By Leslie Lindsay

Last night I attended my local writer’s group.  It’s been awhile–but hey–it’s a new year, an I am recommitting myself to be there every month.  Instead of bringing snippets of my novel-in-progress, I brought something entirely new and different: a contest prompt from Writer’s Digest magazine.  The prompt goes something like this: “Write that you go back to your childhood home and it has been condemned.”

“Hummm….I can do something with this,” I thought.  And so I put pen to paper.  Literally.  I actually handwrote my thoughts as I drew upon some images of what that must feel like.  It took all of twenty minutes to jot down about 300 words about  a decriped home.  But the constest allows up to 750 words.  Do, I write more?  Do I just stop because it feels “done?”

Seems my fellow writers had other thoughts:

• “Go in!”  one person urged.
• “No!  Don’t go in.  Stay outside.  Don’t go any further than the stairs,”  chimed in another
• “Why are you there?” wanted to know yet another member of our group.
• “Wouldn’t you have known the house was in bad shape?  How long have you been away?”
• “How old is this person, anyway?”
• “Did something bad happen at the house?”

Wow.  The room was abuzz with thoughts, questions, comments, and I was just a bit taken aback.  But it seems to me that people have a strong connection with the home in which they were raised.  Why?  I don’t really know for sure, but I have some ideas:

• Life was good and fun and easy.  Mom and dad took care of everything.
• Strong sense of place, smell, and vivid recollections of childhood paper the walls.
• You felt safe and secure there…or did you?
• Perhaps there was some kind of tragedy?
• You developed and came of age in that home…lots of “firsts,” from learning to walk to going off to prom.

And then just what does it mean when a home is found to be condemned?  Well, I did a little research and here’s what I found…

• “What Happens When a Home is Found Comdemned?” http://www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/OCI/neighborhood_inspection/house_condemned.htm
• Check out these gruesome images of condemned homes  from Google Images http://www.google.com/search?q=condemned+home&hl=en&rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS424US424&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=27UET53LKYfiggfOxsG4Ag&ved=0CDgQsAQ&biw=1058&bih=490
• What’s behind the “magic” of childhood homes?  Here’s a story from the New York Times in which adult return home to live out their lives at their childhood home 
• http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/realestate/childhood-homes-the-toys-are-gone-but-its-still-home.html?pagewanted=all
• And what if you are dreaming of your childhood home?  What might that suggest?http://www.experiencefestival.com/meaning_of_dreams_about_childhood_home
• Here are some images and a website devoted to abandoned homes:  http://www.100abandonedhouses.com/
• Here, too you may find some interesting info and why and how homes become abandoned: http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2007/10/02/where-to-find-information-on-abandoned-homes-and-other-properties-skiptracking-and-other-techniques/

As for my writing, well I better get on with it or it may become condemned as well.