There’s some debate about who coined the phrase “kill your darlings,” but whether it was Faulkner or not, I’m in the process of execution. I just excised several pages about my mother, mostly about her hospitalization, a story I relished telling. But, according to my editor:

Your relationship with your mother has seemed to be the central conflict for the past fifty pages or so.

Uh-oh! That is not what I wanted to focus on, but look at that. It crept in anyway, until this morning. Cut, cut, cut and no paste.

I’m in Amherst, MA for a week for the sole purpose of completing the edits to my memoir. I picked a place that would be easy to reach from NYC, in an area I was familiar with from my college days and where it would be quiet and inspiring. The acres of farmland I passed on the drive and the vastness of the sky are providing exactly what I dreamt of.

The couple who owns the Airbnb I’m staying in cordially welcomed me into their first floor apartment, then disappeared. It couldn’t be a more ideal set-up for getting to work. I even loved the pillow on the bed with the inscription: dream big.

I’ve gotten through nearly 100 pages of edits so far with another 100 to go. After I’ve re-written my book based on my editor’s feedback, I plan to read it out loud and record it on my iPhone so I can listen to how it sounds. I also plan to create a timeline of events as I listen. “Oh, this is where I first mention xyz.” Or, “If I’m going to use this as the spine (as Cullen calls it) of my story, I’d better enter something about that here in the beginning.”

I brought a couple of books along to read for inspiration in between editing stints. There’s a Rails to Trails nearby and a couple of small towns worth investigating. I’m rewarding myself daily with a walk as a treat or a meal out.

The main reason I choose to take these writing retreats–this is my second–is that there is nothing else to do here but work. I’m not coaching, attending to deskwork, cleaning or doing laundry. It’s much easier to get to the task at hand when it’s the ONLY thing I brought to do.

Which isn’t to say there hasn’t been procrastination (check your Facebook likes). I actually built in time for that as well.

I highly recommend getting away from it all to focus on the one thing you want to accomplish. Although this project has taken way longer than I ever expected, I am enjoying the process and have moved closer to the finish line.