So in my last post I mentioned what a great group we had at the workshop. Everyone took the assignments seriously and strove to write at their best for their fellow attendees.
In fact, everyone was so serious that Tom had to call a timeout. Folks were working really hard–staying up late, even working past midnight to complete the assignments. We were spending all our time in our cabins, in lecture, or eating–we were missing out on the delights the island offered.
You see, one of the benefits of having a writing workshop on Norton Island is that, in addition to gaining a great learning and writing experience, we can also see and experience the wonders of a beautiful island setting, mostly unspoiled by human development.
Perhaps echoing Mr. Roarke in the tv series Fantasy Island, Tom had greeted us on arrival with, if I recall correctly, “My dear guests, I am Tom De Haven, your host. Welcome to Norton Island.” And he had meant us to write a lot, but also to see the island.
When Tom realized we were burning the midnight candle at both ends, he suggested a slight break from the writing frenzy–we should take advantage of the great weather and see a little of the island.
So after the morning writing lecture on the craft of writing great scenes, most of us went exploring on the island. Some of us actually walked all the way around the island, blazing new trails where the old buoy trails had been wiped out by past hurricanes.
Here’s a pic illustrating the buoy trail–the trail around the island (unless a hurricane happens by) is marked by periodic buoys planted in strategic locations, and you can see two buoys in the trees in this pic:
And here’s a pic of an example of one of the visual delights rewarding those who tramped about the island:
Seriously, it is much like tramping through a Tolkien forest. Here’s an example of the moss carpet in the woods:
I walked with Kelly through the buoy trail to the Atlantic side–here’s the view when crashing from the buoy trail and emerging from the dense island forest:
And here’s the view from the water back towards island forest:
I had to turn back from the adventure because I had a meeting with Tom. Another one of the benefits of the Norton Island Writers Workshop is that we could schedule private meetings with Tom to discuss our writing. I had given him a short story and he gave me great feedback on it, and we talked about other elements of writing craft and where to take my writing career.
Anyway, this suggested break from the rigorous writing pace we had set for ourselves really helped recharge our writing batteries.
***
Norton Island Writers Workshop post series: