Writing Residencies: A Chance to Write in One's Best Hours

One of the worst things about aging is the inevitable accumulation of responsibilities. That's particularly bad for a writer, who's inclined to not want any responsibilities at all, other than drifting through the vagaries of a tale that must be told.


It's in such a state that I live. I used to structure my life so that I wrote in my best hours, but now I tend to write in my worst hours, after the kids have gone to bed, after I've paid bills, after a couple of glasses of wine, when most sane people are reclining on a couch and watching Downton Abbey.

I try to crowd in my writing, but life tends to crowd out the imagination with muscular, pugnacious insistence. Which is why I started to dream about going to a writers residency in order to truly dream.

I just published an article in the March/April 2012 issue of Poets & Writers to guide writers seeking the idylls of simple peace and quiet: Applying to a Writers Residency: An Expert Breakdown of the Requirements.

I'm too busy to attend a residency this year, but I have hopes for next year. At least now I know the in's and out's of it all.