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I love piecing together jigsaw puzzles. I’m an edges-first person. Gotta make the frame with the artists’ signature in the corner, and then fill in the rest. I’m in awe when a newly fitted piece makes something out of nothing. What was once a black sparkle is now the eye of a tiger.
I got to thinking about puzzles while I was putting away those nasty boxes I mentioned in my last blog. I’m in a 600 square foot cottage after living for more than 15 years in 3000 square feet of space. I have this dream of a table in my house just for a puzzle. Never having to cast it aside so company can eat, or a project can be completed. Just a table, well lit, off in the corner where I can visit when I feel like it, satisfying my need to complete something, anything.
To organize the cottage, I started fitting boxes and odds and ends in anywhere they would fit. Now, open a closet, or peer around a corner and you will see my 3-D jigsaw-like creations. I have brought to life my in-house puzzle dream, just not exactly as I had planned.
But when I write, I avoid edges-first. I don’t want to know the frame until I am at least half-way done. Every writer has their own process, and several indeed like to frame their story first, filling in the middle only after they have worked out the plot. I prefer to let the story unfold, the pieces of the puzzle surprising me as they fit into place. Then and only then, will I put my signature on the corner.
Are you and edges-first person?
Yep, definitely edges first. I’m a listmaker who even makes out my grocery list with the items in the order they appear in the store, tucking in those few last-minute necessities with little asterisks and arrows. I have a dozen 3-ring binders, containing current writing information, sheet music, copies of legal papers, pages of recipes, etc. As with jigsaw puzzles, I need to enclose life’s edges with projected outcomes; however, this leaves room for surprises, unplanned adventures, and serendipity within those limits.
Your picture of a partially-filled jigsaw picture tells it all: The final picture is already known, the edges are in place to contain the filling, but the rest can be done in any order you wish. AND the unfinished puzzle (as well as the unfinished life) has a certain symmetric beauty all its own.
Your “edges” are just fine, but I like the unexpected parts within! 🙂
yes – edges first – always! I like to know the plan and be ready for the middle. I also eat the edges of yummy food items like sandwiches, pizza and especially cookies. Saving the middle for last – the best part of it all…
outside the box!
I’m an edges first person living in a middle world!