Greetings From My Happy Place

It's too bad this is a work trip and not a vacation

The Inn at Otter Rock- my home for the next week. No, the Oregon Coast doesn’t suck.

Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out all the wrong words.

• Mark Twain

I reached my destination just south of Depoe Bay, OR, at about 3:30 pm today. It was a blustery late October afternoon on the Oregon Coast- but there was one thing conspicuously absent- rain. As in there was none to be found anywhere- unusual in late October.

It was a singularly glorious day- sun-kissed and blustery, the sort of beautiful day that’s a rare gem on the central Oregon Coast this time of year. The good news is that tomorrow AND Sunday are supposed to be carbon copies.

The view from my balcony. No, it’s absolutely NOT a distraction.

The “problem” with that weather forecast is that as excited as I am to see some sunshine, I’m here to work…and work I will. Until late next Thursday, I plan to work on my upcoming book, tentatively titled It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time.

Yes, I’d love to walk on the beach, curl up with a good book, and enjoy some relaxation time in my happy place (I LOVE the beach).

But, alas, this is a business trip, not a vacation. If all goes according to plan, I will be holed up in my hotel room, with soccer games on television for background noise, as I (figuratively) make the donuts.

So while I’ll still be posting here next week, the vast majority of my efforts will be going into the essays for my book, which I hope to have ready to roll out in late spring or early summer 2022.

By the time I leave here sometime late Thursday, I hope to have at least the skeletal outline of what my book will look like. There’s a lot of screen time between where I am now and that point, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I was close enough to commit myself to a monk-like existence for a week.

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Remember, being a starved artist isn’t nearly as glamorous as it’s made out to be.