At the Colony – Day 18, 19, and 20

Day 18, 19, and 20: I added a couple of more pages to my draft. It is now 111 pages. I resisted the urge to go back and re-read the manuscript. I started to write something new, possibly a new chapter. I thought about my grandmother. She pops up when I feel especially insecure. She died in an accident in 2003. My grandmother tried to teach … Continue reading At the Colony – Day 18, 19, and 20

At the Colony – Day 16 and 17

Day 16: It was a shitty day. I surveyed my pages and let the insecurity demon spit in my face. I regrouped. Read some poetry from a lovely book by Susan Hartung called Inclusion. One poem, “Food” poses the question: “which would you choose, a great meal or great sex?” You can plan for a great meal, but not great sex. I printed out a … Continue reading At the Colony – Day 16 and 17

At the Colony – Day 14 and 15

Day 14: Lasagna night turned out well. After dinner, I switched gears and tried to write a verse, but my head wasn’t in the game: Dependence and submission, syringes and meds, biopsies and breathing tests. The torture of healthy cells, the loss of penance, hunger and survival. Words strung together. Ideas for dialogue. I don’t know, but I’ll post it here for posterity. I kept … Continue reading At the Colony – Day 14 and 15

At the Colony – Day 8, 9, and 10

Some days at the Colony, you are just a workhorse… Day 8: This afternoon, I took a three-hour nap. I woke up and thought about my project and how the third part was still elusive, then I realized that third part is the overarching story. The mystery that the main character thinks she needs to solve to make sense of her world. Day 9: Laundry. Impromptu … Continue reading At the Colony – Day 8, 9, and 10

At the Colony – Day 4

Day 4:  I woke up late today, around 11Am. Skipped breakfast. Opted for a walk instead. I walked for 80 minutes down route 22. The trails were muddy or covered in snow still. I was famished after my walk. Hurray for leftovers. I made an avocado salad and ate it with leftover pork tenderloin and white rice. One of the residents, a fiction writer sat with me. … Continue reading At the Colony – Day 4

At the Colony – Day 3

Day 3:  I spent most of the day by myself. Made an omelette and coffee, and ate my breakfast at the main house. Back in my studio, I continued to read McCarthy’s The Road. I listened to music and spaced out. I stared at the first six chapters of the novel. The pattern was circular. Four short, first-person POV, flash pieces and two longer pieces. … Continue reading At the Colony – Day 3

At the Colony – Days 1 and 2

Day 1: I arrived at 2Pm. Spent the rest of the afternoon getting settled. Ate dinner with the other residents. Home for the next four weeks is a converted barn. There are four bedrooms and two bathrooms on the first floor and four studios on the second floor. From 9pm until 1AM, I devised a work plan. I decided to order the first 100 pages of my working … Continue reading At the Colony – Days 1 and 2