Getting to Know this Community of Writers...

Our classes start tomorrow. Today felt much more normal--am over the jet lag--and totally getting into the whole experience. We met our teachers today. Bret Lott, my fiction teacher, seems very chill. I hung out with him for a bit at the opening party tonight and we have a rather goofy rapport, which is cool. It is a bit weird since I read his memoir. I keep wanting to say some fact I know about him--but then I realize that, of course, that's from his book--and it would be really weird if I were like, "How's your son, Zeb?" Even though I have read all about Zeb in the memoir. Not a normal cocktail party question...Bret might get some serious stalker vibes from me if I say some of these facts that I know about him!

Anyway--beyond that, the photo teacher also seems very cool. All of our classes will be at his studio, and he seems fine with me being in the advanced class. I think for him it's all about the images we actually shoot--not so much about our ability to manipulate images on the computer, etc. So, more on that once we have our first class.

One thing I was saying to another woman I met today--it's really cool to be around all of these writers who are both seemingly very normal looking. Like, I wouldn't think, wow--that woman over there has a book length manuscipt she's working on! But, yet, they quietly have these projects that they're working on. And, It's exciting to meet people who do take their writing seriously. It's definitely a model for me--to work towards.

And already, over beers at the opening party tonight, I had a conversation with a woman about one story I'm working on. She hasn't read my story, but I was telling her about the problem I'm having where I feel like the character I am creating in my story, "Eliza Looking Away" is purposely ambiguous and indirect--that's part of who she is--but, this is not working out too well for the story. And this woman told me that she thinks it's helpful when the writer really knows the character well, unambiguously. So that even if the character comes across as elusive, etc--the writer has such a command of the character that the ambiguous-ness feels 100% purposeful and fine. (Instead of troublesome and vague, as I feel like my character is right now...)
How cool that this is conversation that just arises casually as we hang out!

Well, more soon!

One of these days I might actually post a real piece of meditative writing on here! But, until then, these will just be chatty posts about the day's events!

Ciao!