A Seven Day Journey

My life changed in seven days.

I packed my bags and flew to Martha’s Vineyard. I was nervous. Meeting new people has always brought me a great deal of anxiety.  I knocked on the front door of The Noepe Center for Literary Arts knowing I had arrived later than the rest of the writers. The woman who answered was also from Florida, a kindred spirit. Before I opened my suitcase to unpack, two more attendees invited me to dinner. I breathed. I knew it was going to be a special week.

We were a small group of eleven writers. Emma D. Dryden was our teacher. If you’ve never worked with Emma, you’re missing out! She’s an incredible teacher, editor, and one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.

All of us gathered every morning around a dining room table with our laptops and journals. I scribbled notes as Emma taught. We shared our first pages, participated in writing exercises, and asked a lot of questions. Lunch outside in the courtyard brought more discussion. Afternoons were spent on our own. Some of us wrote, and others enjoyed exploring the island. If you like ice cream, you’ll love Edgartown!

On the second night, we all gathered in the kitchen to make out-of-this-world pizza. Of course, it included a lot of garlic! Magic happens when strangers congregate to chop vegetables, roll dough, and drink wine. We sat outside under the lights devouring our dinner while learning of each others lives.

As the week progressed, our group grew closer. The support we offered each other, whether it was encouraging someone on a first page edit, suggesting a picture book may be a great middle-grade novel, showing how to make a spreadsheet for agent submissions, or going deeper with a character, each bit of advice was given with care of the writer’s heart. We understood each other. Being surrounded by compassionate people excited to discuss the craft of writing was enough to get the quietest of souls (me) talking.

When Friday arrived, I felt the pangs of having to say good-bye. I climbed on the plane and watched as the wheels left the ground, grateful that I had left my little writing room to embark upon a seven-day adventure.

“Art flourishes where there is a sense of adventure.” Alfred North Whitehead