This summer, I have been in the process of moving, which has involved all sorts of surprises. Packing my belongings seemed like it would be a relatively tame and easy part of moving house. As I was steadily putting clothes and dishes in boxes, it occured to me how much of my possessions were unnecessary. There are the items that collect dust but have no real function, there are the furniture pieces that have lived their lives and need to be retired somewhere else, even though I thought that maybe one day, I would sand the thing down and repaint it. In all honesty, I won’t, though. At least not in this decade.
Getting rid of trashloads of things
and seeing the empty spaces left behind made me feel unexpectedly lighter and
freer. Though I haven’t been able to do much writing over the past few weeks
due to tons of boxes and unforeseen problems with plumbing and furniture
deliveries and other disasters, the freeing feeling of getting rid of excess
stayed on my mind. When I get back to writing, I will start applying the
strategy of getting rid of unnecessary parts that don’t serve the story with
even more ruthlessness than ever before.
The paragraphs I was attached to
because of a clever phrase or poetic construction? Gone if they don’t truly
serve the story in some way. Scenes that described the scenery in great detail?
Deleted if they can’t make me feel some significant way about those details. I will
begin extracting words with precision, especially from the flash fiction and
short stories I have in progress. But I can’t cut away everything small or that
doesn’t seem necessary or functional because, as I realize after looking at
folders of art work my children made over the years as well as the painting my husband
and I bought years ago using a gift card that was a wedding gift, that a story
and a home both need a heart to survive. Some of what makes a heart beat is in
the memories or the small things that may collect a bit of dust but make me
smile whenever I see them.
If you’d like to follow me on
social media for my latest book information and excerpts, poems, contest info,
book recommendations, and other fun stuff, you can find me at:
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Christina-Lynn-Lambert/e/B01MCYK0K7
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/christina-lynn-lambert
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinalynnlambert
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15900423.Christina_Lynn_Lambert
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinalynnlambert
Wordpress: https://christinalynnlambertwordpress.com
I feel for you having to move, Christina. Been there many times myself. Honestly, I'd prefer going through a root canal.
ReplyDeleteCleaning out my closet, periodically, is all I'm up for at this point. Like you, I look at items and think 'why did I keep this'? Some, I don't recall buying, I've had them that long. :)
Can't wait till you're back to writing. Love your work.
Thanks Tina! I'm finally all moved in and the cats and the dog are exploring their new space.
ReplyDelete