All inner voices show up at my Writer’s Retreat in Utah

Once a year I go to Utah for what I call a writing retreat. I call it that because it is, though many people think that implies I would do it “with” someone. Only my multiple selves, I tell them. I go to a great place that has food and a gym so I don’t have to think about anything other than listen to my own brain without the (wonderful) distractions of family and (not-so-wonderful) distractions of regular life.

I’ve gathered some manuscript critiques of BARDO ZSA ZSA, some would say too many. I would say too many. I know I have a serious rewrite to do, and I’m going to wait a bit until I can “hear” the story again. My best advice comes from Amy and Nancy, my writing buddies, who say essentially, enough with the criticisms, write the book you want to write. Which I will get back to.

In the mean time, I did manage to finish a draft of BOOK OF JOBS and its in shape to get help from an editor. It’s going to be a short book (about 100 pages) illustrated with my own “New Yorker Style” cartoons. I’m shooting for a David Sedaris sort of tone, but not as funny. Not for lack of trying.

I’ve been spending time renovating an old project, work-titled VOODOO MURDERS OF BRAINERD. I’ve decided I need to finish it. I keep thinking of writing as renovation rather than editing. Maybe renovation is a visual metaphor for editing. There’s the range, from putting up a shelf or two and repainting, to stripping it down to a skeleton and starting over. I think that’s what’s happening with VOODOO MURDERS. In fact, I have to change the title because I think the whole “voodoo” subplot just got torn down and sent out to the dumpster.

I do have the “voice” down. It’s an older guy (hmm, like who would that be like?) I’m thinking like the character in Iris Murdoch’s “The Sea, The Sea” combined with those crabby guys J. M. Coetzee is always writing about. My “guy” has a son who is a druggy and a disappointment (not like my sons, especially if they’re reading this).

I’m still interested in my protagonist pursuing an eccentric offbrand “spiritual path” for his bucket list.  Currently I am studying Jungian alchemy as a replacement for voodoo. I think it’s going to work.

Many thanks to Utah and apologies to that beautiful state that I don’t enjoy the wonderful desert life it offers. I just stay, listen to the sounds in my head and try to translate what they’re saying into words. It’s not for everyone, but I’m lucky to be able to do it.

 

(If I tell you where this is, I would have to kill you…)