I enjoy bringing order from chaos. You may not think that to hear me in the process of doing it, mind you. I frequently grumble under my breath about the deplorable state of things, even if I’m the one who made it that way, as I go about the process.
“Why did we put these here? Does anything about the surrounding objects suggest that these should go here? Seriously people, come on!”
Something akin to the above line was not uncommon to hear during the multiple times I cleaned and reorganized the prop room, tool room, and office for the community theater where I live. Yet in the end, I enjoyed the endeavor or I would not have come back to do it again when it inevitably got trashed so many times.
Even in my gaming I find my penchant for bringing order out of the chaos of the unknown expresses itself. I really enjoy long term strategy games like Civilization or 4X space empire titles. But the portions of those games I most enjoy are the early turns, when you’re setting out as a new galactic player taking your first steps into the wider world beyond your own star, laying claim to new, untamed worlds and carving out your own slice of the universe. The early, chaotic tumbles between empires over resources are immensely exciting, as is the anticipation of whether they will happen as you discover your neighbors in those worlds and try to gauge their intent as either friends or foes.
Even with my new home I recently moved into I find myself working in various ways to bring order the small bits of real world chaos. The house is almost 100 years old and certain aspects of its upkeep were overlooked some by the former owners. Some weeding, weed block and bark to dress up a long neglected flower bed under the bay window on the south side. A new spray head that, wonder of wonders, actually sprays on the kitchen sink. A repair to the downspout so it discharges into the gravel pit rather than directly by the foundation wall.
Perhaps this is why I’m a writer. I enjoy bringing order to the chaos of the empty page, the disorder of the first draft. I enjoy taking an untamed idea and molding a recognizable story from its scattered pieces.
This is what I’m thinking about as I sit, enjoying a relaxing break at the end of a long day accomplishing much around the house.
What do you think my fellow writers? How much does the notion of bringing order from chaos affect your own love of the craft?
