Fall -- a great season for writing

I've been deep into my current novel--a shadowy world in the forest of the Pacific Northwest. It was a challenging place to be through the warmth of summer, but I made progress and am now onto the umpteenth revision. That's the way this writing stuff works. Revising and re-imagining is such a big part of the job. Some might call this part the drudgery of writing, but for me it's the kind of hard work that is exhilarating. I feel as if I'm climbing a mountain and each step on the switch-backed path reveals some new perspective. I keep learning and moving up. I do stumble occasionally, of course. And there are times when I just need to find a boulder or a tree stump and sit this old body down and rest. But even then my mind is churning, taking in the view and wondering. On a bad day, when I keep slipping in the mud of my own making, I may just sit on that stump and pull out a book--one written by someone else who knows how to pull me out of myself and into their imagined world.

Knowing there are so many who've made it to the top of this mountain of words before me gives me hope and reminds me to look for the handholds they used, the stashes of food or water the may have left for me to find, the cairns they've piled to mark the trail. While it often feels like a lonely enterprise, we never really write alone. The community of writers is huge and rich and welcoming, whether you find it between the covers of a book or through a workshop or class.

So now, as the season shifts and the light begins to change, consider joining me  walking along the path with me as we write together. I'm offering a new workshop (see the calendar for details) and we'll be creating community as we generate new work. I'd love to see you there!