"I think that we're all mentally ill. Those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better - and maybe not all that much better after all." -- Stephen King
OWC and Tom the Tenacious Ghost
So, our merry little band of writers had the pleasure of having Marlene Howard join us for two days. Marlene is one of the founding board members of Oregon Writers Colony. Marlene is a hoot! Aside from the awesomeness of founding a nonprofit organization that provides such a valuable place and concept for writers of all ilks, she’s an amazing storyteller. And Marlene tells it like it is - no mincing of words. I totally respect that!
Do you want a small dose of the haunted history behind Colonyhouse? Colonlyhouse is a log house located on the ridge in Rockaway Beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean from the back and Lake Lytle from the front.
Well, here’s a tidbit for you …
In 1988, OWC purchased the house, which had originally been left to a nonprofit organization in Nebraska, that couldn’t afford or use the house. The man who’d owned the home, a fisherman, had died and willed the home to the nonprofit – some folks speculated that Tom didn’t just ‘die,’ but that he committed suicide by boat. (No one knows for sure – well, except for Tenacious Tom.) Apparently, he missed his deceased - dearly departed wife.
But, I digress … Anyway, the current board of OWC received a call from a realtor telling them if they could make the trip to the beach right quick, they may be able to scoop up this phenomenal house for a not unwieldy sum. So, the group trekked to the coast … they entered via the basement - a dark dank cave. Hmmmmm. Not to be put off, after all the price was right - the group trudged up the basement steps and the leader of the pack, Bonnie, opened the door onto the beautiful sun drenched main level. The group bought it –– hook, line and sinker.
Spud, the trusty house repairer, arrived and was immediately introduced to Tom the Tenacious Ghost. Tom was not quite ready to abandon the old homestead. He decided to mess with the electricity and drive Spud nuts. Finally, Spud let Tom know, in no uncertain terms – ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Tom backed off - or did he?
As the house was made habitable for renting writers, Tom’s existence faded from memory. Until – someone heard a typewriter in the middle of the night – only there wasn’t a typewriter in the house. Then a woman sleeping in the basement bedroom woke up during the night, put on her glasses and noticed writing on the wall – “the writing is on the wall.” Hmmmm. A smartass ghost? Messing with writers? 
Anonymous hauntings that folks didn’t want made public, but I couldn’t resist sharing a good ghost story – or two.
And our stay isn’t over, perhaps one of us will reap the rewards of a ghostly encounter. If so, you’ll read about it here!
Happy Haunting!
Writing Retreat at Colonyhouse
A view of the ocean at Rockaway Beach, OR. The sun is setting the mist rolling in. The waves crashing and wiping the sandy slate clean on the beach. All wonderful ingredients to get the creative juices flowing – a writer’s battery charger.
A day at Colonyhouse, owned by Oregon Writer’s Colony (OWC): shower, coffee and breakfast followed by a walk along the beach. Feeling revitalized our little band of seven scatters for quiet writing time. Me in my basement cave; a couple on the porch on the ocean-side of the house; a couple more at the dining table and maybe one or two at the house next door.
After lunch we gather in the common room for a workshop; the first day we spent the entire afternoon learning about character journey, character arc, creating dynamic story people and values and conflict. Great discussion ensues among the group. Informative handouts and a visually pleasing PowerPoint presentation were effective components of the session. Thanks to our FuGu – Lori L. Lake.
With the session over and exciting and supportive discussion buzzing through the house, we all gather around the table for the evening meal. Laughter, intense dialogue and storytelling wax and wane. By 10 or 11 p.m. I’m ready to retreat to my cave in the basement and work on my current story revision or plotting for my NaNoWriMo story. Around midnight I crawl into bed ready to sleep and dream about what exciting adventures the ‘morrow will bring.
Write on!