Thursday, 12 June 2003

Some writing this evening. I think I've got the starting point for this story pegged now, after a bit of struggling. I've got about 350 words of the new start (plus about twice that many words of various false starts of the beginning, some of which will be salvageable).

I'm pleased with it.

I've been reading most of this year's Clarion journals. Many things stay the same.

Karina talked about how her feeling about whether or not she'd want to do Clarion again had changed.

I have mixed feelings about it myself. Aside from the fact that they don't let you, it wouldn't be the same to do it again. Much of the power in it comes from so many of the things you do there being things done for the first time.

That aside, what I miss is being part of a community of writers taking writing seriously. Not that my fellow Chambana Speculators don't take writing seriously, but we all have jobs and families and other stuff. It's not like at Clarion where writing is everyone's full time focus. They're great writers and critiquers, and that's all one can hope for (and more than one can really expect), and I'm really happy to have them. But there's an intensity about Clarion that I miss, even as I realize that it would be unsustainable.

Whenever my thoughts turn this direction, I find myself musing about getting an MFA in creative writing. It wouldn't be Clarion, but it would be something kind of like it--a community of people taking writing seriously.

My cold is mostly all better. The sore throat was gone yesterday, and I haven't gotten sniffly or achy or coughy. But I've been kind of tired. Today I decided that I'd feel better if I just acted as if I were entirely well, so we went to lift weights. It didn't work though. I had a below-average workout and still felt under the weather. I'm better this evening, though, so maybe I'll be all better tomorrow.