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 post series: