So sad to say goodbye to the cozy little VCCA corncrib tomorrow morning. I got some excellent work done here: I focused on new material for the bulk of my stay, and spit out a bunch of story drafts. Interesting to note that as I started revising during the last couple of days, I was reminded of how hard writing is: Which is better in the sentence, “quick” or “fast”? What about “hurried”? Comma or semi-colon? What’s with all these characters constantly shrugging…surely there are better gestures than that?
Sometimes a period of simply writing whatever strikes your fancy is helpful, just slapping words on paper and figuring you’ll fix them when you get around to it. I’m eager to let these drafts marinate a bit and return to them with a fresh eye. Watch out, New Yorker!
If you’re in Lynchburg and are looking for an excellent meal, I recommend Dish, in the downtown area. One of the specials on the night I was there was a grilled sausage with a butter-cream sauce! Lest you think that might be unhealthy, note that it was served on delightfully crisp green beans.
I always forget how much I enjoy writing at night, which I have a chance to do here. I need to make a point to rearrange my real life from time to time so I can do so.
And, yes, I’ve rearranged my date with the fabulous Don Draper to spend an extra day here, surrounded by horses, carpenter bees, grassy meadows, mountains, frogs, the striped salamander that lives under my doormat, and words. Oh, and of course, the unofficial Spring VCCA mascot: the stinkbug.
