So, I promised to blog as I go and I’m doing just that. However, I can’t post it. Why? There’s no wifi in the Big Horn Lodge (where I am currently situated). There is also no air conditioning, but I’ll leave that alone for now. My first day. What to say? Where to start? I should start at the beginning, but I might end up turning this day into a novel accidentally. Eh, I have the time and the solitude. I may as well.
My day started around 4:00 am (Tulsa time). Things went swimmingly. I remembered to pack all the things I needed (although now I wish I had brought a flashlight—I’ll get to that later). I made it through check-in and security, and my flight to Dallas was a breeze. Then came the layover. I just had to wait around from 8:05 until my next flight, which was leaving at 11:10. I had pancakes at T.G.I. Friday’s and proceeded to start reading Mere Christianity (which I highly recommend to everyone—Christians or non-Christians or whatever). I met a really amazing person while I was waiting, and as a tribute I decided to write about them. It will be a blog entry much like this one, but a supplementary one dedicated just to them. But, back to Dallas at 10:40 am.
I had been checking the board, studying my ticket, and waiting at my gate. Everything was fine. Right? When someone asks, “right?” the immediate response should be “wrong” so I won’t dedicate a whole sentence to it—whoops. I’m tired. Anyway, the gate changed. I didn’t see it. I wondered why they weren’t calling me. I tried to find the gate. About two hundred feet from where I started, I saw where I needed to be in the distance. I got there too late. Yes, I missed my flight. After a slight panic attack and a frantic call to my mom, who sounded nice for the most part. She encouraged me, told me what I should do, and tried to conceal the disappointment and anger in her voice the best she could. I talked to the world’s meanest gate agent who said he would put me on stand-by for the next flight, leaving at 3:45 pm.
Zoom forward a few hours and bottles of water and crying trips to the bathroom later.
It turns out he registered me on the flight properly. I was never stand-by and shouldn’t have had to fret about getting on that flight for those long agonizing hours. I have many things to say about that gate agent, but I just won’t do it. Out loud. Or here.
So, I landed in Colorado Springs, got in my car, and headed off to Glen Eyrie. I forget mountains get bigger as you get closer. Now, before you laugh hear me out. I really do know that this happens, but sometimes my mind doesn’t fully grasp it. How do I mean? Well, I’m used to seeing the Rockies at a goodly distance (yes, goodly). Now that I’m right up in them, I can fathom their immensity once more. Garden of the Gods is wonderful as ever. Kissing Camels is starting to erode and lose its shape, but hey I still knew what they were. The castle itself is magnificent. There really are tons of Big Horn sheep on the property. There were five by the road when I pulled in. Yes, I took pictures. After flinging my belongings into my room at the lodge, I trekked back to the main castle for dinner. I’ve met so many wonderful people so far—I don’t even know where to begin. I met Ann at the airport. Helena from Ontario came next. Then the Tulsa CWA club found me. Then came Megan. Nancy Rue came right up and hugged me. If you don’t know who she is, then shame on you.
Dinner was quite tasty, and the conversation was lively. For the most part of the day, however, I forgot why I was really here. When someone asked me, “So, what do you write?” my mind’s gears jammed. What do I write? What? Who? What? I fumbled for an answer and finally eased into something satisfactory. Apparently that question gets asked a lot here. Oh, and since I had nothing else to say to a few people I asked it too. A magpie flew up to the car as we were driving in. Was it a sign? I won’t dwell on it.
After dinner the first General Session commenced. The mentors introduce themselves, and the theme song was presented. Yes. I’ll see if I can video it on my phone at least once. Apparently we have to sing it each time we meet. The mentors explained their individual tracks for the conference and took questions. I’ve been wanting to take the course with Angie Hunt because of her wonderful methods, her organization, and her list making. Oh, I love lists. But the more I listened, the more I thought I needed to extricate myself from my comfort zone. Developing a relationship with the reader? Developing one with your characters? Utilizing your characters for a common theme? These questions make me panic. They’re the ones Nancy Rue will address, and that is why I have signed up for her workshops. I might indulge in Angie’s next year.
Kathy Mackel (one of the mentors) had us play a get-to-know-you game. After learning a fact about each person in our group (we had been herded against our will) with the help of strange cards, we were given an assignment: work with your group to create something that incorporates each of these things named. It can be a short story, a play, a skit, whatever. Once we stopped squawking about the impossibility of it all and got to work, our group threw together a skit. We were blessed to have a script writer among us, and she played the lead. The rest of us either narrated or were side characters. Kinda, I did a plug for your book in my segment. You can thank me later—I like dark chocolate, by the way. And people laughed. We were funny. The other groups went and some were much funnier, but that doesn’t diminish our success in my eyes. “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good write!” I spent five minutes on that pun. Revel in it.
05 June 2010
Holy Schnikes
So, today's my last day in Oklahoma for a while. Did I use it to write to the extent of my ability? No, but I did finish my packing early, read a chapter or two of Return of the King, and watched The Wolfman.
How does that equate to being productive? It doesn't. Well, the packing was productive and necessary. I can hide behind that for now.
I've been having a lot of dreams about the conference and about airports in general. I hope none of them come to pass. They've not been all bad, but they have all been weird. In the latest one I ran into Stephen King during my layover in Dallas, and he took me out for lunch. I took a picture next to him, and so our faces were level I had to stand on a chair.
That wouldn't be terrible, but it would be quite awkward.
I'm bringing my laptop along with a notebook and pen. I'm bound and determined to record everything that happens. Will I post it all here? Maybe, maybe not.
There are going to be four main mentors at the conference, and after the first night we have to choose a track. I'm fairly certain I'll pick Angela Hunt--I'm wanting to focus on Process, which is the subject of her workshops. Just thinking about it, I'm getting nervous. I've been reading her books for years. I've sent her emails and things due to the fact that she helps out so much with the conference. She assures me that she looks forward to meeting me and that I should call her Angie. Please pray I don't throw up on her. And that I remember everyone else's names. And my own. And that I don't fall down any stairs.
Maybe just a blanket of prayer in general for me, if you would be so kind.
How does that equate to being productive? It doesn't. Well, the packing was productive and necessary. I can hide behind that for now.
I've been having a lot of dreams about the conference and about airports in general. I hope none of them come to pass. They've not been all bad, but they have all been weird. In the latest one I ran into Stephen King during my layover in Dallas, and he took me out for lunch. I took a picture next to him, and so our faces were level I had to stand on a chair.
That wouldn't be terrible, but it would be quite awkward.
I'm bringing my laptop along with a notebook and pen. I'm bound and determined to record everything that happens. Will I post it all here? Maybe, maybe not.
There are going to be four main mentors at the conference, and after the first night we have to choose a track. I'm fairly certain I'll pick Angela Hunt--I'm wanting to focus on Process, which is the subject of her workshops. Just thinking about it, I'm getting nervous. I've been reading her books for years. I've sent her emails and things due to the fact that she helps out so much with the conference. She assures me that she looks forward to meeting me and that I should call her Angie. Please pray I don't throw up on her. And that I remember everyone else's names. And my own. And that I don't fall down any stairs.
Maybe just a blanket of prayer in general for me, if you would be so kind.
04 June 2010
Hamburger or Hot Dog?
That question in the title engendered about two hours' worth of discussion yesterday. Amazing.
Not sure if I have any profound advice today. I have the Weebls Scotch egg song in my head going round and round on loop.
I did finally get some writing done yesterday--about 2,300 words' worth. This is your cue to applaud and smile. Thank you, thank you.
Looking back on my fiction journals, I found an entry I spent musing over some advice. Said advice was that you should write at the same time every day. I don't do that. I tried for a while though. I thought, "Hm. 9:00 am sounds good." So I tried it. And failed. Right now I write whenever I can. I really like to be mostly alone in the house. I don't like having to explain myself and break my concentration when someone walks up and asks me what I'm doing. Is that selfish and eccentric? Yes. Can I get over that? Maybe. My mom suggested I make a writing hat that I plop on my head whenever the creative juices were flowing. I laughed, immediately thinking of me sitting at my laptop with a dunce cap on. But now I'm thinking about it more, it might be a good idea. It could be a visual aid to those around me so I don't have to wrench myself back into the real world after trying so hard to delve into my imagination. That's probably really silly though. Any suggestions from other writers out there? Anybody? Hm, I think I'll put that thought on the back burner for now.
Here's part of a writing journal entry from 1/20/10:
I was reading Bird by Bird today, and I ran across a quote by Carolyn Chute which says, “I feel like a lot of the time my writing is like having about twenty boxes of Christmas decorations. But no tree. You’re going, Where do I put this? Then they go, Okay, you can have a tree, but we’ll blindfold you and you gotta cut it down with a spoon.” It made me laugh—maybe a little too loudly because other students inhabiting the same general area in the library shot me stern glances. Not only is that how I feel about my writing, particularly the plot lines, but it’s also how I feel about my life right now. Everything is working out, and I know I’ll be fine but I’m slowly realizing that Bird by Bird really is instructions on writing and life. You’d think I’d realize that right away since the cover states it plainly, but no.
For those of you who don't know, Bird by Bird is a book on fiction writing by Anne Lamott. It's incredible, helpful, and funny. I'll probably be reading it again soon.
Not sure if I have any profound advice today. I have the Weebls Scotch egg song in my head going round and round on loop.
I did finally get some writing done yesterday--about 2,300 words' worth. This is your cue to applaud and smile. Thank you, thank you.
Looking back on my fiction journals, I found an entry I spent musing over some advice. Said advice was that you should write at the same time every day. I don't do that. I tried for a while though. I thought, "Hm. 9:00 am sounds good." So I tried it. And failed. Right now I write whenever I can. I really like to be mostly alone in the house. I don't like having to explain myself and break my concentration when someone walks up and asks me what I'm doing. Is that selfish and eccentric? Yes. Can I get over that? Maybe. My mom suggested I make a writing hat that I plop on my head whenever the creative juices were flowing. I laughed, immediately thinking of me sitting at my laptop with a dunce cap on. But now I'm thinking about it more, it might be a good idea. It could be a visual aid to those around me so I don't have to wrench myself back into the real world after trying so hard to delve into my imagination. That's probably really silly though. Any suggestions from other writers out there? Anybody? Hm, I think I'll put that thought on the back burner for now.
Here's part of a writing journal entry from 1/20/10:
I was reading Bird by Bird today, and I ran across a quote by Carolyn Chute which says, “I feel like a lot of the time my writing is like having about twenty boxes of Christmas decorations. But no tree. You’re going, Where do I put this? Then they go, Okay, you can have a tree, but we’ll blindfold you and you gotta cut it down with a spoon.” It made me laugh—maybe a little too loudly because other students inhabiting the same general area in the library shot me stern glances. Not only is that how I feel about my writing, particularly the plot lines, but it’s also how I feel about my life right now. Everything is working out, and I know I’ll be fine but I’m slowly realizing that Bird by Bird really is instructions on writing and life. You’d think I’d realize that right away since the cover states it plainly, but no.
For those of you who don't know, Bird by Bird is a book on fiction writing by Anne Lamott. It's incredible, helpful, and funny. I'll probably be reading it again soon.
02 June 2010
Colorado Springs, You are Not Prepared
I'm really looking forward to being around other writers soon. I've been holing myself up a lot lately to write, and I've started getting extremely weird. Getting past a head cold has meant a lot of naps with a lot of cold-medicine-induced dreams. Those have started blending into reality. My idiosyncratic tendencies have also ramped up a bit. I don't normally consider myself an eccentric person, but lately I've gotten pretty batty.
Side note--beluga caviar comes from beluga sturgeon, not beluga whales. That has nothing to do with writing unless you want to include a character who eats illegal caviar, but just in case I thought I'd let you know.
After posting yesterday I got hit with patchy brain fog, and I only managed to crank out about 500 words. Not good. So, I have more ground to make up. Oh well. I hope the rest of you are having better fortunes with what you're working on. For now, I'm signing out. Off to lunch where I can showcase my new knowledge of sturgeon.
Side note--beluga caviar comes from beluga sturgeon, not beluga whales. That has nothing to do with writing unless you want to include a character who eats illegal caviar, but just in case I thought I'd let you know.
After posting yesterday I got hit with patchy brain fog, and I only managed to crank out about 500 words. Not good. So, I have more ground to make up. Oh well. I hope the rest of you are having better fortunes with what you're working on. For now, I'm signing out. Off to lunch where I can showcase my new knowledge of sturgeon.
01 June 2010
I'm baaaack
So blogging world, it's been a while. I may not have made many entries in here during the last semester, but I was still writing. In fact, I was writing quite a bit. On top of short stories and things, I kept up a fiction journal. I might start going through those entries and posting them if there's anything worth sharing. Maybe I actually stumbled across something profound or inspirational. Or maybe it will just be amusing to see what comes out my imagination at four in the morning before a deadline.
Speaking of short stories, I picked one that I had been working on and decided to expand it. It's currently between 20,000 and 30,000 words. I'd give you an exact number, but I'm too lazy to open up Word at the moment. Is it the most life changing amazing thing I've ever written? Probably not. But it's definitely my longest work to date. Why take a 6,000 word story and try to blow it up in such a short time? Well, I'm glad you asked.
On Sunday, I leave for a writers' conference in Colorado Springs at Glen Eyrie. I'd really love to have my manuscript wrapped up by then, but it's not looking possible. So, I'll be glad at this point just to have the bulk of the first draft down. I'll give you a hint: it's not called No Horns or Trumpets.
I'm trying to get back into the habit of blogging because I'd really like to chronicle my experience out at the conference. We'll have time during the day for freewriting and aside from using that time to work on my story (and to take loads of pictures of the Glen), I'd like to use it to post things here. I'll be in the presence of several great, well-known authors. After the first general meeting, we will choose a track for the remainder of the conference. There are four tracks to choose from; one author will be the mentor for each track. I'm leaning toward picking Angela Hunt and her track about Process. I loved what she had to say in A Novel Idea, and I'd love to hear more.
Now that I've primed the writing pump, I think I'll get to work on that manuscript again. Must resist Facebook.
Speaking of short stories, I picked one that I had been working on and decided to expand it. It's currently between 20,000 and 30,000 words. I'd give you an exact number, but I'm too lazy to open up Word at the moment. Is it the most life changing amazing thing I've ever written? Probably not. But it's definitely my longest work to date. Why take a 6,000 word story and try to blow it up in such a short time? Well, I'm glad you asked.
On Sunday, I leave for a writers' conference in Colorado Springs at Glen Eyrie. I'd really love to have my manuscript wrapped up by then, but it's not looking possible. So, I'll be glad at this point just to have the bulk of the first draft down. I'll give you a hint: it's not called No Horns or Trumpets.
I'm trying to get back into the habit of blogging because I'd really like to chronicle my experience out at the conference. We'll have time during the day for freewriting and aside from using that time to work on my story (and to take loads of pictures of the Glen), I'd like to use it to post things here. I'll be in the presence of several great, well-known authors. After the first general meeting, we will choose a track for the remainder of the conference. There are four tracks to choose from; one author will be the mentor for each track. I'm leaning toward picking Angela Hunt and her track about Process. I loved what she had to say in A Novel Idea, and I'd love to hear more.
Now that I've primed the writing pump, I think I'll get to work on that manuscript again. Must resist Facebook.
18 July 2009
Hear ye, hear ye
So, my resolution to blog more seems to have fallen short. I really like exploring other avenues the internet has to offer lately. I've also stepped up my reading. I apologize if my unexplained hiatus put off anyone.
I have some rather exciting news. It's not writing related, but it affects me directly. I finally have a photography site! http://www.sineceraphotography.com/
It was designed by Evan Olsen with Ink Blot Media.
Please check it out. And I know it's new, so there's bound to be a few kinks. If anything's not perfect, be sure to let me know.
I have some rather exciting news. It's not writing related, but it affects me directly. I finally have a photography site! http://www.sineceraphotography.com/
It was designed by Evan Olsen with Ink Blot Media.
Please check it out. And I know it's new, so there's bound to be a few kinks. If anything's not perfect, be sure to let me know.
04 June 2009
Creativity
More than ever, I'm striving to be creative in all I do. I was recommended The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp. I've only read excerpts as of yet, but it's all brilliant. Doing mundane things creatively and pushing yourself to be the best and loveliest you can be are great goals. I love to try new things and go on adventures. If you hadn't noticed, my posts dropped off a bit last month. Well, more than a bit. It's because I was out enjoying the world.
Writers can write until their fingers are numb, but without experience their words would be void. I've gotten a lot of fodder for stories and feel really refreshed.
So, good day to you. I'll be seeing you again soon.
Writers can write until their fingers are numb, but without experience their words would be void. I've gotten a lot of fodder for stories and feel really refreshed.
So, good day to you. I'll be seeing you again soon.
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