Aftermath from Wildacres

Porch, North Lodge, Wildacres Retreat

After spending a weekend at Wildacres, in North Carolina's Smokies, I came home eager to attack a number of writing projects. Though this year I've vowed to try fiction and poetry, I'm still faithful to the creative nonfiction that I've enjoyed some success with in writing for Chicken Soup for the Soul and other anthologies. So here's an update on what I plan to to write over the next few months.

The writing group I've joined, Poets and Dreamers, undertakes poetry each summer. I scratched out an ode for today's class, and will draft a lament for next week's. It's been at least fifty years since I've undertaken to write anything with a rhyme scheme and meter, so it's an invigorating challenge. I learned some techniques at Wildacres that I'm eager to share with the group.

During one writing prompt exercise break at the retreat I didn't sketch out a poem but instead latched onto an idea for a work of fiction...maybe a short story, or perhaps a novella. I want to pursue it this summer while it's still gnawing at my consciousness.

Creative nonfiction ideas for short pieces:

• Since I reviewed John Benz' book, Do The Clearing, I've been remembering the relief I felt when I parted with at least eighty percent of everything I owned, preparing to downsize to my current shoebox-size apartment.
• I may write some more on how I felt to actually think about my birth mother on her actual birthday this year...just learned what it is this last year.
• I haven't written much about my experiences in Seychelles, but want to write about the wonderful peer educators there, and have an idea connected with one of their projects.

I haven't forgotten the novel about Southern California either...so much to write this year. I start tomorrow on at least one of these projects!