Conch Republic Here I Come!

I’m posting early this week because, after 9:00 am tomorrow morning, I’ll be mostly off the internet lifeline for eight days. I’m headed to the Key West Literary Seminar, and can’t wait. Not only is Key West one of my favorite places, but the conference promises to be amazing, with gifted writers like Margaret Atwood, Billy Collins, Jennifer Egan, Michael Cunningham, Colson Whitehead, Joyce Carol Oates, and so many more.

The first four days are filled with panels on all things to do with the 2012 theme, “Yet Another World.” Then the next four days I’ll be in an advanced fiction workshop with Robert Stone. There’ll be 11 other participants in my particular workshop, and I’m so looking forward to getting their opinions and suggestions on a story I’ve struggled with for about two years. (yep, for those of you who don’t know, it can take years to perfect 15 – 20 pages of prose.)

I’m also looking forward to catching up with some of the great people I met when I was down there in May for my residency with The Studios of Key West. By the way, they’re taking applications now for 2012 – 2013 residencies. If you’re a writer or a visual artist, check it out. It’s really magical.

I’m honored to have been chosen by KWLS as the Marianne Russo Award winner for emerging writers for 2012, and will read part of the story that won me the award at the open session on Sunday. Not sure if the dog’s howling when I practice out loud means the story is really good or really bad. (Thank God he won’t be in the audience – I’m hoping most of the folks who are there will refrain from howling.) I always get nervous when I read in front of a group (there’s something so naked about reading my own work) and this is a big group, so I’m thinking cocktails and xanax beforehand.

A conference is a great way to kick off the year in writing, and where better to be than in sunny Key West with so many fabulous writers? When I post next I’ll tell you all about it. Gotta go pack now for my trip to the Conch Republic.

Georgia on my mind

Tomorrow I leave for Hambidge, and already my brain is drifting into the WIP (work in progress, for those unfamiliar). It’s been too long since I’ve gotten any substantial work done, and I’m anxious to get back into my fictional world. I’ve been dreaming about the main character lately, which is a good sign, and I’ve been creating scenes in my head while driving. Writers really shouldn’t be allowed to drive when in the middle of writing a novel.

So, the suitcases and books are packed, my lucky writing totems are boxed up (more about those another post), and enough music is downloaded into my iPod to last a year. I still need to pick up a few things at the store, like batteries for my flashlight, but I’m about ready to roll.

Internet is only available in the main building at Hambidge, and cell service is non-existent, so there will be few distractions to keep me from my work. I have a box of books to read when I need downtime, a few dvds to watch, and of course there are 600 acres to explore when I need fresh air.

So, I’ll try to post every week while I’m gone, but I’m not making any promises. If you don’t hear from me until December, have a great Thanksgiving. Remember what it’s all about and really be thankful. I know I am.

On the Road Again

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.” – St. Augustine (Thanks, Hope, for introducing me to this quote)

What a difference four months makes. In a post in June, I was commenting about staying put for a while. Wondering how that might affect my writing. Seems I won’t know anytime soon. Since that post, I’ve moved back to Charlottesville for a few months, been awarded a November residency at Hambidge in northern Georgia, and signed on for the Key West Literary Seminar in January. And I’m heading to Michigan soon for a quick trip to see family.

I have to admit, while I love Charleston and miss it and am looking forward to getting back down there, my feet were getting itchy. I’ve been even more antsy in Charlottesville, though Virginia is a beautiful place to be in the fall, and I love it here too. But the road is calling me. I’m ready to remove myself from familiar places and immerse myself completely in my novel again. Ready to eat, sleep, and breathe writing.

Don’t get me wrong. I write when I’m not traveling. But there is something about picking up and going that makes me want to move forward in my work, too. New environments make me rethink the way I look at things, make me notice more. And of course it doesn’t hurt that many of my travels are writer-centric.

It also doesn’t hurt that I’ll be in a cabin in the woods in beautiful Rabun Gap in November and hanging out in warm and wonderful Key West in the most miserable month of winter. There are some perks to this nomadic lifestyle, after all.