Red is Not For Nap Monster
9 May 2012
When we bought this house, the office was a sophisticated and cozy green. But it inspired me to only one thing- Nap. I had about a thirty-minute window between sitting down to the computer and when my eyes would get heavy. Not enough time for me to accomplish half the procrastination I have perfected. I bought a laptop and toted it all over, not realizing I was trying to escape the nap monster that dwelt in the green walls.
Nap Monster and I are old friends. When I was four, my mother had no problem selecting afternoon or morning pre-school. Even the ubiquitous California earthquakes weren’t going to keep me awake for the afternoon session. So mornings it was. I did pretty well in pre-school, except for paper cutting. Keeping in the lines has never been my forte’. Which is how I write. Outside the lines, outside the box. My favorite character is a demon who started out as a villainess, but has fallen into bad company and is becoming less evil all the time.
But to write I need to be awake. And I am not one of those writers who can dream the whole book at night and write it the next day. Not going to happen. I need awake-time. Actually, and The Prince Consort doesn’t need this piece of information for obvious reasons, I do some of my best idea-grabbing while vacuuming. It used to be while swimming, but I haven’t stuffed myself into a swimsuit and hauled myself to a pool in years.
Anyway, I figured it out. My most productive publishing years were in the house where I painted the dining room and ‘parlor’ red. Not that I’m superstitious, much. But I needed a red room here in this house. And it needed to be my office, since TPC vetoed the master bedroom, guest rooms, living room, foyer, kitchen … you get the idea. I bought the paint before he added office and left me with only my closet. Which, while quiet, is too full of reminders of when I used to stuff myself into a tank swimsuit.
For my birthday TPC and I painted my office. IT IS GLORIOUS! I am not completely moved back in, because I’m waiting for on drying time for the counter tops in the built-ins I decided needed to NOT be green. I bought the Rustoleum paint kit for refreshing laminate countertops. I had it mixed to the color ivory. It took four coats to cover the dark green, but it’s lovely!
My office has brightened up, I feel the energy. And I’m counting on the luck. That Tallahassee house, where I painted my first red rooms, was where I sold my first short stories, and got within spitting distance of selling my first YA paranormal. I didn’t spit, although I thought about it. The editor who liked it wanted a deep revision, but by the way he was quitting publishing. He promised his publishing house’s other editors would read my ms., once I revised to the darker side. I did. They rejected it for being too dark. Then along came a different editor at another house who liked my writing sample and wanted to hire me for a work-for-hire series. But we moved, to a house without a red room. And she hired another writer. Uh huh.
There were a lot of rejections in the old green office. So i’m ready. The room is now red. We are NOT moving. And I’m about finished revising Pansy Pants, Demon in Training. I’m ready to send her out and have her transformed into a real live book. Ready world?
Kath who has mostly scraped off the paint that hurled itself off the roller and walls and onto her arms, legs, face, hair. BTW, always paint from the top down. That way you spend less time backing into painted walls, and wearing what TPC finds infinitely amusing- paint on your butt.
