Writing workshops

Last night when I got home there was an e-mail saying I've been accepted into the Cropper Foundation's Residential workshop for Caribbean writers. It will take place over 3 weeks in July up in the coastal area of Balandra. It will be a whole new experience. I've never been to a writing workshop in my life and now suddenly in 2008 I'm in two.

Yesterday I had to be in Port-of-Spain for a function starting at 8 a.m. ... so left home at 5:30 a.m. to avoid getting stuck in traffic (which starts piling up from 6:00). Got into town by 6:30 and had all that time to kill ... so sat in my car and tried to do my writing homework for this Saturday's session. Somehow it just wasn't happening ...

Once I start to think about something (especially something creative) and deliberately apply structure or effort to it, it just doesn't seem to flow that easily (if at all). I'm not a structured person when it comes to creativity. I'm good at what our workshop tutor refers to as 'the vomit' - the first thing that comes out. It's the cleaning up process (where the vomit becomes something that others can eat) that I need to consciously work at.