An example from two decades of goofy sister pictures
I’m in the process of cleaning out my closet at my parents’ house (the conversation went like this; Mom: “Oh, you’ll be in town? Could you stay overnight?” Me: “So you can feed me taco pizza and Whitey’s ice cream because you miss me so much? Absolutely!” Mom: “No, because I need you to clean out your closet.”).
But I have to say, it’s been pretty fun looking through old pictures, art projects (most are terrible by the way, I’ll never be an author-illustrator), toys, and birthday cards. It’s got me thinking about what the things I’ve kept say about me:
- I was cow crazy as a kid (shocker)
- I loved my Polly Pockets (and still do, played with them last night)
- It’s a good thing I was born during the era of spell check (“Aogist” = August, I wish I was joking)
Then I thought about the characters in my WIP. Being middle schoolers, they don’t have quite the history build-up of old stuff, but their rooms still say a lot about them. Have they kept any stuffed animals? Are they out in the open or hidden? Do they have sports posters or achievement certificates on the walls (or both)? What toys are hidden under the bed that they couldn’t stand to get rid of? Do they have pictures or old notes stashed somewhere?
What does your character’s bedroom look like? Have you taken a trip down memory lane lately?
Wish me luck, I’m headed back to the closet…
My character got moved into the family library when he was diagnosed with a weak constitution. (It’s a 19th century historical comic novel.) I was struggling with his point of view until I realized that he was separated from his brother, and stationed in another part of the house with a nice window. He spent nine or ten years looking out that window–until the story really starts. Knowing his bedroom was so useful!
Good luck cleaning! My parents still have a bunch of my old treasures (we live on opposite coasts) and they keep threatening to road trip out here sometime with all the boxes. Hopefully I’ll get through some sorting before then!
Very cool, and an important plot point! Thanks Laura.
Mom had threatened to just bring a box every time she visited, but hadn’t carried through yet. Good luck when you get around to sorting
My inlaws have been giving their kids boxes for years–the latest was a series of drawings and school papers, which added up, since they had five kids.
That being said, I really don’t need my high school textbooks any more, but there are other old favorite things I’d love to have in my house.