Watching The TV Equivalent of Revision.
So, contractors at my house today. Don’t ya just love ‘em. Bless their hearts. Anyway, today’s task was to hang a flat panel TV on the wall.
But, this isn’t just any wall. This is a built-in, rectangle thingy about 8 inches deep and about the height and width of the TV with one inch to spare on all sides. So, it’s like a shoe box.
Into this box we gotta mount the TV. Naturally, it’s gotta be centered vertically and horizontally.
The mounting hardware comes in two parts. One part fits on the back of the TV, the other part mounts on the wall. It has a swing out arm on which the TV mounts.
Initially, we (I end up involved with the operation.) thought the hardware was just not gonna fit, either on the TV, or, within the box on the wall. After studying the hardware, I asked if TV part could be made to fit by changing the default configuration. Bingo! It works.
The tough part comes when mounting the hardware into the box on the wall. It’s gotta be centered and gotta be anchored in wall studs. We find the studs, but if we match up the hardware holes to anchor it to the studs, the TV won’t be in the center of the box. What to do, what to do??
We scratch our heads. We wonder. We confer. We “what-if.” We hold the hardware against the wall and try it in different positions. Finally, we hit upon a solution that works! We get it mounted. It’s centered vertically and horizontally. It’s even level–mostly. It looks good. Mission accomplished. I thank the guys. They leave. I call their boss and give them well deserved Kudos.
Later, sweating revision bullets at my desk, I reflected about how much this exercise resembled revision work. You have a draft. Some parts look like they fit where you have them, but when you try to put them together with other parts… nope, they don’t fit. What to do, what to do?
You scratch your head. You wonder. You confer with a mentor. You try different configurations, moving chapters and scenes, and eventually, you hit upon a solution. Bingo! Your work is centered vertically, horizontally, and, as a bonus, it’s level–mostly.
Just like my contractor friends who stayed with and worked through seemingly impossible problems, that’s what the author does with a draft. Stay the course, work the problem, and eventually, what seems impossible will become probable, then possible, then doable. Don’t be disappointed, discouraged, our doubtful. It will work, you can do it. Now, make it happen.
Thanks, and see you again on Friday!
Themocracy
I’m definitely going to be sweating it out today! I’ve got a plot problem to work through and will definitely be trying different configurations.
Enjoy that new TV!
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
Great analogy, Galen. I’m starting a new project, so I’ve a ways to go before I hit this issue.
karen
Good analogy. I like to use a lot of shims during the revision process. I know they are there, but hopefully the readers don’t!
As a reformed contractor now turned writer, I must say I related to this post and analogy very much!
The Old Silly
Awesome post, Galen. You are speaking the words of truth. Thankfully at this point, I’m still writing the “uneven mess that is my novel”, so I don’t have to level it just yet. During draft 2 (and all others beyond), I’ll keep this analogy in mind. Incidentally, I avoided the whole “hang the tv correctly” mess when I bought our 55 inch LCD tv. I just put it on a 73 inch long entertainment center thingy.
Great post and picture
Thanks for the motivating words.
Good analogy, Galen. It takes an innovatve and resourceful mind to work through those seemingly impossible obstacles.
Stephen Tremp
A nicely written analogy, good sir. As for revisions, I try to use my level and as few shims as possible. I try to resist using the sledgehammer; although sometimes it’s mighty tempting.
Elspeth
We have contractors show up at our house from time to time. I love watching them work. I also think men work differently from the way women work. It’s the way they tackle the problem, I think.
You are very persistent. That’s a great character trait.
Bargain with the Devil
We just bought a plasma TV and now our old TV is sitting in the hallway blocking our bedroom! Best Buy is supposed to come and get the old one, I hope they make it out today.
What a project!! But great analogy. If we keep working at it, it usually comes together.:)) Thanks!
Galen – yes! My guy is a builder and we built the house we’re in through much of one of my novels and I kept thinking it was the same. The thing that struck me was that once we’d decided something was a certain way – even on paper – we felt it had to be! It is so easy to get stuck and not realize that the stuckness is us. We have met the enemy and the enemy is us. Fortunately, I’m not at the revision stage anymore. I’m at the – we can build (write) anything – damn the cost (market). Let’s have five bathrooms (narrators). It’s a disease but I’ll be over it soon.