At this colony which accomodates visual artists and composers as well as writers, the fellows are each given individual bedrooms as well as a separate studio for working. Meals are provided, but nobody is expected or required to eat. Lunch is dropped off in a nearby kitchen, but nobody knocks on your door to announce that it is ready lest some precious creative moment be interrupted. Fellows know never to disturb one another without permission. Each one of us is allowed to fall into our own creative rhythm. Some fellows work all night and sleep all day. Some maintain office hours the way our compatriots in "normal" professions do. I find my schedule changes from day to day. In the beginning, I wonder what I'm doing, I wonder how I possibly imagined I could write for a whole day. My mind chatters. Characters and plots elude me. But slowly, I pull away from the outside world and each morning I drop into the world of the book more quickly and I am able to live with my characters a little longer. By the end of my three week stay, if it is anything like my previous experiences, the universe I'm creating will seem real while the outside, everyday world will feel foreign and strange. Crossing from one to the other also requires a certain period of adjustment.

Please visit the News and Events page on my website to hear my other exciting news. For the teachers among you, I continue to be interested in your thoughts on how to make the website work better for you as a teaching tool either in or outside of the classroom. You can post your ideas on the guestbook at my website or e-mail me directly at winthrop@absolute-sway.com.

I wish you all a healthy and inspiration filled fall.

Elizabeth Winthrop