Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Why Building a Dry-Laid Stone Wall is Like Writing a Novel



So okay, I’ve just finished building my first dry-laid stone wall, which I’ve decided is actually a lot like the process of writing a novel. First I divide and organize the raw material (rocks/manuscript notes) and make a general plan which I may or may not end up following. Then as I begin fitting things together, I place countless pieces I later rearrange or decide to save for another spot. They’re too long, too bulky, too lovely to be overshadowed by the bits around them, and trusting that I’ll know the moment when it comes, where to place them to increase the beauty of the whole (great corner piece/nice plot twist). What’s left over is thrown into a pile for the next project. An economy of art.

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