Moving the Moving Blankets

When I was moving cross-country, I bought a semi-trailer. Yes, an actual massive semi-trailer. It was actually less expensive than hiring cross-country movers. I still hired help to load the trailer, and I had to hire a licensed trucker to drive the beast, but, yeah... that's what I did.

And I needed it, because I was moving two houses' worth of stuff. Fragile stuff. So, I also needed to buy a ton of moving blankets. If you've never bought those, let me just tell you how freaking expensive they are. So are the cardboard moving boxes, but I won't digress. Now, the moving boxes were either repurposed or recycled. And once flattened, they don't take up much space. But the moving blankets, all 35+ of them... they practically needed their own guest room. And I don't have one. So...

Even though they were only used for that one move, I decided to launder them and try to sell them. I wasn't sure how they would come out of the wash, but I figured I had nothing to lose at that point. So, two at a time (because that is all that fit inside my extra-large drum--did I mention how much space they take up?), I washed them, dried them (two cycles each, emptying enough lint from the trap each time to create a new blanket), and folded them. And then I stared at these massive piles of moving blankets that took over my conference room and sighed.

They did launder well. So that was nice. And it seemed sad at that point to let them go. But there was no way I was going to try and figure out how to store them. And I sure as hell don't plan on ever needing them again. So off to Facebook Marketplace I went.

I listed single prices and a lot price, and the inquiries started coming in hot and heavy. (I was practically giving them away at my rates. Did I mention they took up a lot of space and I just wanted them gone?) I sold a few piecemeal, and then made a new lot price for someone who wanted all of them. True to her word, she came the next morning and scooped them all up.

But not just because of the price. Specifically because they were laundered.

That was the detail that did it. Brand new blankets are expensive. But used blankets are typically nasty, and she didn't want to put those on her beautiful furniture. My blankets were clean and ready to use. Now honestly, between soap, Oxi, water, and electricity, it may have cost me more money than I actually made on that sale. But knowing my hard work went into helping her protect her valuables made it worth it for me.

I feel the same way about manuscripts. Don't put dirty, half-assed work out there. Readers want clean, cared for, and ready to use.

Now, I can't help you wash your blankets (unless you want to come visit me here for a writer's retreat), but I can help you clean your chapters, protect your story, and move it into the world.

Click here to book a Forensic Narrative Audit.

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