A European writing residency. Sounds exotic, right?
In many ways, it is. Six weeks to unplug from the never-ending noise of the internet. Holed up in a tiny town in the Portuguese high desert. My own studio to live, work, and create create create.
Not to mention opportunities to make friends from all over the world, experience a place like a local, and see bits of landscape many tourists miss.
In order to help readers experience the highs and lows of residency life, I have compiled an official Writing Residency Job Description.
I’ll post daily updates here regarding words vomited, eccentric encounters, and awesome finds. I hope readers will be excited about my upcoming novel and interested in the roller coaster of making a book. Vicarious travel is a great way to experience something foreign without commitment.
So first: THIS WAS ME AFTER MTM DROPPED ME AT THE AIRPORT. YES, I’M CRYING. I almost always cry upon leaving MTM. Still. After sixteen years together. I can’t get enough of him.
My residency horoscope from the Chicago Sun Times.
Most of it is eerily accurate.
Writing Residency Job Description
Objective: Six weeks to produce a draft of a new novel
Word Count Goal: 20,000 words per week
Resident Responsibilities:
1. Get along with residents from all over the world.
Ever lived in a dorm? Well, residencies are dorm living. Shared bathroom and kitchen facilities. One shelf in a cabinet and one in a mini-fridge for food storage. If five or six residents are on site, negotiate when to shower and use the kitchen.
2. Present my work and support other residents.
Most residencies have a public-facing component to educate the locality on what residents do. I am speaking in area English classes. Rural Portuguese students need opportunities to converse with a native-English speaker. For six weeks, that’s ME!
3. Collaborate with resident faculty.
My Portuguese residency is collaborative. I am expected to go to the directors to talk through plot challenges and ideas. They give immediate feedback on my work.
4. Demonstrate that I’m actually working.
All residencies have rules. In Portugal, I am expected to show my work to the coordinators and discuss it with them, meaning I will have to MAKE SOMETHING. If I come to my first session with nothing because I spent my time sightseeing, I may be asked to leave.
5. Interface with the local community.
Residents are encouraged to frequent local shops and establish visible routines. Residencies tend to be in tiny villages. Shopkeepers rely on us for part of their livelihoods. This aspect will be especially challenging for me in Portugal, as bom dia is the extent of my Portuguese.
6. Keep my studio and common areas clean.
Residents are expected to clean up after themselves. We act as de facto janitors. Most programs don’t have substantial budgets. They rely on us to keep things in shape for future occupants. I won’t be staying in a hotel with daily maid and turn-down service. Temperatures have been in the 90s this week, and I won’t have air conditioning. I accept these living conditions for a chunk of time to create in Europe.
7. Fill my creative tank.
Residencies are a quiet place to disconnect from my routine and create. I’ll post pretty pictures and see as much of Portugal as I can. In the past, I’ve focused on the travel aspect, because I think the process of writing is boring to outsiders. On this trip, I’m determined to provide a detailed view of residency life, even if it’s a billion pictures of me hunched over a laptop or journal crying my eyes out.
8. Be flexible.
Did I mention residencies are like dorm living? So when two fellow residents get drunk and have sex with their door open at 2am, I have a front-row seat for all the action. (Actually, I put a pillow over my head and tried to sleep through it.) When a resident isn’t friendly, it’s my job to respect the boundaries they set. I’ve been shunned on a residency for being American. I once shared space with a guy who had anger management issues. Residencies are made up of a diverse group of people. This uncertain cocktail makes me more creative.
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3 Comments
I’m pleasantly envious. I think the concentration and focus you’ll require and acquire will offset your moments of loneliness and frustration. Your intrinsic ability to put yourself out there, take those risks, and accept what comes is both admirable and inspiring. Write on!
First, drive on! To the market.
And thank you. I haven’t felt either inspiring or inspired in a while. I’m getting there.
I hope I can remember it all when it’s nessesary… ???
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