07.14.08
Order in the Court
It’s Monday, so why not jump right into the heart of writing today with a look at order.
This weekend was a crush of goings-on, and I had no time to wash a dish or a load of clothes. That caused me to feel like the world was falling apart.
Order is a critical part of my life … go ahead and laugh. I’m one of those people whose closets are ordered by color and garment type. My white shirts hang beside the light blues beside the blacks. My pants have an area and hang parallel to each other.
It’s no accident I’m this way. I believe writers have a deep-seated desire to create order from what is basically a sprawling organic production … life, that is.
We will construct events so that bad guys get their due; devoted lovers find each other in the end; and saintly leaders somehow triumph. It would be too unbearable otherwise.
I’ve heard it said that “The landscape of the home is the landscape of the mind.” I adhere to that one … when there is chaos around me, I can’t think straight. Likewise, when my mind is pulled here and there with too many immediate demands, the house comes unglued. Taking care of the animals comes first; dishes, laundry and vacuuming take a back seat.
I need a clear mind to write, so my writing days will often start with a sweep of the house to restore order. Before bed last night, I cleaned the kitchen and established some order on this desk (I gathered everything from various locations on the chair, floor, file cabinet and tables and placed the notes, messages and to-do lists into three large, but neat, stacks in front of me.) This morning my day started with laundry.
What, some might ask, does that have to do with writing?
Writing is as simple as thinking. Even when you’re on your game, there are no guarantees you’ll nail it. And if you can’t think straight? You might as well give it up for the day.
