The Writing Retreat

I woke up in Monterey, California this morning, where I’m attending an Algonkian Writer Retreat. For the next five days, I’m in heaven. No chores. No dinners to be made. No dog walking to be done, just five days with Paula Munier and Michael Neff, diving into the excellence of craft. 

The process of becoming a writer has shaped me and continues to change me. Writing isn’t just the nuts and bolts of word-smithery or story construction, it’s an ongoing study of poetry, history, literature, psychology and spirituality. The nourishing of self knowledge reveals one’s shadow and one’s greatness.  Writing has informed my compassion and passion and it’s helped me to know who I am.

Last night I met and had dinner with a few of the participants.  There are a dozen of us.  I have built in respect for these people because I know that it takes courage to write a book, to tell a story, to unveil one’s self in a memoir.  It takes going to the dark places in the soul as well as the light places.  The wrong places and the right places.  I have a kinship with those that live the writing life and live to tell the tale. This is my tribe.

So today’s post is short and sweet; an homage to writing teachers like Neff and Munier.  If you don’t know who they are, and you’re curious, google Algonkian Writing Retreats, and then Google Michael Neff and Paula Munier.  If you’re a serious crafts person, reading about this organization and these two people will make you smile.

I’m staying at a bed and breakfast across the street from the ocean.  I have a fireplace in my room and a deep tub to soak in at the end of the day.  In my wheelie bag, I tote around a laptop and a notebook full of homework, required prep for this retreat. Waking up to all of this fills me with gratitude and appreciation.  To be able to say that I live the writing life and that as a result, I’ve found purpose, passion and salvation, well that makes life good.