I began writing fiction in the Fall of 2014. In February 2015, I took an opportunity to go to a four-day Haven Writing Retreat in Whitefish, Montana. The retreat sounded fun, a little scary, adventurous, and it might just help me successfully compose more than an email. The retreat was in a yoga center tucked into the mountains of the Flathead Valley. I didn’t see telephone lines or hear airplanes.
Flathead Valley, Whitefish, Montana
The author Laura Munson led ten participants in creativity discussions and writing prompts. After each writing exercise, attendees had to read their words aloud to the group. No one was allowed to give feedback, though thank yous could be extended. It was a little terrifying at first, but also thrilling. I didn’t care how others regarded my retreat writing. It was the first time I felt witnessed. One of the exercises was to write a poem. I prefer poetry dressed up as lyrics riding shotgun with chords and crescendos. Time was ticking down, and I wrote whatever flew into my mind. I liked my poem, and then I forgot about it.
Over the next months, I kept showing up learning how to write a novel. Words made up sentences stacked into paragraphs and scenes and became Louise’s story, formally called Leaving Ordinary. From chapter one, Louise felt familiar. After the first draft was complete, I was, for whatever reason, digging in my Haven Retreat paperwork and came across the poem I wrote. While reading it, the hair on my forearms rose, and I curled over the words. The poem was Leaving Ordinary’s last scene. Louise had introduced herself and then waited until I was ready.