The suitcase is unpacked and the laundry is done. However, days after returning from Viable Paradise, I am still unpacking new ideas and new solutions to writing problems. I had several ah-ha moments all week, but with a little time and distance, more cogs are clicking into place. I know how to fix the problems in my submission work and I know I have the tools to grow and improve.
The camaraderie and support from my fellow writing students was amazing. I am so impressed by the talent and dedication of my VP XVI class. One of the bonus gifts of Viable Paradise is the contacts you make and the friendships that ill grow and develop in the months and years to come.
I still have a hard time explaining all of this to family and friends. This was a transforming experience and it wasn't any specific moment, it was the sum of all the experiences. They set up the workshop to let us absorb as much as possible from the instructors and our classmates. We had a challenging writing assignments and we all met that challenge in the most impressive way. I look forward to seeing some of those stories published .
One of the instructors asked me if I found the critiquing part devastating. I said no. Here is why. As an engineer, I am used to what we refer to as a 'cold eyes review'. Put emphasis on the 'cold' part. When you are dealing with high-dollar or high-risk technical projects, nothing is left to chance. When a group of ice cold engineers tell me to check my calculations, I will check them. I will probably check them twice. If my calculations are wrong, a million dollar piece of mining equipment might turn into scrap. People frown on this. Bosses fire people for this. I would be ever grateful to my colleagues if they helped me avoid a career killing mistake. Likewise, I am grateful for the criticism that can help me make my work better. The good news -- I know how to solve all of the problems pointed out and I know how to carry those ideas through in revising the entire thing. The story will be a stronger for it. And for that I am grateful.
