Monday, April 27, 2015

Gratitude Monday -- Ask and Ye Shall Receive Edition or: Oh, My Hat

I decided the other day I needed a conical hat. I needed it to help me get in character and get back into the manuscript I am editing.
I finished the first draft of it last June. It went down a few different paths, one as far as chapter 14, but I eventually found the story I was to tell and it got done.
It sat for several months.  I wrote something else that is now simmering on a mental back burner as I fix this one up.
But back to the hat.
I often have a prop or two around when writing to help me focus. I bought cowboy boots for the vampire western, a fedora for the story of the man who went to the wrong side of heaven and had to do God's dirty work to get a new life, and for this story I made myself a pine staff and took up drawing.
It wasn't quite enough. I wanted the style of hat commonly associated with witches.
I said so on Facebook on Friday. There was some loose talk of a cousin maybe making me one. She'd already sent me an infinity scarf which helped me with the first draft of this story ( thanks again, Terry) so she'd already helped in a big way.
I thought I might check the dollar stores as one never knows what one may find on a shelf. Meantime, my husband offered to make me one.
As there were none on the shelves Mike did make the hat for me.  Black construction paper,  a leg from a pair of pants that my once belonged to my dad later worn by Mike, and the cheap hat I bought in Australia in the early nineties.
Mike rolled up the paper, cut it down several times, glued on the pants leg and pinned it all to the hat.
It is wonderful, and for it all I am grateful.
It has a nice weight to it, if a bit heavy, but it is a good place to store my thinky thoughts while rewriting.
Because no description can ever do it justice:
Hat with infinity scarf.

A character photo, this time with reading glasses and staff.

Please click to enlarge photos for the full glory.

11 comments:

CARLA said...

Oh how I adore this.
I need a place for my thinkythoughts as well.

messymimi said...

Well done, Mr. Hatmaker! It amazes me, too, how the writer mind works, the idea of getting in character fascinates me.

solarity said...

Hat! Truly a hat of character.

Mary Anne in Kentucky

Virginia Lee said...

Goobs. xoxo

Leah J. Utas said...

Carla, thanks.
Messymimi, I passed along your kind words. Getting in character has helped me a great deal.
Aye, Mary Anne.
VL, yup.

Tabor said...

I find it fascinating that you use props, but of course, many austhors use photos, music and a certain chair to get them back into the mood. What fund. The second photo should be your ID on this blog. I am still struggling with a short story project. I have almost finished, but when I look back it looks like a room full of clothes all over the floor.

Tabor said...

So, sorry for the typos above. My keyboard seems to be acting up!

Anonymous said...

LOVE THIS!

Leah J. Utas said...

Tabor, excellent idea re: my blog pic. I'll give it serious thought.
Thanks, Kimberley.

the Bag Lady said...

Love the hat! (And you're welcome for the infinity scarf - it goes very well with the hat.)

Leah J. Utas said...

Thanks, Bag Lady.