By Lisa Black
I retire in 163 days, and we’re building a house in another state. My husband has finally gotten tired of our home being threatened with destruction every couple of years (we live near the water in Florida) and is willing to trade the Florida house for a Florida vacation condo. Inland. On a second floor.
This is a change I’ve been wanting for, well, about a quarter of a century so to say I’m excited would be an understatement. Like a horse who glimpses the barn, I can’t stop running. Despite being warned that any major change might be a year or two away, I’ve already started the downsizing process. I don’t need to, technically—space will not be a problem—but I hardly want to saddle some niece or nephew with the task after I shuffle off this mortal coil.
First, I’m trading in this:
For this:
So, clearly, reshuffling in my home office became necessary.
And in this way I discovered the #1 tool in the downsizing arsenal: scanners.
I don’t know about other writers, but deeply hidden in my writer brain is an outsized ego. It cannot bear to part with any word it has put on paper, ever, regardless of how juvenile or frankly boring that word might be. This doesn’t only include the unpublished (for good reason) works of my very early career, but stories, jottings, journals and letters. Not letters that other people sent me (though there are a few of those) but ones I sent them. I made copies before mailing. Why? Blame the hubris of that writer brain.
Besides, it was easier than keeping a diary.
I may be egotistical, but I’m also lazy.
A direct-feed scanner to the rescue. I reduced full, double-spaced manuscripts to a few doc. files, and all that paper went into the recycling bin. Why all that work for a story that no one, including me, will ever read again? See above.
Then I started on photos. I come from a family of shutterbugs and a few years ago my brother gifted me a Nixplay digital photo frame. No one will ever want my baby pictures, will they? And as long as I have a digital version, I’m good. Technology to the rescue.
I love my life. I love my history. But as long as I have my memories and a few select pieces, I am, finally, ready to let the rest go.
Readers, have you started this process? How’s it going?
Lisa Black is the New York Times bestselling author of 16 suspense novels, including works that have been translated into six languages, optioned for film, and shortlisted for the inaugural Sue Grafton Memorial Award. She is also a Certified Latent Print Examiner and a Certified Crime Scene Analyst, beginning her forensics career at the Coroner’s office in Cleveland Ohio and then the police department in Cape Coral, Florida. She has spoken to readers and writers at numerous conferences, been a consultant on CourtTV and was a Guest of Honor at 2021 Killer Nashville.
Oh, Lisa – first – those two photos of the furniture indicate lovely pieces that you could auction — or take to a nice consignment place where they take a percentage, and you get the rest of course. I just went through the whole sell-a-house situation a few months ago when we sold our summer home in Rancho Santa Fe, CA – it was an absolute nightmare because of all of California’s ridiculous regulations. The inspection report was 50 pages long! In any event – good luck and keep us posted on the process!