For all eight of you desperately waiting for my Star Trek reviews, I must disappoint you by confessing that I am in the sweltering state of Maine for the next several days, attending the residency for my MFA program.
(If it makes you feel better, I’m trying very hard to learn how NOT to write, say, “Justice.”)
Maine, devoid of air conditioning, has proven to be less comfortable in the mid-eighties than Florida is in the mid-200s. I’m staying on the fourth floor of a dorm with the constant whir of fans as my only roommates; I could well be running an aerodynamics lab in here, assuming that we were interested in the aerodynamics on Venus.
And it’s all worth it! Why?
- I’m hanging out with some good people similarly committed to writing.
- I’m listening to some excellent readings.
- I’m attending seminars and panels by students and faculty, each insightful (perhaps in ways they or I don’t expect them to be).
- I’m workshopping right now with Scott Wolven as our leader, and I think I could make a pretty good blog based on “Smart Shit Scott Wolven Says about Writing.” Or maybe he should. Either way, I’m learning a lot from him and the other students.
Of course, I’m also learning things that could completely change the novel that isn’t ending, but…uh…there are people who would come to hurt me if I did.
So further bulletins as events warrant.