My home is a hive of activity. A revolving door of kids and friends. Non-stop action in the kitchen (three boys...'nuff said). A mountain of laundry that might dwindle, but never disappears. A pile of "to do" stuff stacked on my kitchen island. Grumble. Grumble. Grumble.
One day, while grumbling, I had an epiphany. Be thankful for this hive of activity, because that means your home is active, bustling, and full. Our kids are already growing up too fast, and soon all this activity will move on. A messy, crazy home means it's lived in.
I likened it to writing. When pounding out that first draft, our minds are buzzing with activity. Our thoughts might be scattered, and our mountain of ideas demands attention. And the end product? If your first drafts are anything like mine, they're a mess. But here's the good thing:
A messy first draft means you've finished a book.
You didn't just dream about it, or talk about it. You did it. You accomplished something that many people wish they could do. No matter where our writing journeys take us, this alone is worth celebrating. The mess, whether it's minor or major, can be cleaned up. Remember the great advice we've all heard--"First get it written, then get it right," and "You can't revise a blank page."
Would I like to have a perfectly clean and calm home? No, because that would mean our kids are grown and gone.
Would I like a perfect first draft? It would be nice, but it's not possible. In my opinion, the only perfect books are the ones in our heads, not yet written. It's the sitting down and writing, the finishing, and the revision, that separates the wishers from the doers.
Hopefully we can all appreciate our messy houses, and messy manuscripts. Activity, whether in our homes or in our minds, is a great thing.
Do you think it's ok to have a messy first draft, because that means you've finished a book? And if you haven't finished a manuscript, what's holding you back? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Final question--is your laundry mountain always present, or is that just mine?