Disaster management

I’m in the middle of making a wardrobe. I could have got one in flat pack but I wanted it to fit the space I had for it. I knew what I was doing, just didn’t bother to draw it out and think over the problems of each step. Now I sit with a think like a booth for a market stall that’s so patched to make sure it doesn’t topple over, it’s a monstrosity and is undergoing radical redesign. I just hope the new plan works as well as the chaos going under the bridge in the image. I’ve found it the same even with writing. I’d never have tried to write minutes without notes but I’ll get into a short story, and especially a novel, with an opening and nowhere to go. I’ve been particularly guilty of that during this lockdown – frantic to get something done. The wardrobe has been an eyeopener and I’m going back to a solid plan. Of course there is a danger that a solid plan will produce stodge but I’ve found if I give the stodge time to digest I can put some fruit in it and a bit of icing on top. I need to be ‘in the story’ with the characters before it comes to life.