Danger Is My Business

To say today was back to normal, would be to understate what a positive day it turned out to be. The morning and afternoon was normal for me–I continued to plug away at my new screenplay first draft and realized my television pilot needed to be completely restructured. I then began the process of pulling it apart for reassembly. All of that went well, but the real excitement occurred before dinner, which was called “the music soiree”

In the past, there have been musicians who have joined this residency primarily to focus on their composing and performance. We are all visual artists and writers, but it was clear that several of us also possess strong musical talent. It wasn’t simply people with musical skill performing some of their favorite covers–most of the music presented was original.

We began with Jill, a splendid visual artist who evidently has a history as a rock n roll grrrl. Playing guitar and ukele, she sang three songs including two originals. She is a powerhouse. Jill as then joined by Bridget and Sommer for a beautiful cover of an Amy Winehouse song.

Next up was Anandi, performing some of her original raps as Lil Stixxx (I am told she can be found on something called “Spotify.”). She went downstairs into the costume closet and selected a costume and a look. She performed with great confidence and intensity, and like all good raps, they got stuck in our heads. To put it mildly, her performance was something to behold.

Next to perform was Sapir, who sang an original song in Hebrew. She kindly shared copies of an English translation of her song, but it didn’t matter. Her emotional performance, sweet voice and the beautiful melody had most of us in tears. We may not have understood the words, but we knew exactly what she felt.

This was followed by our final duet, Alyssa and the return of Bridget. Like all of us, these two had only known each other a week, but their musical chemistry allowed them to write two songs together. Alyssa has been playing piano since she was five and had written piano chords she was unsure what to do with. She played them for Bridget, who wrote lyrics she could sing with the chords. The result was pure magic. After their songs, Alyssa sent us off to dinner with Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.”

The excitement at dinner was palpable–we all understood we had been part of something remarkable. Although the timing was a coincidence, after the stress of the previous day, this is exactly what we needed. During the performance, another summer thunderstorm swept through the valley, and we were left with a rainbow.

There could be nothing better.

To begin with, I will say that today was stressful. I am not going to go into details, other than to say a difficult situation arose, and the staff of the residency dealt with it.

As you can imagine, it was a bit less productive than usual for all of us. There was a certain amount of talking and processing throughout the day, which I believe was necessary and helpful. It also seemed to tighten the bond between the residents, which I think most of us appreciated.

I did get some writing done, and the writers had a really productive writers’ circle. All the members shared positivity, encouragement, and helpful feedback to improve the pieces of writing we examined. Even though our writing director, Suzy, was having some internet issues and disappeared from our screen multiple times, it was productive two hours. It’s always good when you have writers who not only know how to give feedback, but how to accept it. As someone who has struggled to learn the art of giving and receiving criticism, it is something I appreciate and respect. We have two more circles before the end of the residency. I am looking forward to all of them.

The residents decided, after the stress of the day, to have an art therapy session in the evening. This began with a guided mediation, followed by an opportunity to draw, sketch, or write. I opted for the latter, still using the journal I purchased last week at the art store. We shared some of our work, and talked about it, and I think most of us felt better at the end of our session.

The day ended with a rainstorm that swept through the valley. This felt like both a real and symbolic cleanse. It chased away the heat wave that has been our constant companion since our arrival last week. It also felt like a metaphor for letting go and refocusing. For the first time since I arrived in France, I actually felt cold. But the embrace all of the residents shared today was anything but.

Today, all but seven us took a field trip to the medieval town of Troyes. I had considered going on the trip, and it looks like the residents who attended had fun. However, I chose to stay and continue my work. The chateau was very quiet, which created an opportunity for me to do my laundry (I did not pack three weeks’ worth of clothes). I continue to write my first draft of “The Dinosaur Thief,” and also began a revision of a television pilot about a high school teacher with PTSD–something I know a bit about. The pilot is called “Secondary.”

This was by no means my quietest day as a writing resident. Back in 2021, I was a writer-in-residence at Trailwood, the home of nature writer Edwin Way Teale. Teale has been sometimes referred to as the “Thoreau of Connecticut,” and I spent an entire week living in his house on my own. Even though Trailwood is on the grounds of a Connecticut Audubon site, with beautiful walking trails, I saw no other human being. I did see a snake, though. Today’s sparse attendance did give me the opportunity to get to know a couple of the residents a bit better than I would have normally. When there are approximately 25 of us sharing meals, with studios and sleeping chambers spread out throughout the entire property, you don’t have an opportunity to get to know everyone. Happily, that wasn’t an issue today.

I did get a chance to spend time by the pond, hang out with Dusty (of course) and even encountered the largest fly I had ever seen. I named the fly “Al,” and in spite of how quiet the house was, at no point did I hear Al scream “Help me!” Some of you will get that reference. All in all, a quiet, productive and lovely day.

Today, we broke a bit from my protocol, because I did not do a revision between breakfast and lunch. Instead, Flora (one of our organizers at the chateau) took some of us on a morning hike. The hike was about three miles each way to a place called Cul de Cerf. The canyon at the Cul de Cerf to which we hiked has the best name ever: the Deer’s Butt. Supposedly, the shape and terrain of the canyon suggested to someone the shape of a deer, with the canyon opening near the road…the ass of the deer. I don’t see it myself:

Whether you see it or not, it was a lovely hike. It had thunderstormed the night before, so the air was cool in the morning, and most of the trail was covered by a tree canopy. So, while, it was hot and humid, we were spared the intense sunlight. When we got to the top of the trail, Flora informed us that her middle name was Mary Poppins and proved it when she popped open her backpack to reveal a pitcher of orange juice, two liters of bottled water, cups and snacks.

After the hike, it was shower time, then lunch time, and then I decided to begin the first draft of a new feature. It’s called “The Dinosaur Thief,” and as the name suggests, it’s about the protagonist stealing a dinosaur. I decided to hand write this first draft, that way I could get away from my computer screen for a bit, and notebooks are very portable. And unlike laptops, if you drop your notebook on the ground, it’s not the end of the world. I also did a revision on a screenplay entitled “Leviathan,” (back on the laptop) so I managed to stick to my protocol.

After dinner, I did something I rarely do: participated in a magic ritual. Tilly, one of our Australian writers, wanted to celebrate the new moon with a manifestation and a tarot reading, and invited anyone to join her. The participants wrote down what we wanted manifested in our future and left our writings on the windowsill under a glass of water and a sprig of lavender. In the morning, we drank the water and kept our written responses in a safe place. For my tarot reading, we used a set of cards aligned with various herbs, a set I had never before seen. I picked up yarrow, which was pleasantly aligned with a white heron. The fun part about that is that my neighbors in Old Saybrook, Connecticut are egrets, swans and herons. So that was fun.

Those of you that know me are acutely aware that this is not the sort of the thing I would normally be inclined to do. But it was fun, it deepened the bonding between myself and several of my residents, and there are certainly worse things than thinking positively about the future. I am very glad I did it.

Another hot day, another productive day of writing. I did a revision on a feature screenplay (entitled “Ravine”) and composed a new ten-minute play. The new play is a commentary on tidying influencers, and the passionate disagreements these influencers can have about the most valid tidying philosophy. It struck me as rife for a bit of theatrical satire–because let’s face it: who cares? –so I completed the first draft.

Then I had time for an afternoon walk. Yes, it was warm, but I can’t be sedentary all the time. So, I headed out into the hot afternoon sun and did a circuit around the grounds: this involves the pond, the boathouse, the vineyards, before circling back to the chateau. The Eurasian Koots would serenade me as I pass them in the pond, and there were some other lovely sights:

After my walk, and dinner, it was story time in the salon. Jacob, a disgustingly talented writer-artist, wanted to share his project with us, which involved him reading a couple of the stories from his collection, and then a tour of his artist’s studio to see the illustrations he was creating for the project. I enjoyed his magical, spiritual stories–they struck me as the sort of stories Rod Serling might write if he were around today. And the artwork he was preparing was very strong–clear, distinctive pencils and inks. I sincerely hope he is able to get his collection published, because there is no shortage of talent and passion in the man.

After seeing Jacob’s art, I headed back to the chateau, accompanied by the redoubtable Emory. I had yet to see what the chateau entrance looked like at night, and I was able to take a photograph of the entrance lit up. It looks to no one’s surprise, magical.

I continued with my protocol of a revision in the morning and a new piece in the afternoon. However, the day had a bit more going on than just that. To begin with, I woke up thinking about a piece of writing I hadn’t thought about in thirty years: a children’s book I wrote when I was a college student. I think it came about because a former student has written a comment in response to a recent post about my beginning as a writer. I mentioned that I had always wanted to write, but it took years before I wrote something that I didn’t actually hate. The children’s book fell into that category–I had sent it to a book publisher, who rejected it, so naturally I thought it sucked. I woke up wondering, “Did it actually suck?”

Then the question became: do I still have a copy anywhere? After a tedious search through Dropbox, I found it under a name that had no connection to the actual story. I read it and discovered…it didn’t really suck. It had some awkward passages, and no real ending, so I decided to work on it and address those problems. By lunchtime, I was pretty happy with the result, and delighted to have rescued it from the archives.

After lunch, I joined Madison and Tilly for a dip into the swimming hole, which is adjacent to the pond we look out at from the front of the chateau. The pond is shallow, and is populated by ducks, Eurasian Coots, muskrat, and by some accounts, a kraken. The swimming hole is deep and only filled with humans who choose to immerse themselves in the cool waters. Given that we were in the midst of a heat wave it was a welcome sojourn.

After being in the water, I returned to the chateau and created a new piece–my second five-minute play. After the completion of this first draft, I stopped by Nick’s studio, who had invited me to check out his study in swans. His original plan was to draw the two swans that lived in the pond–but both were relocated to a more remote body of water, as the male swan had become aggressive. Fortunately for Nick, the chateau lent him a taxidermy swan that would essentially be his model. He is doing lovely pencil and ink work in his study, and I am excited what the final produce will be when he begins to weave in color. On the walk back, I visited the lavender garden outside the studios in the old horse stable. It smelled amazing!

After dinner, several of us began an unexpected project: collaborate to help a blackbird fledgling that apparently ended up outside its nest. We weren’t sure quite what to do with it–there didn’t seem to be a wildlife rescue nearby, but we were concerned because it couldn’t yet fly. Some research revealed that the fledgling blackbirds spend time on the ground learning how to forage and fly, most often under the watchful eye of the parents, keeping a safe distance. So, we decided to return it to where it was found, providing some water and shelter for protection. Once we released it, it jumped into the safety of the high grass and an inspection the following morning showed no signs of avian distress. There was half a dozen of us working together on the “blackbird problem.” This is what happens when you put sensitive, artistic types together in one place. This is how they might just spend their evening.

It’s been hot, but we’re about four days in, and things couldn’t be much better.

Without realizing it, I established a protocol for myself, and I employed it again today. Wake up, shower, have breakfast (did I mention I have had pain de chocolat every day? I have!), and do a revision in the morning, working until lunch. After lunch work on a new creation until dinner. Be social after dinner, then head up to my desk and write my nightly blog post.

The protocol was disrupted slightly when I accidentally stepped on a bee in my room. I am slightly allergic (not EpiPen allergic, happily) so some swiftly applied ointment, a band aid, and some Allegra kept things under control. I think the bee was dying already–there was a reason it was on the floor. However, it didn’t go without a fight.

With that sorted, I started on my morning revision: my feature screenplay, “Ashes.” I had some feedback from contests in which it had placed, and I wanted to carefully absorb the feedback and use it to improve the script. Although some of the notes made little sense–sometimes I think reviewers are annoyed you didn’t write the script they thought you should–most of it was helpful, and I feel the script is now better.

After lunch, it was time for a new creation. A couple of years ago, someone in my neighborhood in Connecticut posted this on a telephone pole:

I don’t know why or whom it was for. I took a picture because I knew there was a story here. I didn’t know what it was, but I hung on to the photo until I found it. I did today–and turned it into a ten-minute play.

Before dinner, I visited the wine cave for some non-alcoholic beer (quite good), another delicious bag of Tyrell’s potato chips (which did not last as long as I had hoped) and a bag of peanuts to snack on over the next few days. We had our usual delicious dinner (the sauteed asparagus in particular was so good) and I joined some residents for another writing share. This time, Sommer and Tilly read the two short plays I had recently written and were kindly enthusiastic about them. Then Hannah G. and Ambrose joined us, and we had a lovely chat about writing and religion and even took turns reading from a poetry book that Sommer had brought. She purchased it thinking it was written by an Australian; turns out the poet was from Texas.

In the midst of everything else done today, I found time to reread one of my favorite plays: “Inherit the Wind.” I love reading new plays; I also enjoy rereading some of my favorites, because I love the experience of having the familiar language knocking around my head while I am in the writing zone. It helps lubricate things. After I finished the play, I donated it to the chateau library. It’s not a huge library, but what it may lack in quantity it makes up for in quality.

And it’s very cozy.

Today was the second full day, and the first to require few commitments to our program. The only thing on the agenda outside of individual writing and studio time was a French lesson from Lea, the delightful co-organizer of our residency. I did consider taking the class, because my French is awful and Lea’s very nice. But I was anxious to dig into my writing–indeed, that was the reason I came!

After breakfast, I hunkered down. I had brought a list of things I wanted to work on, in addition to an accordion file containing story ideas, notes for revisions, and play and poetry books for inspiration. First, I organized my list and made sure everything I wanted to work on was accounted for. Then, I did a revision on my short film script (which I am hoping to produce next year), and a one act play I realized needed some work. That was a good start, and I was happy to have those two pieces sorted. But I came here to be inspired and create some new works, and it was time I did so.

For a number of years, I have been intrigued by the idea that a side effect of prednisone is “inappropriate happiness.” (I’m serious–check your label.) I have known that I wanted that as a title for a play, but I didn’t know what the story would be. Using my brand new Orquevaux journal, I wrote down some ideas, and by the end of the day had the first draft of a five-minute play with that title. Ernest Thompson has emphasized to me the importance of the five-minute play; it’s a format I’ve wanted to explore more deeply.

After dinner, several of us gathered in the salon to share our poetry. It was myself, Emory, and two of the Australian writers: Tilly and Alyssa. It was a real joy reading and sharing everyone’s work, and they are all just the loveliest people. There are so many reasons to feel grateful to be in this place–the quality of the people might just be the most important one.

All in all, it was a splendid day, then Dusty the cat decided he would spend the night. As you can see, he is an adorable cat. Sharing the bed with him was just fine until about 4am, when Dusty decided that I was encroaching too far onto his pillow, and began swatting at my head. So, I rolled away. I didn’t mind–after all, at Orquevaux, its Dusty’s world, and we’re just living in it.

Waking up for the first time in Orquevaux, the excitement was palpable. We had our first breakfast together, and then it was time for our proper tour. We were given a full tour of the entire building, including the top floor studios, the basement wine cave, and a brief history of the structure. It was the “small” castle in town, as the family that built it created it as essentially the hunting lodge, a complement to the “main” castle in town. This is why there are several tapestries in the building illustrating the theme of hunting.

The tapestries are also some of the last few pieces of art that predate the second world war. The chateau was occupied by the Nazis and when they fled at the end of the war, they did what the Nazis usually did: they took as much artwork as they could. The tapestries were left behind, likely too large and cumbersome for pillaging whilst retreating. Much of the other artwork on display was created during the Covid shutdown period. During the shutdown, the artists in residence were forced to stay longer than anticipated (something we all agree would be just terrible); to pay back the chateau for putting the artists up for an unexpected extension, the artists agreed to create works to display in the building. Thus, the decor is a lovely combination of 20th and 21st century works.

After the building tour, we visited other parts of the grounds, including the old horse stables that have been turned into beautiful artist studios, and we also went into the village (population: 58) where there are a number of buildings owned by the chateau–primarily living spaces, more studios, and the art store.

The art store is small but well-supplied. The only items of use to a writer were blank journals and pens. I am not in need of either, but I picked one of each up all the same. The store is only open for a half an hour each day but has the distinction of being the only retail store in France open seven days a week.

After the tour, and our lunch, the artists embedded themselves in their studios whilst the writers met with our writing director, Suzi Q. Smith. I had known that Suzi would be joining us, but I thought it would be in person. Instead, she joined us on Zoom from Denver, Colorado. She met with the writing cadre, and we all spent a bit of time getting to know each other better. Suzi outlined how the writing cadre would be meeting with a few times, how we would share our work, and how we would support each other. I am excited to not only work on my creations, but I am equally looking forward to collaborating with my fellow writers.

Following the writers meeting, all of us (writers and artists alike) met to share “Who Am I As an Artist.” Each of us were given three minutes each to introduce ourselves and answer that question that best way we could. It was a real opportunity to listen to each other’s stories, to hear about the work each resident does, what inspires them, and what brought them here. It is a very interesting, passionate, talented group, and I am lucky to be sharing this space with them all.

Before dinner, I visited the wine cave, which, unsurprisingly, sells wine, salty and sweet snacks from around Europe and the U.K. It also sells toiletries, in case you discover late in the residency that you didn’t pack quite enough toothpaste. I bought a non-alcoholic chardonnay and a bag of Tyrell’s Cheese and Rosemary kettle cooked potato chips. I enjoyed them both.

Tomorrow will be the first full day where I will have large blocks of time to work on my writing. I am looking forward to having the opportunity and space to do so. I’ll be back tomorrow to tell you that part of the story.

After a good night’s sleep in my hotel room, I gathered my luggage and taxied to the Gare de L’est train station to catch the 1:21 train to Chaumont. We were told to wait near Paul’s Cafe, as the trains to Chaumont would be at the nearby gates. Slowly, the residents traveling on the train begin to assemble. It was very hot in the train station (just like everywhere in Paris), and thus a bit uncomfortable, but it didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits. We spent some time getting to know each other as we waited for the announcement. Near 1pm, we learned our train was on platform nine. By then, there were 24 of us!

The ride was a quiet and gentle one, and there were three other residents in my carriage: Sharon from Toronto, Sommer from Australia, and Anandi from Virginia. There was some chatting, but mostly we sat in silence. That was the energy in the car, and I think we all responded to it. There were only two stops–after nearly two hours we stopped in Saint Dizier. Forty minutes later, we arrived in Chaumont.

We did have a rather special traveler with us:

We arrived in Chaumont, greeted by staff members from the Chateau. They did a roll call, tagged our luggage, organized our bags into a trailer, and herded all 24 of us into three minivans.

The Chateau staff organizing us for the trip to Orquevaux.

We then headed to Orquevaux for the 45-minute ride to the chateau. It was very exciting to see it from the road–we had all seen it countless times on the website. But here it was in real life!

We were greeted with champagne, cheese and charcuterie. Warmly welcomed by the staff, we were given a brief orientation, but the employees were careful not to overload us with too much information. It had been a hot day; we had been traveling and many of us were jet-lagged. After the initial welcome, the employees took us to our rooms; we would be shown our studios and salons tomorrow. Lea led us upstairs (and we discovered our luggage had already been brought up) and directed us each to our rooms. I was elated to discover mine:

After settling in and unpacking, we headed back downstairs for dinner: vegetarian shepherd’s pie, with potatoes, green beans, salad and chocolate mousse for dessert. The dinner was delicious and we spent time connecting even more. After dinner, I took a walk with Emory, a writer and English teacher from Brooklyn, and by all accounts a first-class dude. We encountered many of the animal residents of Orquevaux.

All in all, it was a full day! I am excited about the creative energy brought by my fellow residents (there are over 25 of us) along with the inspiration from this beautiful place. And I am so grateful for the time to create. I cannot wait to discover what awaits us all the next three weeks.