Sunday, April 29, 2018

Another "Win" Under My CyberBelt


I realize I didn't write about this at all during the process. And that's okay. It's just different.

I was going in many directions in April, with new projects and new contacts and some exciting things in the works. Vague, I know. But some of what I've been working on is available in Facebook: some exciting theatrical/performance/cultural events. I was also taking a short story writing online class/workshop with Ariel Gore. And I am in the final stages of a month-long interpreting psychopharmacology workshop online through CATIE, On top of my regular interpreting and theatre and life.

But this April I decided - pretty much last minute - to jump into the Camp NaNoWriMo lake. I just wrapped up another session of the three-month manuscript workshop (online) with Ariel and transitioned from that via an in-person Spring Seasonal f2f workshop with Lidia Yuknavitch and Domi Shoemaker immediately into the short story workshop and the CATIE workshop.

I'm grateful and glad I did it - even though I cursed at it more than once and even though I had some flat spells.

Oh - I forgot to say that one big difference between November NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo is that at Camp, you set your own goal. It can be a word count or page count or poem stanzas or - my choice - pages edited. I definitely edited more than I probably would have without going to Camp. It kept it on my radar and it kept me accountable to do some.

So - my number of pages goal for editing my manuscript was met! I am about 1/4 of the way through the hard copy edits of the current draft. For me, this is a necessary and very time-consuming process.

Thank you, NaNoWriMo, for another successful month of accountability as a writer.

And thank you to my in-person accountability writing buddy who nudged me towards doing this and who kept prodding (asking) how it was going, as well as spending some hours writing together.

Now. To Bed. It is Very Late (or very early, depending on your perspective).
*

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Writing Murmuration

I am in a sweet spot of writing. I get to be in workshops/classes with the writing mammals who give me breath and space and hold each other close and tell truths.

I just completed a twelve-week online manuscript writing workshop with Ariel Gore in The Literary Kitchen. This was my second time in that class and I am solid in my book now; moving it forward. I can feel in my body that this project is right and it will get done.

Then, just to make sure I keep on with the edits, I signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo. There are many differences between November NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo (there is one in April and one in July), but one of the big ones is that in Camp, you set your own goal. This is only my second time in Camp N and this time I set my goal to editing 90 pages in the 30 days. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I am working with the printed manuscript and editing by hand. If I find the editing and rewriting goes faster, I can increase my goal.

Sunday started an online Short Story writing workshop/class with Ariel in the Literary Kitchen. It kicked off on Friday with signing up for the boards and a pre-assignment. This one is three weeks and I am already loving it.

Then, this recent weekend I spent Friday night through Sunday late afternoon at the Corporeal Writing Center with an in-person Spring Seasonal Revision workshop with Lidia Yuknavitch and Domi Shoemaker and is was also magic. I need the balance of online and in person - and I need to have time in person with my Corporeal Writing tribe. And the Lidia & Domi infusion.

I am swimming in the words of the writers I get to share time with online and in person. I feel sated and wanting more simultaneously and my writing is flowing for it.

Last night I watched a video of a starlings murmuration and I was mesmerized. I was not able to find the exact video to share, but this one is close. The murmuration looks like how I felt this weekend. the gathering, forming, reforming. spreading out and coming back together; in sync and yet many individuals of the whole. Rise and fall and dropping back quietly, efficiently, whole, into a place of rest before returning to the next part of the journey.