying old homes, fixing them and flipping them. In my younger days, I did just that with several properties, but could never afford to make it a business. There's something about rescuing a house and making it shine again, a feeling you don't get from anything else. This particular woman has a passion for accurate restoration. No open concept floor plans for her. She wants the original integrity of the house brought back again. I like that.
And it got me to thinking how rehabbing a house is similar to fixing a bad manuscript. You take it a room, or a chapter, at a time, and strip it back to its basics, making sure the good bones are there. Then, staying true to the type of house or story you have, you add details, color, embellishments, fix the holes, and move on to the next. In the end, you'll have a house that stands taller now that it's once again pretty, or you'll have a manuscript that everyone wants to read.
And, if I'm no longer able to do the heavy lifting involved with an actual house rehab, I can use my experiences to write a story about it. Stay tuned.
Love the analogy, Becky! Both are hard work - but, you're right, both bring great satisfaction in the end. Kind of like raising children too!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kim. I guess the analogy works for anything you pour your heart into–especially kids!
ReplyDeleteI'm tearing apart my house (in my book) and the writing of it. The reconstruction is taking its toll. I'll put that last nail in if it kills me. Another post to think about. Thanks Becky.
ReplyDeleteGet it done, Barb. You've been building it for a long time.
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