And back to blogging, though I didn’t realize it has been a month since my last blog post.
I recently returned from a wonderful, real, two-week vacation. The first week was spent at UW-Madison at the Writer-by-the-Lake retreat. I took a course in Flash Fiction, which turned out to be quite a challenge, very entertaining and fun. I discovered that I’ve spent far too much time thinking analytically and writing critically. Guess that’s expected since, well, it is my job. Having been immersed in that for so long it was really refreshing to be forced to write in a very different style, tone and on non-legal and non-technology topics. The initial challenge was turning off that analytic and critical part, but I quickly found out I was not the only one with that struggle. Most of my classmates, indeed most of the retreat attendees, had the same problem. A number of them stated they return to the retreat every year just so there is a week where they can write creatively because work is so analytical and critical all of the time.
There were a number of different courses to choose, and I picked Flash Fiction as it sounded the most interesting to me. The goal is to convey a complete story in about 500 words, but no more than 750. We had to submit a piece for workshop, and “Nothing Broken” is what ended up coming out of the retreat for me.
We also read a number of examples, discussed what counted as a story, reviewed plot, point of view, character development and basically the elements of a story. It wasn’t new information for me, but it was a good reminder. Some are far more crafty and can convey a story in 6 words. The most famous is from Ernest Hemingway:
For Sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.
While writing Flash Fiction was certainly a challenge, what I found most fascinating was the different assumptions we all brought to the table, and how, as a writer, the choices you make can lead the reader down a certain path of assumptions yet leave the conclusion open-ended.
Just the six work story. What do you think it means? Most of us assumed the baby died. Others, however, thought the parents were just rich, had too many baby shoes and this particular pair were just never worn. A couple thought of course you’ll sell baby shoes. Babies don’t wear baby shoes!
Absolutely fascinating. Already looking forward to next year!
The second week was spent with friends and family. It turned out to be much busier than I intended, but it was all fun stuff. Caught a Cubs game at Miller Park in Milwaukee. That was awesome. Went with a some friends and had a fantastic night at the ballpark. It felt really good to keep score!
I took advantage of the press pass I was issued and went to the first day of http://techweek.com/chicago/” target=”_blank”>TechWeek Chicago. It is really fantastic to see such growth in the #chicago #startup community the last two years. It’s practically exploded since I moved, and now it’s being anchored by Motorola Mobility, a Google Company. I finally saw the 1871 #startup and coworking space, which is just fantastic! Bright, open office space just buzzing with #entrepreneur activity. People gathered around tables, moving in and out of the coffee shop, just buzzing with chatter and activity. Some really cools things going on there, which is really exciting.
Just about every #startup at the conference was also hiring, for everything. Designers. Developers. Writers. Marketers. Sales. You name it, there was a position open somewhere. They were not shy about letting you know what positions were open and how to apply, either. That’s quite different from the first TechWeek Chicago, and is really encouraging.
Chicago is often overlooked, and I often think of it as the sleeper city. Many people visit it, talk like they live there but miss what makes Chicago unique. Its startup culture is one of those things, so it’s great to see it moving to the forefront. It even got covered in Forbes]!
Also spent time with family. Watched my nephews and niece with my NY brother so my other brother and his wife could have a weekend away. That was fun. They’re so different! I don’t see them every day now, so whenever I go home they’ve all grown up in some way. The eldest is curious, asking more questions about Canada now. Little Man continues to make progress, and likes to issue instructions which is cute and hilarious. And my niece is just a firecracker! Man. They all have so much energy!
Now I’m back…home. Try that on for size.