My husband and I enjoy the character of older homes. Unfortunately, with that character comes a previous succession of owners who may or may not be completing improvement projects with excellence in mind.
I was recently cleaning a room in our newly acquired 1900 Craftsman, when I noticed that whoever painted last had done so without removing the switch plate covers. I will admit to being a frequent painter. The guys and gals at Sherwin Williams love to see me coming. I am a proud Paint Perks member. I love to repoint rooms for a variety of reasons, but the two biggest ones are 1. Paint is a relatively inexpensive way to have a big impact on a room and 2. A good paint job means everything has been cleaned and made fresh.
When I paint a room, I always remove all the switch plates and the vents, tape around all the doors and windows and the baseboards, and make sure to remove dust on any surface I will be painting. I want the room to be painted well, and the job to be done as professionally as possible. I don’t want to see the telltale sign of white around the switch plates, or worse, the painted edge of a switch plate mocking me from the wall…
When you write, consider how you approach your novel. Are you doing the prep work required? When I unscrew the plates, tape and clean everything, it actually takes longer than the painting itself. But the end result is something I can be proud of—it’s a room well painted.
When you write, are you tempted to take shortcuts and not do character work or figure out your genre or audience? Sometimes, taking the time to prepare saves time later. It is definitely easier (and faster) to paint a masked window than to do the cut work with the brush, just like it is easier to know what your characters will choose when you’ve taken the time to get to know them before you start writing their story.
Prep work is tough, but important. If you could use a guide for your own prep work, consider working with me as your novel whisperer.