Writing Update

My Writing Output Has Finally Increased!

My residency is in its final weekend. By Tuesday morning, I’ll be off to the airport to head back to the East Coast. So with only a couple of days left before I leave, I can now reflect on my writing for the past week.

It started off slowly. When I arrived at the Writer’s Colony Saturday afternoon, it was a whirlwind of settling into the Maya Angelou Suite, getting a tour of the town, and getting groceries. After that, it was an evening of being online until I fell asleep.

On Sunday, I was ready to explore the town and see what I could see. I browsed the shops, looking and buying. I didn’t make any huge purchases. But I was planning on getting things as my stay went on. I was with my writer friend Victoria who is a buddle of fast-talking energy. We were surprised at how early the shops closed on Sunday — 4 pm for many and 5 or 6 pm for the rest.

We needed to eat, but many of the restaurants were already closed. We did manage to find a place called Spring on Main. They were open and had a few customers inside. We ordered our food. I was hungry but Victoria was starving, ordering several plates. I was happy with a salad with some grilled chicken on it. We ate and then returned to the colony.

When I was in my suite, I began to think about writing. I was worried that I’d get so caught up in other activities that I wouldn’t spend enough time writing. I typed up some poem drafts and went to bed. I vowed to do more on Monday.

Witting wasn’t the only goal for the week. I had caught a cold which was getting worse day by day. It started out with a stuffy nose then a headache then a sore throat, sneezing, and coughing. I had a fever for days. I was popping Tylenol like candy in order to function and enjoy the area. I soon realized that my illness had caused a writing block.

One day, I went into Adventure Art, and I figured doing some painting would help my block. I had met a nice couple who owned the store, Amber and Lloyd. They had been very welcoming when I first visited the store. Amber had mentioned that people could come in and just do some watercolor painting. The suggestion intrigued me since I hadn’t worked with watercolor, but had always been curious about the medium.

So I sat down for about 45 minutes and painted on cardstock. I drew a picture of a Black woman, made abstract art, and then drew random stuff. I had fun with the watercolor paints. I have to remember that the paints bleed into each other. so one section needs to be dry before I paint the next section. But I did like how they came out. It wasn’t bad for the first time.

I had written my daily word count goal on a whiteboard in the writing office of the suite. Every day I would push myself to write more and more. At first, I was hesitant because I wasn’t sure what to write about, but then I made a list of topics to help me. I also decided to break down the word count by the number of essays I wrote in a day. For example, a 1,000-word essay meant either one long essay or two short essays. By breaking it down that way, it was easier for me to get started.

The week has been great. I’m writing. I’ve submitted some work. I’m working on a chapbook for a contest. I’m looking at ways to generate income. My blog idea has resurfaced, so I’m taking a look at that again. I’ve been writing poems on my poetry site, allpoetry.com/sjluke. So I am happy with the progress I have made this week. I’m proud of myself. The writing is happening.