Strange Horizons Report
I spent the weekend at Rockaway Beach, Oregon, attending the Strange Horizons Writer's Workshop. Eight of us collected at the Oregon Colony Writer's House for three days of writing, critiquing and craft discussion. The house (very lovingly described by fellow workshop attendee Jason Lundberg here) was just out of spitting distance from the beach, and was squarely set on the border of the Land of No Distractions (if you didn't count the Pacific Ocean to the west or the glittering lake to the east). No phone, no television, no Internet: in short, perfect for a getaway.
(Finding cellphone service so that I could check in with Melissa and Solomon once a day turned into a game. I could get two bars of service on the beach. Never at the same spot and only in a physical space not much larger than three square feet. It usually only lasted long enough to either leave or get voicemail but not so long that I could do both.)
The workshop was hosted by Jay Lake and Mary Anne Mohanraj, two very delightful individuals who brought with them a wealth of information from both the writing and the editorial camps. They took good care of us, making sure we were fed (Mary Anne's lasagna was a delight both hot and cold and people almost came to blows over Jay's heart attack mini bagel sandwiches), and enabling really great discussions about craft. We also spent a solid amount of time giving and receiving commentary on pieces that we had brought.
It was a phenomenal experience and I'm still quite giddy with a lot of the practical information that was offered during the weekend as well as the levels of enthusiasm which everyone brought with them. The assembled level of passion for writing rejuvenated everyone, expanding and recharging our internal batteries. You need trips like this once or twice a year to get your battery pack reconditioned.
Like I do when I go to new places, I took a lot of pictures. The best of the lot are here.
I'm also 1200 words into a short story today. Yeah, me, who was thinking that he was done with short fiction. See? This is what happens when you hang out with the other kids who are doing this. You remember how much fun it was.
Man, am I glad I didn't overthink the moment when I decided to apply for this workshop.