Hard-Earned Truths

Okay. I survived the Algonkian Workshop experience. Wow. I learned so much.
Here is a smattering of hard-earned truths straight from my time in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia (in order of importance):

1. When you hike in the Appalachians, wear insect repellent.


2. It is possible to co-exist with spiders as long as you leave the web intact, otherwise they may choose to bed down with you.


3. Never under-estimate your instincts as a writer.


4. Never under-estimate the power of community for your growth and nourishment as a writer; It takes more than just you to write your book.


5. Believe in yourself. (Really the same as number 3, but bears repeating.)


6. You are most likely smarter, hipper, and more writing savvy than you think you are. (Like 3 and 5, but bears repeating again. :) )


7. Northern women think Southern women are spoiled brats. (What? I was told that up there. Not sure if it is true. Would love to receive feedback on this one. Not that it really matters, but now I'm curious. :) )

Well, that about sums it up. All that said, I had a fabulous experience, made some great new friends, and came home with a sober grounding in my own beliefs and in the knowledge that I have a lot more work to do, which no one can do except moi.

Back to work!

Off on Another Adventure

Well tomorrow I am off on another adventure. This may quite possibly be my last trip this summer, but who knows. I spent a week on the island of Shikoku, Japan with my son, Cliff (webmaster of this site, linguist, and English teacher in Japan--but not to brag) and his adorable family--wife, Tina and baby, Mei. Next was a special time touring London and Ireland with my precious husband and stepdaughter. Now I embark on a journey that only I can take--to workshop and begin marketing my book in earnest. I feel like the road stretched before me is long, skinny, dusty...I can see it, and it looks like something out of The Grapes of Wrath. But maybe that's the nightmare version. Hopefully the real version is much lighter--like a soft mossy path strewn with rose petals, birds chirping and butterflies flitting in the breeze. Okay, that's the Pollyanna version. What really happens out there in the big wide world, outside the pearly gates of The Woodlands, Texas (also called, "The Bubble") remains to be seen. All I know is I've got my roots done, my nails buffed and bought some fancy clothes and I'm off tomorrow morning at 6:00 am to West Virgina, to the Harper's Ferry Writer's Workshop, and I will live to tell the tale another day. Que será. I'll catch up with you as the drama unfolds...