Culture
Norton Island Writers Workshop: Departure
Jul 9th
Saturday was departure day for most of us. One group left *way* early in the morning to catch early flights, while the other group left mid-morning, once Rob returned from dropping off the early group. I was in the second group–the others in my group were driving back to their homes, so they hopped into their cars once we got to Jonesport, while Rob carried me to the Bangor International Airport for my afternoon flight.
I think by this point we were all mostly numb–saturated with writerly goodness, fond memories, and a happiness to have met a group so dedicated to the writing craft.
Tom, Santa, Andrew, and Rob really worked super hard all week (and in the months prior) to ensure the workshop went off as a success, and I am hard pressed to think of how it could have been better.
And, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I think we all gained a renewed respect for water. Water giveth and water taketh away. Unfortunately, as one of us was departing the island, the water extracted one final toll.
Here’s a pic of what happens when the water taketh away the cell phone:
So, that’s it, until we meet again. In the meantime, write!
***
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Norton Island Writers Workshop: Day 5
Jul 8th
Although all the preceding days of the workshop were great, today was a day of big events.
It was our last workshop, and I think everyone submitted some of their best work so far. Besides workshopping everyone’s manuscripts, we also had a lively discussion about publishing, discussing the current state of the industry, the outlook for authors, and how technology is impacting publishers, authors, and readers.
Adding to the magic in the atmosphere was the fact that not only were these great discussions, but also I think everyone’s personality was showing more, since we had worked and lived together for a week and so felt comfortable around each other. There seemed to be a slight roller coaster of emotion in the air because we had survived all the writing challenges Tom posed for us, and we had survived all the living challenges the island tossed our way. And we were also coming to the realization that most of us would be leaving this idyllic environment and heading back to the mundane world the next day.
Here are Don and Beth exhibiting a little of the final workshop spirit:
After workshop, lecture, and lunch, Rob took us all on a boat cruise around the island.
Here we are, heading to the boat:
Here’s the view from the boat–Norton Island to the left, Infinity straight ahead:
As we were cruising along we also got to see some seals. Here are a few sunning themselves on the rocks, though some are also in the water–you can just make out their bobbing heads as they tried to figure out just who we were:
In the evening Tom, Santa, and Rob cooked up a big Maine lobster feast:
And here’s the 2010 Norton Island Writers Workshop gang, in toto:
And a final farewell to the bonfire:
After everyone migrated back inside, for the final entertainment of the evening everyone read selections from their work (and Gina sang too!). I had been to a couple readings before, but this was the first time I got to do a reading.
Here’s Dick’s reading:
Next up: departure!
***
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Norton Island Writers Workshop: Day 4
Jul 7th
As I mentioned in the last post, most of us spent yesterday taking a break to explore the island. Well, today saw us return to form as we dove back into our writing. The lecture part of the day focused on how to handle verb tense changes (e.g., narrative present versus the present tense of the verbs) as well as “framing” as a story construction technique. We reverted back to our normal routines of eating, writing, printing, and reading for the rest of the day.
I should probably take a moment to describe the island wildlife, “wild” being a relative term. There were two rams roaming the island–their names were Freckles and Feisty. They loved having their ears scratched, but took patting on the head as some sort of head-butting challenge. Maybe that was because they were recently shorn, and so were a little more cranky than usual. Here they are hanging out behind West Camp (one of them is in the shadow of the building):
As for other wildlife, I thought I saw a squirrel, and one night I thought I heard a deer stomping about in the woods near by cabin (though this might have been one of the rams come to visit me in the midnight hours). I also heard a dog barking, but it turns out that was the dog of the owner of a neighboring island–sound carries between islands, evidently.
Oh, and one day walking to breakfast I saw this fearsome creature walking across the path:
And here’s a spiderweb affixed to my cabin doorway:
Okay, so, aside from mosquitoes, we weren’t in mortal danger from the wildlife.
Moving right along.
Here’s a pic of the view from East Camp towards Jonesport–though the sky was forbidding, we actually didn’t get any rain:
Finally, note that, being on an island, water was a recurring theme during our stay there. The island itself, by definition, is surrounded by water. Since the island was off-the-grid, we had to conserve water when the water supply dropped to critical levels. And we got our share of drenching rain and pervasive mist. So, needless to say, the siren song of the water was very strong there on the island. Well, today was the day, perhaps overcome by this water theme, that Lynda (accidentally?) threw our manuscripts she was reading into the water. I like to rather think of it that our stories were a worthy offering to the gods than a casting away of our poor point of view choices and too frequent uses of unattributed dialogue.
But wait–there’s another water-themed event (a cautionary tale, actually) coming in the final post, so stay tuned!
***
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Norton Island Writers Workshop: Day 3
Jul 6th
So in my last post I mentioned what a great group we had at the workshop. Everyone took the assignments seriously and strove to write at their best for their fellow attendees.
In fact, everyone was so serious that Tom had to call a timeout. Folks were working really hard–staying up late, even working past midnight to complete the assignments. We were spending all our time in our cabins, in lecture, or eating–we were missing out on the delights the island offered.
You see, one of the benefits of having a writing workshop on Norton Island is that, in addition to gaining a great learning and writing experience, we can also see and experience the wonders of a beautiful island setting, mostly unspoiled by human development.
Perhaps echoing Mr. Roarke in the tv series Fantasy Island, Tom had greeted us on arrival with, if I recall correctly, “My dear guests, I am Tom De Haven, your host. Welcome to Norton Island.” And he had meant us to write a lot, but also to see the island.
When Tom realized we were burning the midnight candle at both ends, he suggested a slight break from the writing frenzy–we should take advantage of the great weather and see a little of the island.
So after the morning writing lecture on the craft of writing great scenes, most of us went exploring on the island. Some of us actually walked all the way around the island, blazing new trails where the old buoy trails had been wiped out by past hurricanes.
Here’s a pic illustrating the buoy trail–the trail around the island (unless a hurricane happens by) is marked by periodic buoys planted in strategic locations, and you can see two buoys in the trees in this pic:
And here’s a pic of an example of one of the visual delights rewarding those who tramped about the island:
Seriously, it is much like tramping through a Tolkien forest. Here’s an example of the moss carpet in the woods:
I walked with Kelly through the buoy trail to the Atlantic side–here’s the view when crashing from the buoy trail and emerging from the dense island forest:
And here’s the view from the water back towards island forest:
I had to turn back from the adventure because I had a meeting with Tom. Another one of the benefits of the Norton Island Writers Workshop is that we could schedule private meetings with Tom to discuss our writing. I had given him a short story and he gave me great feedback on it, and we talked about other elements of writing craft and where to take my writing career.
Anyway, this suggested break from the rigorous writing pace we had set for ourselves really helped recharge our writing batteries.
***
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Norton Island Writers Workshop: Day 2
Jul 5th
The weather today was not so rainy, so we met for lecture (after a hasty breakfast + last minute reading of everyone’s manuscripts + sneaking in a shower) in West Camp, which is also the home of the island owner.
Here’s a pic of the beautiful porch at West Camp–lots of space if you want to sit in the shade or in the sun:
And here’s a pic of the room where we met for lecture:
Today’s lecture was all about pacing and point of view.
After lecture we all dashed back to grab a quick lunch and then to our cabins to work on our writing assignments. Towards evening we returned to the East Camp for dinner and more printing fun.
Here’s a pic of the evening fog on the water:
And here’s a pic of some of us at dinner. Though we are really tired by this point, I have to say that this group got along really well: everyone there was serious about their writing and offered constructive criticism where appropriate. And though we were on an off-the-grid island under high-pressure conditions, everyone was a joy to work with. So Tom and Andrew and whoever else made the acceptance decisions did a great job in balancing talents, interests, experience, and temperaments. What a great group of people to work with!
***
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Norton Island Writers Workshop: Day 1
Jul 4th
For our first full day on the island (for most of us), we were welcomed to Maine with a day of rain, and were welcomed to living off-the-grid when Internet for the island went down.
In this pic you can see how an off-the-grid island gets its power–a windmill. You can also see the mist and clouds that sometimes pervade *everything*. And note: waking up to the sound of a windmill’s whoosh-whoosh-whoosh in the middle of the night when you aren’t expecting it can be a little disorienting.
And speaking of rain, trails, mud, etc., when living on an off-the-grid island in Maine, it is important to wear appropriate clothing. Tom gave us fair warning, so we knew what to expect. Though it might have been 100 degrees Fahrenheit with super-high humidity in Richmond, the temperatures on the island were mild, and even chilly at night. Rain, mist, sun, and wind could all occur with seemingly equal probabilities.
Here’s an example of one attendee being stylish as well as practical in their choice of footwear:
The plan was to have meals in East Camp, and meet for workshop in West Camp, but due to the rain, Tom mercifully had us workshop in East Camp too. The focus of the initial lecture was on the basic elements of storytelling, and we were given a writing assignment related to this. We adjourned for lunch, then everyone dashed off to their cabins to complete their writing assignment, due by supper time.
This was the first day, so there were a few scheduling and technical issues with the printers, so some of us ended up not being done until very late in the evening. Once everyone finished making copies of their writing for everyone else, we grabbed the stacks of manuscripts and went off to our cabins to critique the manuscripts, sleep, and read exemplar published short stories before class and workshop the next morning.
Here’s a pic, typical actually, of folks working in the East Camp living room:
***
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Norton Island Writers Workshop: Stephen King’s house and island arrival
Jul 2nd
It turned out that several workshop attendees were arriving to Bangor International Airport at around the same time, so once everyone had collected the baggage, we all jumped into Rob’s van (the island caretaker, who came to pick us up) to head to Jonesport to then take the boat to the island.
Of course, since we were in Bangor, we had to drive by Stephen King’s house.
You can’t really see them in the picture, but all along the top of the wrought iron fence Stephen has all sort of iron dragons and monsters sitting in sinister locations.
Then, on the way to Jonesport we took a short cut through miles and miles of blueberry fields–blueberries grow very well in Maine!
Once we got to Jonesport, which is a small town primarily focused on fishing, we hopped on the boat and headed to Norton Island.
Norton Island is about a mile offshore from Jonesport. Here’s a pic of Norton Island’s East Camp as we pulled in on the boat. In the picture, you can see some writing workshop folks (who arrived before we did) standing down on the dock and some folks standing at the top of the stairs leading up from the dock. Beside these people at the top you can see the golf cart and Mule people use to drive around with, and then in the background you can see the East Camp lodge itself.
Here’s a pic of just inside the East Camp lodge, in the dining room. Everyone attending the workshop has by now arrived, and we are all seated around the table (a few folks are off camera). Tom (standing) is giving us an intro to the workshop, how the cabins work, how the meals work, etc. You can see the front door that leads out onto a big porch. Behind the counter in the lower left corner is the kitchen, and behind Tom are two doors leading to the rest of the main level (a den area + two bedrooms, a hall with 2 bunk beds, a washroom, and two bathrooms). Behind Tom there is also a set of stairs that leads to an upstairs bedroom.
And here’s an example of the trail we use to get to and from the East or West Camp lodge buildings and our cabins.
You take the trail (flashlights are, indeed, your best companion here) to get to your cabin. Here’s the outside of my cabin.
And here’s the inside.
***
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My encounter with a farmer
Jun 17th
I chatted with a farmer today. He’s probably around 80 years old, has a grip like iron, wears a hat and overalls, and has a bad back that aches him in the mornings, around noon, in the afternoon, and before going to bed. But every day he’s up before dawn (“I got up this morning before breakfast,” he said with a wink), tending the cows and chickens, then working the fields, then getting everything ready for the next day. One of his eyes don’t see too good no more, and he can’t really hear unless you holler at him. And his old tractor–always breaking down, always something to fix on it. He drives up and down the roads in an old beat-up truck that emits a little too much exhaust, but the engine keeps on going with a steady thumpa-thumpa-thumpa. You know when he’s coming because no one else drives that slowly, but the dogs bark and wag their tails when they see him.
He tells me I should get me a horse, one about ten years old. Don’t get one of them high-spirited ones though–you want to be able to ride them, and the high-spirited ones, you can’t even get the bridle on them sometimes. Why, he knew someone who gave co-cola to their horses twice a day, once at ten in the morning and once at two in the afternoon, and that’ll make your horse jumpy. You can’t ride them if they are too jumpy. You know how they do.
I expect that ten years from now he’ll still be working the fields, driving the same old truck, keeping the same old tractors running (at least to make it through the summer), and checking in with his neighbors now and then, usually on Sundays. And he’ll probably still be holding his bad back while leaning against the fence, looking out at his cows and surveying all the work he’s done that day. I expect too that after surveying his work, he’ll then head on inside and take his boots off, a little more slowly and with more effort than he used to. Then he’ll wash up for supper, kiss his wife–on her lips if she’s awake, on her cheek if she’s nodded off in her chair–then rest a spell before heading to bed, so he can get up early for the next day’s work.
And that sounds wonderful to me.
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Mushrooms grow where elves danced
Jun 3rd
They say that mushrooms grow where elves danced the night before.
I thought about this as I walked around our yard today. There were mushrooms everywhere–big ones, flat ones, brown ones, white ones, red ones, spotted ones, puffy ones. So I grabbed my camera and below are some pics, just so you can get a sense of what I saw.
But then I thought, wow, those elves must have had a really great party last night.
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Review: In the Land of Believers, by Gina Welch
Mar 30th
The recent health care “debate” had both the blue team AND the red team stooping to lows of hysteria and vitriol, getting Americans riled up rather than taking advantage of an opportunity for understanding and education. So it is refreshing to see someone take the latter path, rather than the former, for a change.
Gina Welch, raised in a secular household in California, moved to Virginia to attend graduate school. Once here, she found herself in a rather different culture than what she was used to in California. She got interested in investigating the core of the differences in these belief/cultural/spiritual systems, and committed years of her life to this effort.
In her new book, In the Land of Believers: An Outsider’s Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelical Church
Why Thomas Road Baptist Church?
Regionally, church membership was in the thousands and growing and Liberty University was fast becoming what the founder had hoped it would be: a Brigham Young University for Evangelicals.
The founder, of course, being Jerry Falwell.
Note, however, that the matter of Gina joining Thomas Road Baptist Church was not a trivial step. Says Gina:
I am a secular Jew raised by a single mother in Berkeley…. I cuss, I drink, and I am not a virgin.
She realizes that the people she wants to learn about would not be forthcoming if they knew she was writing a book about them, so she invents a story about herself. This deception allows her to join the church and make friends there, but comes back to haunt her in the end.
The book is mostly about her experiences in joining the church and developing relationships with people. But while in the church she witnesses several key events in the history of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, including the transition from the original church site to the new site (formerly the Ericsson cell phone plant) as well as the death of Jerry Falwell.
Also, in her journey she herself becomes changed, and discovers flaws in the caricatures the media paints of “Christian America”. There are actually real people behind those images:
And yet…against logic, as a liberal secular Jew, born to a Communist father, raised in Berkeley, educated in the Ivy League—I had been charmed by Jerry Falwell.
Gina takes a fair look at the church and its members, and, I think, all sides—the pro, the con, and the indifferent—can learn something from her experiences.
In the end, Gina has to deal with the deceptions she has committed, as well as the friendships she has created.
The result, I think, is a valuable insight into a segment of society where, currently, at the interface with the rest of the world, there is some distrust and misunderstanding.
