Writing Rural With Alley

Storycrafting: Self-Sufficient Mindset (Part 2)

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What will help your character to hold to their mental fortitude when others laugh about their lifestyle? What about cloth toilet paper? Does my character really need to deal with failure? Who’s getting shocked? Find out on this episode! 

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What will help your character hold their mental fortitude when others laugh about their lifestyle? What about cloth toilet paper? Does your character really need to deal with failure? Who's getting shocked? Find out on this episode. Welcome to Writing Rural with Alley, the Fiction Writer's Weekly Inspiration Station for Rural, Life, and Lifestyles from historical to post-apocalyptic, helping you bring your rural stories to life. I'm Alley, and this is episode number 66, Self-Sufficient Mindset, Part 2. Stick around to the end to find out all the ways things could possibly go wrong. Now, let's get into this. Welcome to part 2. If you haven't heard part 1, you will find it very helpful as well. Check it out, but after you finish listening to this one. Again, I'm going to be talking about this in a more modern sense, but it can easily be applied to history. Adjust however your story needs. Last week, we left off with your character doing things them darn selves. Okay, it wasn't literally worded like that, but it's a figure of speech where I'm from. This week, will start off with a mindset of not being wasteful. You've likely heard of zero waste, and while it's a good goal, it's almost impossible today. You've also likely heard of the Boy Scout Code of leaving nothing behind, as in to leave no trace that they were ever there. With kids, this normally means picking up their trash and making sure the campfires out. However, in wartimes, soldiers use this so that the enemies don't know they're there. However, we're talking about being self-sufficient. This means when something breaks, your character fixes it, not by a new one. If it can't be fixed, they will see if it could be repurposed. Dresser drawers have been used as craddles for as long as anyone I have ever known can remember. I know people whose TVs go out, and while they can't fix the TV, they can pull all the screws out to be saved in case they need them for something else. I have seen plastic melted down to new things. The one that sticks out to me the most was a hand trowl. I've also seen the plastic on the back used by kids as a sled. The point is to repurpose Anything that they can. Only when there is no possible use left for it, will they get rid of it. Growing up, my friend's mom used to wash and reuse Zip-Lock bags, sometimes called sandwich bags. When I got my own place, I bought what was called reusable bags. Let's say I should have stuck to washing the disposable ones. Paper towels can be replaced with what we call hand towels. They're basically the same size but cloth. In fact, I don't remember having paper towels in my home until I was a teen and thought that my grandparents were just getting old people stuff. I was so young. Another one that made a comeback in the lockdowns is cloth toilet paper. Yeah, you're picturing that right. Instead of toilet paper, they replaced it with a washable cloth. I mean, it beats a corn cob in the out house, but I'm not loving the idea. Another thing that made a comeback were cloth for tissues and napkins. To be fair, a lot of people still use cloth napkins when there is not company. My dad, instead of using tissues, he used bandanas for blowing his nose and called them hankies. But he's not the only one. Men have kept them in their back pockets and still do. Women used to keep them in their purses, but this has mostly fallen out of practice. In part one, I said blankets could be repurposed, and indeed they can. It can be made into strips of cloth for bandages, remade into jackets, cut into strips and wove into a rug or a bath mat. And if the blanket is too far gone, it can be used as a rag to clean up spills. A little creativity goes a long way. The next mindset your character needs is they will buy quality new things or second-hand. Self-sufficient people don't waste money on things that will break or wear out quickly. And in the rare times that they do, they will not buy new things just to break them. Well, unless they're making a point, like breaking plates. Last week, I talked about the difference in buying cheap shoes that lasted me for roughly a month and the more expensive shoes that lasted me for 10 years. I wore them every day for 10 years. Let that sink in. Your character will want that quality. In history, it was something that was almost expected. In modern times, we have to hunt them out, get reviews on products, maybe even try a few. Quality is highly valued and sought after. And many times, it is better respected, too. No, that was not a joke about anybody's ex. Some things stand to test the time and their quality, and your character might hunt for them second-hand. The two biggest ones that I could think of are cast iron and hand forged steel, especially if it came from the 1800s or earlier. Okay, your character might be before that, but I'm specifically referencing modern times for this one. Cast iron bought at the store today is fairly good, and a small skillet can be bought for about $50, or I can find a second-hand one for about $10. Last year, I bought second-hand pie pans that were cast iron. I didn't even know they made them. The elderly lady had had them since they bought their first house. The pipe hands looked brand new. Next on the list is to find like-minded people. There are studies that show who you spend time with affects your worldview, your inner monolog, and so much more. In fact, this is something mentioned in the Bible. If they knew it all the way back then and it still holds true, it will or at least should hold true in your story. Have you ever wondered why business people hang out together, gym people spend a lot of time together, and miserable people seem to come in groups? Now you know why. As I mentioned in part one, community sufficiency is a huge bonus. The Amish and my grandmother say, many hands make the work light. They are right. But if one person is dragging everyone along, they will become tired and are very likely to give up or ditch the others and do it themselves. Sure, they are outliers, but they are the ones that will do it in spite of and usually will leave the behind. The next mindset is to be a perpetual learner. They are always learning new things, expanding their knowledge, and are on the look out for new ideas and topics to study and perhaps master. They also know and expect failure to be part of the learning process. I mean, imagine if people just gave up after the first time they fell trying to walk. We'd have a bunch of adults crawling around. Thomas Edison was once quoted saying, I have not failed. I have simply found 10, 000 ways it wouldn't work. When I have eliminated the ways it will not work, I will find the way that will. Ten thousand times. Talk about dedication. Next is a mindset that has to be mastered and sometimes remastered. Your character cannot care what others think about their self-sufficient decisions and lifestyle. This is very important, or when others put down what they're doing or it looks silly, they will stop or give up. These things can and do happen all the time. They have to have the inner fortitude to know what is right for them is self-sufficiency, and they are willing to do what they need to do come hell or high water. Okay, that is a Southern saying. There's another pitfall to this, and that is that some people who laugh, make fun of, and sometimes try to stop them will start to see what they're doing and want them to do it for them. People can be very selfish and self-centered, but this can also come from not understanding how things work or are done. My best example was when I was 19. We had everything to live without electricity, but chose to keep on the lights and the refrigerator going. We had an ice storm that winter, and I know several people that went 29 days without electricity. That means no heat, no water, no anything that they were used to. My family and friends called me and wanted me to get them when they needed to live without electricity. Sorry, I can't install a fireplace. I am not that talented. Some were, and some still are, very angry at me. It reminds me of that story of the little red hen. She asked for help to get the garden ready. No one helped. She asked for help to plant the garden. No one helped. She asked to help tend and care for it while it grew, and no one helped. She asked for help to sow it and later grind the wheat for flour and then to bake. Yet not a single person helped. Oh, but when the bread was done, everyone was ready to eat what she had worked hard for. Like in the book, your character might very well have to tell them, No, you did not help. You don't get any. Last on the list is that everyone needs to know how to do everything. This is a mindset that people who are serious about being self-sufficient need, they have to ditch the stereotypes. If you're writing in history or the Apocalypse, a lot of people do a lot of things considered normal for the opposite sex. To echo my father, your character should know how to do them even if they never actually do them. Soldiers mend their own clothing. Women can shingle a rough. No, it isn't even about male and female things, but more of a function thing. Boys become men and move out on their own. Spouses die. People can get into accidents that leave them paralyzed. There should always be a fallback plan to these things, and a lot of times it is simply knowing how to do things. Keep that in mind for some of those tragic stories or back stories. Bonus info. Characters can struggle with overwhelm, and there are some ways to fight this. Weirdly, they can also be applied to our writing when we feel overwhelmed. This one will really depend on personality and individuals. One way to do this is to start simple. Learn one thing that is either simple or they have a strong desire to learn. Then practice, practice, practice. As they start to think, "Oh, I might have this," start learning the next thing. If your character waits until it's perfect or they are a master at it, they will never be done. Start simple and keep learning. Another way is to write down what it is that they want done. Then break it down into small actionable steps. Then break those steps into smaller steps. Keep doing this until they have a path that feels doable. Then commit to doing it. Commit being the very strong word here. Maybe they do three steps per day, or maybe they do three mini steps or even one mini step. Forward momentum is the goal. This is not a sprint. It is a steady work that doesn't finish until the job is done. Although, if it is more than one story day, they will want to take breaks to eat and sleep. Let's not go crazy. Most of us are not writing robots, and even they need to recharge, refuel, or at least change their oil from time to time.

Fun Fact:

The story of the Little Red Hen is believed to be a fable from Russia. Thought to have first been published in the United States in a magazine in the 1870s. Now, for everyone's favorite part, what could possibly go wrong? Before we get into the best part, If you enjoyed this podcast, I hope you will take a minute to follow, rate, and review on your favorite podcasting platform. And if you're listening on YouTube, subscribe, hit the like button, and drop me a comment. I love to hear from you and answer questions. Don't forget to share with a friend. As always, you can find the episode's show notes and helpful links to learn more on my website. Alleyhart. Com. And now for everyone's favorite part.

Likely to go wrong:

your character works hard to become self-sufficient. When the others see their success, they want your character to do it for them without them having to put any work into it. This causes your character to resent the others.

Also likely to go wrong:

your character repurposes a used blanket and their family and friends make fun of them and call them weird. no one told your character that failing is part of learning. When they fail, they get depressed just give up.

Possibly to go wrong:

your character spent more money on what they believed was a high-quality product, only to find it was no better than the cheap one. Also possible to go wrong your character feels so overwhelmed with where to start that they never become self-sufficient.

Also possible to go wrong:

your character loses friends because they choose to be self-sufficient and take care of themselves instead of going into debt like their friend suggests.

Unlikely to go wrong:

your character is trying to learn how to do new things, but every time they do, their family and friends sabotage them, not wanting them to do better than they are.

Also unlikely to go wrong:

your character refuses to learn how to sew because sewing is for girls. They are drafted and in battle, they rip their coat with no idea how to fix it. When the temperature drops, they become very cold. This could be deadly. your housewife character doesn't learn how to budget or pay bills and relies on her husband. When he dies, she has no idea how to handle money to care for herself and her children. Improvable, but still technically

in the realm of possibilities:

your character is trying to repurpose a radio. However, they forgot to unplug it from the wall, and when they try to remove the inside parts, they get shocked. Also improbable, but still technically your character knows the Apocalypse is coming. They beg and plea for others to listen and help prepare to survive and thrive as they rebuild society afterward. Only a handful listen and help. At last, your character realizes the people who refuse to listen will only be a drain on them after the Apocalypse is over. On the day of the disaster, they shut out all who did not heed and help. Dooming them to their inevitable fate. Thanks for listening. Until next time. Happy wordsmithing.