in Hurricane Helene, The Writing Life 1,260 Words

My DIY Writer’s Retreat & a Hurricane Helene Update

I read about various writers’ retreats and they sound wonderful, but I don’t have the money or necessarily the energy to participate in them. Therefore, I decided to have my own private Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Writer’s Retreat a couple of weeks ago.

It went so well that I intend to do more DIY retreats in the future.

I planned a schedule for it to last on a Thursday through Saturday. It was going to be three days for me to do nothing but write. Specifically, except for writing a blog post, I planned to work on my historical novel, The Heirloom (tentative title).

As I blogged on September 30, 2024 in Best laid plans…, life happens. None of the three days went exactly as planned, but overall, it was a productive time for me.

I learned on Day 1 that by the time I had written an hour that morning and five hours that afternoon, it had been a big mistake for me to schedule three more hours of writing that night. Hence, my schedules for Friday and Saturday were amended. Lesson learned!

Photo by Kaitlyn Baker on Unsplash

On Day 3, I needed to take a break from writing and burn some of the limbs picked up after Hurricane Helene. My writing and that project are both works in progress. Such is life when one lives on several acres of big trees out in the country.

However, in those three days I added 6,000 words to my 35,000-word manuscript in addition to writing a 2,100-word blog post for October 7. Not bad for me, after accomplishing very little on the novel so far in 2024.

I took a Resilient Writers “Book Finishers Boot Camp” online class leading up to my DIY Writer’s Retreat. The class emphasized the importance of writing consistently and measuring writing goals on a weekly basis by whatever measuring stick one chooses.

Word-count goals never worked well for me, so I took a suggestion from the class and have started setting scene goals for myself. They are flexible and based on looking ahead at my calendar. Some weekly goals are higher than others, but the point is to have an end date insight for completing the first draft. In fact, the class instructed participants to have a projected completion date and a “life happens” completion date additional weeks or months down the road.

My ideal rough draft finish date set on September 18 is November 30, 2024. My realistic rough draft finish date set on that same day is January 11, 2025. So far, I’m just one scene behind schedule, with seven of my remaining 30 scenes completed. I admit, though, that no weeks since September 18 have gone as planned. These dates aren’t deadlines, they are self-imposed goals.

It has been fun (and hard work) to get back into the heads of my characters. I “talk” to Sarah, my main character, during my daily walks and ask her what she has for me that day. The great thing is that sometimes she answers!

Hurricane Helene Update on Western North Carolina

Since I live in North Carolina, I decided to give western NC recovery updates in my weekly blog. I hoped today’s update would be much shorter than last week’s, but the recovery efforts are still beyond comprehension 25 days after the disaster.

Weather conditions: Parts of the mountains received the season’s first snow last Tuesday and freeze warnings as some people are still sleeping in tents.

Statistics: As of last Tuesday, 92 people were still unaccounted for in NC. The death toll from Hurricane Helene stands at 95 in the state, but that number will surely rise.

Roads: As of Friday, October 18, 670 roads in western NC had been reopened, but more than 500 remained closed, according to WNCN in Raleigh. There are more than 6,900 sites where roads and bridges were destroyed, according to the NC Department of Transportation.

Electricity: As of last Thursday, 8,400 homes and businesses were still without power in five counties. Helicopters and off-road vehicles are being used to install power poles in some otherwise inaccessible areas.

Water system in Asheville: Water is slowly being restored in Asheville. Due to low water pressure where the system is in operation, residents are still under a Boil Water Notice. As of Saturday, the city reported that the treatment of water in the North Fork Reservoir will be a long process to deal with the high level of sediment resulting from the flooding.

The Rocky Broad River in Chimney Rock was restored to its original channel last week with the help of the US Army 101st Airborne Division.

Blue Ridge Parkway: The Blue Ridge Parkway remains closed in North Carolina, with tens of thousands of trees down and across the roadway and more than 30 rock and mudslides. There is no estimated reopening date for the beautiful parkway.

Public School Systems: Just to give you an idea about the recovery situation 25 days after Hurricane Helene hit western NC…

Avery County. Schools are scheduled to reopen on November 6.

Ashe County. Schools are scheduled to reopen on October 29.

Buncombe County. Schools are scheduled to reopen on October 25.

Watauga County. Schools are scheduled to reopen on October 24.

Colleges and universities:

Appalachian State University in Boone: The campus reopened for students to return as of 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Classes resumed in all but one classroom building on October 16.

Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College: Closed until at least October 28.

Blue Ridge Community College: Reopening today.

Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk: Classes will be conducted online through November 4.

Montreat College: Started welcoming students back to campus yesterday.

Warren Wilson College: As of last Thursday, planning to welcome students back to campus on October 27. Roof and other repairs will continue over the coming months.

IV Bag Manufacturer:  Through the US Department of Health and Human Services, President Biden invoked the Defense Production Act so the company will have priority access to specific material needed so Baxter can get back to production.

Convoy of Farm Supplies from Ohio

A convoy of trucks pulling trailers of hay and other farm supplies from Ohio arrived in Deep Gap, Watauga County, on Tuesday! Thank you, Ohioans! The videos were heart-warming! I read of hay bales also coming in from Pennsylvania. Thank you, Pennsylvanians!

Fundraising Concert

The Avett Brothers from here in Cabarrus County and another North Carolinian, Scotty McCreery, have been added to the lineup for the October 26 “Concert for Carolina” at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The concert is sold-out, but can be live streamed for $25.

Tourism: Autumn is the peak tourism season in the mountains. Some towns are accessible now and encouraging tourists to come and support the local economy. Those invitations are accompanied by words of caution to travel to the towns you know are ready for you and don’t venture out in the countryside where your presence will be a hindrance to recovery efforts. If you want to visit our beautiful mountains, do your research online or call your destination to learn about current conditions.

The Biltmore Estate announced on Friday that it will reopen for visitors on November 2

Until my next blog post

I hope you have at least one good book to read this week.

Don’t take family and friends for granted.

Remember the people of Ukraine and western North Carolina.

Janet

By the way… if you have not signed up for my e-Newsletter, please visit https://www.janetmorrisonbooks.com, click on “Subscribe,” and enjoy a free downloadable copy of my “Slip Sliding Away” short story which is set in the Appalachian Mountains. Then, look forward to my November e-Newsletter!

25 thoughts on “My DIY Writer’s Retreat & a Hurricane Helene Update”

  1. Well preparing one’s own Writer’s Retreat is a phenomenal idea. I will try it… And I know, sometimes the most well thought out plans can be…and often are…subject to the uncertainties and imponderables of life and one must be able to adapt, improvise and overcome (as they taught me in the military). One can only do as much as one can do, but one must make a bona fide effort. If one has worked, and worked hard, one can say that one is gaining talent and one is arriving at the finish line of the project at hand, be it a novel or a painting, or a symphony. I am also happy to see that things are improving…slowly…in the areas damaged by H. Helene. I know that takes time. I recall working (as a police officer) during and after H. Andrew (1992) in Miami. It took more than a year for things in the area that was most damaged to come back to normal. But people adapted, improvised and overcame many of the hardships brought about by that horrible storm. I applaud your efforts, Janet, to continue on with “The Heirloom”, I am sure you have…and are…working hard on its creation and you have the diligence, the discipline and the drive to finish what I am sure will be a phenomenal historical novel that I am looking forward to reading. All the best (and we too had our first snowfalls in the mountains and they look beautiful). For now I remain thankful…every day and in every moment…to God for so many mercies and so much life and beauty.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Janet, thanks for the NC update and good luck on your writing journey. I am happy (and perhaps bragging a bit) to say that the Blue Ridge Parkway has reopened in VA probably as far as the NC line. While SW VA was hit by the hurricane, our damage was not as severe or as extensive. I went to a poetry/flash fiction read aloud from a Richmond, VA based writer’s group who was having their annual retreat at a nearby Retreat where I have been to some day based writer’s retreats. Some of the material read was excellent (both the readers and the material). Some was not to my taste and it was often exasperated by readers who read to fast and mumbled–so the ability to read your work aloud maybe as important as what you wrote to read. Their constant chatter made me regret the excellent acoustics in the old church where the event was held.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Although it’s still horrendous for so many people, it’s great to know that so much progress has been made in repairing access and getting power back up. I hope they manage to get everyone under a roof and with power before winter really bites.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. I’m sorry the poetry/flash fiction read aloud retreat was disappointing. I have moderate hearing loss, and it is frustrating when people mumble or read too fast. I don’t know how we correct such habits/behavior. I hate to throw younger people under the bus, but I find this very much the case with teens and those in their 20s. On the other hand, it is maddening when people of any age — but particularly those who are “old” and should know better — refuse to use a microphone when speaking to a group. For someone to say, “I can speak loud enough. I don’t need a mic,” is arrogant and uncaring. Pardon my rant! Back to your last point… it seems more and more these days that people don’t know how to behave when in a house of worship or in any group setting. Thank you for reding my blog and for sharing your thoughts on this.

    Like

  6. I highly recommend the DIY Retreat — even if for just one day. Plan it right down to breaks for a walk or a cup of hot chocolate. Put your phone in another room. Put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door. Plan your playlist, if you want quiet music to write or paint by. Just writing about it makes me want to schedule my next one! Thank you for your thoughts on the hurricane damage, Francis, and for sharing from your own experience in Miami. I remember after Hurricane Hugo here it took at least six months just for all the debris to be picked up and disposed of. The challenging terrain in the mountains and so many roads destroyed makes me wonder just how the logistics of clean-up will be accomplished. It will be a marathon and not a sprint. Here in the piedmont, it is beautiful and mild. The destruction in the mountains seems a world away. I’m including updates in my weekly blog partly to remind myself that people 100 miles to my west are still very much in the recovery stage. And I know from Hurricane Hugo that photos do not do the situation justice. When all you can see in any direction is downed trees, you can’t get away from it. It doesn’t help to look away because there’s only destruction in that direction, too. We certainly learn things from experience that can be learned in no other way, don’t we?

    Liked by 1 person

  7. In this case, the building was a church but is no longer consecrated for that purpose. It does have almost too excellent acoustics because of the pitch of the roof and the gorgeous wooden rafters The worst offender almost seemed proud that he had been told that some cussing was permitted and took it overboard in what he thought was a church. He used it gratuitously both in general conversation and in his short fiction piece. Fortunately, he was also the worst about talking too fast and mumbling. His conversational tone was robust to say the least. In his presence, being a bit deaf might have been a blessing, Janet.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Good point… sometimes hearing loss can be a blessing! In this political climate, it seems everyone has the right to use vulgar language with abandon anywhere and everywhere. I fear the genie is out of the bottle now. I miss the days when a well-placed four-letter word could be used for shock value. Today, some people and some writers use such words so much they just reflect a small vocabulary on the part of the user.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. I find it wonderful that your DIY retreat had such wonderful writing gains as a result. I like the idea of scene goals rather than word count and think I’ll adopt that for my project. Thank you for keeping up advised of the conditions in NC. Hope we get help quickly to everyone who needs it.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Thank you, Rebecca. A free writing webinar I watched recently suggested tracking by scenes. I really liked the idea and wondered why no one else had ever recommended that to me. I continue to learn something every single day. The bottom line was to find what works for you and track by that measuring stick every week. I hope it will be a positive thing for you, too. Thank you for your good wishes for hurricane recovery efforts. I really hope all the school systems can get back on track on their projected reopening dates. Many of the students have already missed 17 school days because they dismissed early on Sept. 25 and the major damage came that night.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Right… some students don’t have electricity yet and some maybe don’t have a computer… or their house got severely damaged or washed away. I’m glad I don’t have to figure out the logistics of course work or school bus routes with so many roads and bridges still out. And I can’t imagine how traumatized some of the students are after what they witnessed. I think about the special needs children (and adults!) and how they are coping.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. How nice you were able to do the DIY retreat. No pressure or commitment but still so worth it. I was shocked at your update from the hurricane Janet. I hope things get back to normal for them by Christmas.

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Yes, the DIY retreat was great! My sister talked to someone from Asheville last night. She said they can flush now, but they still can’t drink the water. Schools will reopen under those same conditions. Imagine! That water system serves more then 100,000 people — is my understanding. She heard from a high school classmate last night who now lives in Black Mountain, NC, a little east of Asheville. The friend got internet service back yesterday and was so excited!

    Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.