It’s a good thing I only drove 45 minutes from home to dive into my first writers’ colony experience, because last night I had to drive home for a mandatory parent meeting at my son’s school. I might have been able to beg off, but decided it probably wasn’t going to endanger my progress enough to do that.

Also, it meant I could make sure that the dog was still alive and have dinner with my boys. (check and check)

I did feel a little distracted yesterday, though, knowing that in the afternoon I’d have to close up shop and run home. I think it kept me from losing track of time, as I did Monday and have done today.

Overall, I am pleased at how quickly I have been able to buckle down and get to work this week. A friend who is also staying here this week asked if I wanted to go out and find some lunch yesterday, but I stayed in my room, happy to munch on cheese and deli meat and a protein bar.

Since I was distracted, I spent time yesterday working on research topics. My novel is set in Missouri in the 1930s, and it starts off with my protagonist driving through a dust-bowl landscape. Since she is headed for Utah, a reader asked if it’s accurate for her to see houses covered with dust, since she’d technically not need to go through Oklahoma. I was pleased to find that I was right in my belief that western Kansas was as hammered as Oklahoma in the mid-30s, and even found photos that mimic the scene that my character describes!

I also collected some photos of people that I plan to print and put on an inspiration board to help me “see” my characters as I write.

More decisions were made about the location where my story is set. I wanted it to be in Missouri, but have specific geographic needs and wanted to be sure that the people I have in my story make sense as citizens of the town they live in. I chose a small town called Fulton, west of St. Louis in Callaway County. As I read about the town’s origins, I discovered details that perfectly mesh with my storyline. Crazy, right?

Today, day three at Dairy Hollow, I’ve been trying to make a short story I’m working on come together. I have some parts written (I seem to write in disconnected scenes when I begin). I have put a tentative timeline on paper, and am trying to figure out some motivations. Once I get this laid out, then I just have to write the scenes that make it all cohesive. I have no idea how other fiction writers work, but this seems to be my method so far. I’d love to hear what works for others!

Okay, enough distraction. Going to throw some cheese and crackers on a plate and get back to it.