How To Revive A Dead Manuscript

Upcycling for the determined writer

We have a storage cage in our building filled with my children’s outgrown things: it’s Purgatory for stuffed animals, deflated netballs, buckets and spades and rollerblades, cricket bats, fancy dress outfits and enough Lego to build a full-sized replica of the converted 38-apartment textile mill in which we live. Important to hang onto these things: what if my teenagers’ sudden heart’s desire is to rollerblade to St Kilda beach armed with a small plastic yellow spade, a green castle bucket, a couple of soft toys – say, Sandy (a flamingo) and FlopFlop (a rabbit), and me, of course, their loving mother, for an afternoon of nostalgic joy? Hmm.

When I was down in the cage last week, I thought about how long it had been since I carried the old dolls’ house up to the apartment for a visiting child. Fifteen years ago I bought it from an op shop. It’s a simple, sturdy thing with four large rooms and an attic. During its working years all kinds of toys have called it home, from quaint Sylvanian…