DOMaInEVaLEnT

Here are some very interesting websites that offer resources for writers: Education Helping Writers Become Authors DIY MFA Tips Write it Sideways Writers Write Editing and publishing advice Inventing Reality Editing Engaged Editor Peer feedback Critique.ORG Science Fiction:Critters Scribophile

The most unique feature of being a filmmaker is that you are almost never left alone with your ideas. You’ll have to pitch to a producer, then explain your vision to the cinematographer, convert the big ideas into manageable chunks for the rest of your team. To inform them, to

Last week I had a series of revelations about creativity while harvesting the walnuts. But every time I pass the tree, believing that I’ve already collected everything, I found myself surrounded. I shove a few in my pockets, use my tshirt as an apron, and finally –again– go get a

This is not original, but it’s the best thing I’ve come across in a long time.

What am I going to do here for eight whole days?

We block all generative AI tools here. This is why: Human creative products are the product of the interrelation of three things: the artist’s vision, the artist’s skills, and the artist’s limitations. Using AI to achieve your vision undermines aspects of what makes art interesting, impressive, and compelling. If we

Ideas started flooding me and I was making furious notes, just feeling like something may have become unblocked. I was cautious, hopeful, and just a little desperate by the time I got to Toulouse.

“Why is it that art you have to be ready for? In life, you didn’t know you were going to get a flat tire.”
“That as yet does not yet have a name.”

A writer in residence came to me to tell me that another one had confided in her that she “almost left”. I went to fix the discomfort. Something echoed. Graduate school. Summer camp. Bali. Berlin. Almost everywhere I have ever gone involved a moment, or many, of almost leaving. Including

A new writer was asking how to assess his progress. Would he finish? Would there be an audience? Was it important they like it? There are artists compelled to create. They paint alone and fight off the visitors. There are artists in dialogue with a small community who explore together.

We’ve been meditating in the morning, at the pool. “So different than meditating inside!” says one of the writers. Everyone agrees that meditation is somehow easier and more blissful amidst birdsong and gentle breezes. The birds’ main competitors are dogs and tractors, but this morning in a moment of relative

The stone terrace is made of assorted marble and stone. The tradition for this area is a porous travertine (naturally non-slip for outdoor use). It’s mixed with bits of red and green and grey. Several sections have come loose. I’ve tried to get replacement pieces, but the construction method has

We often have revelations together here about our processes which could inspire or encourage others in our extended community of residents past and future.
The ValenTINE will remain our annual literary fact and fiction magazine, while this blog will offer insights into the creative process.
There are a few books we refer to a lot in these conversations:

Had I become dull? A 53 year old flatliner? Yes, I always wear red nail polish. To be honest, I like it best, and it suits me. I have a pair of earrings my daughter gave me that I wear 99% of the time. I have four rings, two I wear day and night, and two I put on as soon as I wake up. When I work as a professional speaker, I always wear a blue dress. I have 27, but blue it is.

What a disappointment. I had come all this way to discover that ego was more important than ideas.

I have never liked the word “impeccable”. It sounds scratchy, like wool. Some people think wool is wonderful. I need a boundary layer.

I took the dog out to the garden late last night. She turned left to bark at the forest. I turned right to escape the canopy and look at the stars.