The Quiet Days

August 7, 2010, 17:38:04

Day 2: Madison NJ

There is something about being here that reminds me of the carefree, idyllic summers of childhood.  It is not so much being around other writers, as it is being around nature and silence - which is so centering and restorative.   I spent a good deal of the afternoon today lounging in the shade of a tree, reading all the workshop writing I needed to catch up on.  The weather is a dream - not too warm, with an intermittent breeze.  I've fallen back into the rhythm of life here easily.  Sometimes I wish it could always be like this.

During the day, there are workshops and writing exercises and breaks for solitude.  At night, we party with the best of them (albeit often frugally).  I often get the feeling while in the moment, that I am making memories to last a lifetime.  Last night, we went to the hotel bar for drinks after having a few glasses of wine and beer at the Reception dinner and then Becky, Drew, David G., Jeff and I lazed about the fountain for a while - laughing and telling stories.  David G. has a fantastic talent for describing different people's walks.  Mine was aptly described as "lazy flouncing" or "sensual, knuckle-dragging" (haha!)

I've promised myself to spend tonight in, trying to frantically gather the mish-mosh of chapters of my book to submit to my fiction class and to write up a draft for my non-fiction elective.  I'm having a great time, but missing the boy of course, as everything without him seems to pale next to everything with him.  Today was a relatively easy day - individual meetings with David Grand and Walt Cummins in the morning to discuss my projects and one afternoon Prose workshop by Tom Kennedy on Recognizing the Details.  Dinner's at six, followed by a directed reading (Lost in the Funhouse) with Martin Donoff and Ellen Akins.


Today's piece of harsh, but honest wisdom provided by David G.:  "Do you want to be a Barista forever?  It seems a considerable waste of talent."

Those words are truly resonating with me.  I feel like I wasted a lot of my time this summer, which I could have spent writing.  Going to be more dedicated and disciplined in the fall.  Swear it.