Escrow closed early on the cabin I just bought, the previous owner has moved out and what needs to be renovated is very, very clear now - kind of like opening Pandora's box. Plus a new roof needs to go on my old cabin that I'm about to put on the market etc. etc. The anxiety of writing pales in comparison to dealing with real estate.
A friend and reader of this blog suggested that fixing up a house is a wonderful metaphor for writing. (Except you're not writing out a check everytime you get a new idea.) The one thing I've found in connection is that I'm writing volumes in my journal; writing out the whole storm. This is faintly amusing because I once wrote a book called Writing Out the Storm - about writing your way through illness - and hey, I just discovered it works for real estate anxiety too.
The very latest news - good news - is that my realtor Keith just discovered oak floors in the kitchen under the linoleum under the fake wood.
Meanwhile Nelson is simply exhausted by the whole thing. He fell asleep on the bare living room floor as I was measuring the cabin yesterday.
I love metaphors! I think you should thank your friend for introducing a good one to you… I started writing last year and thought of using this as an inspiration. All I’ve written are narratives and fiction stories; I haven’t tried using fixing up a house as a metaphor. Anyway, how’s your new cabin? What kind of roof have you decided to install on it?
Posted by: Alison Mckenzie | May 18, 2012 at 11:42 AM
Alison - All I know is that the new roof is fire proof and the color is Estate Gray I think.
Posted by: Barbara | May 18, 2012 at 12:47 PM
Aww, Nelson was indeed dog tired! Haha. Anyway, what kind of roof did you install on your cabin? Don’t you know that you can install a green roof for cabins? Green roofs can be visually appealing, and it’s definitely eco-friendly. You can even plant little growing flowers above to make it more attractive. =)
Posted by: Neil Hirsh | June 25, 2012 at 02:04 PM
Edie, what a great post! If I didn't believe in newrtoking, I wouldn't have met fabulous you! I still haven't got on Facebook, Twitter, et al. I'm the last of the prehistoric age, and now that I'm recovering from Washington, just the thought of you in Nashville makes me want to go. There's such a fine line between too much, too little and overlooking our writing!
Posted by: Mameaw | July 30, 2012 at 08:40 PM