Words in the Woods
What is it about the woods and creativity? A little fresh air, a night under the stars, and a pen in hand was just the thing I needed this weekend. I took my first trip up to Anderson Valley on my first ever writing retreat at Hendy Woods.
To break the ice among 11 strangers, we immediately set out on a hike to get the creative juices going and get acquainted. We passed these lean to’s where the famed Hendy Hermit lived in the woods undisturbed for 18 years.
I wonder if he was a writer?
Following the trail through the old growth redwoods, I marveled at the stretch of clover on the forest floor.
Back at the camp, a fellow writer and camping virgin helped start the fire. She did a great job!
We worked on 8 different prompts, one of them being to build a story around a magazine picture.
The coordinators brought ample “nature themed” reading material to keep us inspired. Of course I immediately picked up Little House in the Big Woods.
We found some bear poop less than a mile away. Actually, we found it after dark during a night hike, but then came back the next day to verify because the rest thought it was just us writers embellishing the truth.
Next time, Jack London State Park!
