Dreaming of my own little writing hut

with a little work, maybe...Ever since learning about Laurie Halse Anderson's beautiful writing cottage, I've dreamed about having my own little separate place for writing. It doesn't have to be big, and it can be all of ten feet away from my house. What I want is the chance to physically step away from everything that isn't about creating--even if it's only fifteen steps.

Don't get me wrong; I know how lucky I am to have my own writing space, with a door. But a girl can dream of more. 

I'd have an enormously long desk in my writing hut, built into a wall--at least ten feet long, and deep, with lots of room to spread out marked-up pages and manuscript. There would be plenty of light, but it would be cozy, too. Ideally there'd be a fireplace--realistically it would be gas, or even just a little fake one that lights up and doesn't warm anything else up. I would cover one wall in whiteboard paint (like IdeaPaint) so I could scrawl all my ideas and not have to keep photographing and erasing when new ones bubble up. And of course there would be bookcases, tucked into every free place. 

My creative friend Jennifer Byrne, of live.create.play, recently told me about two places that sell free-standing artist studios. Summerwood offers kits and floorplans of gorgeous permanent studios. Or go to Tumbleweed Tiny House Company and get your own studio (or entire home!) on wheels. 

If you get one, can I come visit? Just for a week or two...

Places to take your kid: Walt Disney World's Art of Animation family suites

the Cozy Cone poolWe are an unabashed Disney family, and we've stayed in our fair share of Disney resorts over the years. But our most recent stay at one of their newest resorts left us especially impressed.

And before I go any further, no, Disney didn't ask me to write this review, and they didn't pay me anything for it!

We spent a long weekend at the Cars part of the Art of Animation resort. Orlando folks will know this as the resort near Pop Century that sat for a long time, with one building started but not finished. Well, it's done and it's so much fun. Of course Disney is all about families, but this resort seems to get it especially right. Our "family suite" had a living room with a full-out sofa, a good-sized separate table, and two bathrooms. We grownups had our own bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, and then our kid got to sleep on the pull-down bed that sits on top of the dining table (so, each family suite has 3 beds). The dining pull-down bed revealed a cute picture of Mater sleeping, and a nightlight on a dimmer that was built into the headboard. So clever, Disney. And our kid loved it. 

The "Cars" room decor and resort decor were so much fun, too. I wanted to steal the couch that was made to look like it came out of a 1950s car, and the traffic-cone lights were surprisingly homey. The bathrooms were full of polished chrome and cute car references. And the pool was a hoot. Large traffic cones surrounded it, big enough to have lounge chairs tucked inside each one. Fans of the movie Cars will love getting to swim at the "Cozy Cone" pool. 

Two other things really put this resort on my "top 3" list for WDW: the cafeteria (or "quick service", as Disney would call it) and the arcade. The cafeteria was enormous and had plenty of healthy and sophisticated offerings, plus more standard kid fare. My favorite meal was an Indian-seasoned tilapia with naan and a tomato salad. And the arcade was a blast. Typically I roll my eyes and sigh when my boy wants to go to the hotel arcade, but this place had it all figured out. We used (relatively affordable) Wreck It Ralph swipe cards to pay for the games, and the prizes you got weren't so bad, actually. Every single game was family friendly--no gory shoot-em-ups--and in perfect working order. Let's hope it all stays that way as the resort ages. Also, they had seating right by the single entrance/exit, so you could relax and wait for your kid if you didn't want to play. 

Likely this isn't the very cheapest resort you will be able to book at Disney, but it's definitely nowhere near the most expensive either. I'd recommend it to a family of three or four who wants to stay on property, doesn't mind being on the buses (instead of the monorail), and wants to have a resort with a lot of fun things to do. 

5 recipes I want to try

Yes, this week I am being pampered and fed incredible meals on retreat, but it's back to reality next week. Which means cooking. 

Maybe I'll try one of these recipes and it won't be SO painful heading back to the kitchen:

-- Appalachian Apple Stack Cake. I ran across this recipe while researching the novel I've just finished up. It's elaborate enough to get me into some trouble, but that's half the fun, no?

--Clearly I'm obsessing with many-layered cakes because I also want to try Maryland's official dessert, the Smith Island Cake. Maybe this is an excuse for a good weekend trip...

--When we went to Colonial Willamsburg (details about our trip here), we had the most delicious corn chowder for lunch at one of their taverns. It's been months and I still want to try their recipe.

--I flipped for Ahi Poke when we went to Hawaii. Still haven't tried making it, but it actually looks pretty easy. I just need to figure out where to get really great raw tuna.

--It would be fun to actually make the infamous raspberry cordial from my all-time favorite novel, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. Although even more fun to compare it with the Currant Wine that Diana accidentally had!

Readers, what are you cooking up next?

5 things I'm glad Mom taught me

baking for reals with MomHappy Mother's Day Mom, a few days early. Here are five things I'm sure glad you taught me:

• There's magic in the world--and it's our job to help make magic for others. You gave me Santa and the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. And when I stopped believing in those, you taught me to make that magic for others--starting with my little sister, who still believed. That lesson has extended into my whole life: friendships, motherhood, and writing. Always try to make a little magic for someone else.
• It doesn't hurt THAT much. Sure, it's no fun having gravel pulled out of your knee or stepping on a wasp or breaking up with your boyfriend. But once it's cleaned up and taken care of, aren't you OK? Did it really hurt THAT much? Or as my mother's father always said, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger (hmmm does Kelly Clarkson owe us some royalties?)
• Go outside and play. You took me on bike rides and walks and to the family cabin every summer. To this day I'm not really happy unless I've spent some quality outside time on any given day.
• Forget the Easy Bake oven. Go big. I begged my mother for an Easy Bake oven but she didn't give in. Instead she taught me to bake with a REAL oven. My mother taught me not to go halfway on things. If you want something, don't settle for the substitute.
• Turn your library books in on time. Fine--I'm kidding on that one. I'm sure you did try to teach me this. It just never stuck. Ask the Salem Library. And the Boston Public Library. And the Weymouth Library. And the Orange County Library. And... OK, I'd better stop. I don't want to ruin your mother's day with a call from library debtors' prison.

Why retreats matter

at Kindling Words West 2011On Sunday I'll be flying to New Mexico for the Kindling Words West retreat. I can't wait.

Retreats have always been an important part of my writing. When I lived in Florida, I went on a few with writing friends--to the beach and to a cabin in the woods. My critique partner and I have had our own cabin and house retreats, too. And then there is Kindling Words, which I can't recommend highly enough. 

I like retreats for a few reasons. The first is that I typically get a ton of work done. I revised an entire draft of DROUGHT at Kindling Words West, one year. But even more important is the chance to talk about craft and life and creativity with other writers. We are so often stuck in our own little holes, without face-to-face contact with other people who are the same flavor of crazy. Social media helps, but you can't beat sitting down to dinner with four other authors. We don't always "talk shop"--we might talk about someone's chickens, or our favorite television shows, or the best places to hike. But there is always an undercurrent of understanding and belonging. At retreats, I get to hang with my tribe. That nourishes me.

Retreats also give me the chance to be entirely my creative self. I don't have to wear my work hat, or my mommy hat (thought I miss my kid tremendously), or worry about any other Grownup Necessity. I can play. I can be the same core self I've been since I was five or six. Sometimes I forget that girl is in there. 

But a retreat always brings her back. 

I'll be sure to post a retreat report upon my return.