me and fellow students (credit: Joey-Lee Campbell)

Having just finished a 10-day creative writing residency, I feel I should write something profound. Not gonna happen. Too exhausted. Here’s the brief flashes I can remember at the moment:

• Met and worked with wonderful, creative, and inspiring people: my fellow students as well as our teachers
• Met Joyce-Carol Oats and asked her about the importance of story ideas and style. Answer: first one better be good, the latter should be better
• Met Chris Offut who left me in stitches “workshopping” one of his early stories … and gave me hope as a writer
• Met Steve Almond who used the workd “fucknut” in a wonderful craft class … and taught me that obsession drives everything
• Learned that my manuscript was not a story but a tale, but plenty is there to make a true story … it has “salvagable weirdness” which made me very happy
• Learned that none of the expensive Lexington restaurants can hold a candle to Richmond’s China King – not even close
• Learned how aware of Freytag’s triangle I should be
• Learned how aware of manipulating Freytag’s triangle I should be
• Learned how difficult writing truly is
• Learned that it’s all about emotion
• I couldn’t complete a thought outdoors in the cold
• I ought to have … damn it was cold!

There is so much more, and all of it positive, I just cannot put it all down in writing right now. Hopefully I can follow up and share more. But the next class starts tomorrow for spring term. Time for dreamy sleep.