The beginning of the semester has been crazier than usual for me; we have changed the curriculum for our Composition classes and I exchanged one section of Composition for Advanced Composition. I feel as though I am teaching two new courses and trying to learn them along the way. The work involved in keeping all the plates spinning has consumed my time. But I think I am working things out--halfway through the semester.
But look who I am writing to--preaching to the choir?
In the midst of this self-doubt creating experience, I had the opportunity to experience a week as a VCCA (Virginia Center for the Creative Arts) fellow at the Mt. San Angelo facility in Amherst, VA. I was given a room, with a bathroom, a studio, and three delicious meals a day. I also got to meet and talk with visual artists, composers and lots of other writers, about all kinds of things, including our work. I had complete control of my time and attention. I worked on a nonfiction piece for hours at a time, never stopping to put the wash into the dryer or entertain a certain puppy. (All the studios had beds, in case you wanted to work late into the night).
I accomplished a good deal of writing, but more importantly, I experienced that making uninterrupted time for writing can reawaken confidence and activate another part of oneself that can get buried in the everyday. I know we can't take a week off to write, but I am dedicated to finding and sticking to some weekly schedule of uninterrupted time (it could be just an hour and I might just go hide in the Mason library) but I think knowing I have this time, even if it's just once a week, will keep me from making promises to myself I don't keep about writing.
If you're interested in applying for a VCCA Fellowship, go to the website (https://www.vcca.com/apply/), read about the experience and apply--there are different lengths of stays and you can choose what you work on.