I had the great pleasure of attending a writer’s retreat in early July at a secluded cabin in the wild woodlands of the midwest. In addition to writing, I got to give feedback to some of my favorite writers and hear about the projects they have planned. Many of us are just starting out on this fiction-writing thing, and simply owning the epithet “writer” can be challenging without disclaiming it somehow. One of our number, who is a literature professor with many nonfiction publications to her name, pointed out our overly negative comments about our own writing when we talked about what we were working on, and she challenged us to say something positive about our writing. Mine were as follows:

1. I will never run out of ideas.

2. I am funny.

3. I have boundless enthusiasm and curiosity that shines out of my work.

It was wonderful to have creative time in a safe, supportive space, with people I respect and cherish who don’t mind it when I sing opera in the shower.

One of the most exciting things to come out of the retreat, besides the fact that everybody seems interested in making it an annual event, is that we’re all planning to write a themed anthology short stories. Thus, I have a year to write and a gazillion ideas (see point 1). Time to start researching!

Cheers!

Libby