Part Two: The Beginning (Nightmare or dream-come-true?)
doretta pirollo martelli
Casting my personal demons aside, I focused on the positives: Four fabulous days of socializing, informative workshops and writing sessions, plus Writers’ BINGO — who doesn’t love BINGO? (Nothing nefarious about that, right? Maybe I’m getting the knack of this!) The whole adventure kicked off with a first-timers icebreaker session, followed by a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception, and ended with an intimate grouping of more than a dozen published authors reading their work. And graciously shaking hands and signing books. Eyes peeled, just in case [x].
WEDNESDAY
Before
Speaking of graciousness, our illustrious WFWA president, Ginger Haggerty, sent out an all-call — on the exclusive “retreat-only” Facebook page — for any early arrivers who were interested to meet her at la Madeleine, the most adorable French café across the street from the hotel. What better way to ease into the (potential) terror that awaits? First of all, breathe [x]. Secondly, always face the door [x]. Smile sweetly and respond kindly [x]. No inappropriate laughter [x]. Introvert forcing herself out of her comfort zone [x]. Success! I met some lovely women and found it a great bridge to the main event…
Check-in
The Alexandrian Old Town Hotel check-in process for everyone else was flawless, but, of course, it could have gone better for me. Starting the event off with this kind of glitch reminded me not to get too comfortable, yet. Could my snafu (I love that word) be a preview of things to come. Just breathe [x]. I’m not going to bore you with details—reach out if you’re really curious—but suffice it to say ALWAYS bring a physical credit card with you to a hotel, or you might spend an hour on the phone with your credit card company convincing them to OVERNIGHT a new copy of the card to you at the hotel. A huge shoutout to Chase for accommodating me. And a heart full of thanks to the Alexandrian staff for stepping up. Finally, checked-in (hoping not to be “checked out” if you know what I mean…) [x].
And that was just the HOTEL check-in. What terrors, joys might await at the retreat check-in process? Guess what? Smooth as silk, and it appears, I need no last name. No biggie. My official ID badge said Dori. Just Dori, which I didn’t realize until I noticed that all the other attendees’ badges had TWO NAMES. Step aside, Cher, Madonna, and J-Lo, there's a new diva in town. We got gift bags! A detailed agenda for the week, water, snacks, writing-themed zippered bags, adorable keychains. Volunteers also received scented highlighters. All week my notes smelled like home. Okay, maybe not exactly like home. Stop badgering me. Okay. Not like home at all. I’m more of a coffee girl. All week my notes smelled like lemonade. Better??
Opening reception
This was a delightful event held in the hotel courtyard. My terror quickly diminished as friendly faces and smiles filled the space. A lovely, casual event designed to prompt an intimacy among the attendees. As I watched from my corner, I saw old friends reconnecting, new friendships developing, and alliances forming. Wait, this is not Survivor. No. No alliances, just people connecting, and there’s nothing scary about that, right? One day down, still alive, just breathe [x].
If you’ve read this far, I congratulate you on your perseverance. No wonder you’re a writer. Next time, I’ll tell you all about the actual retreat – the highs and the lows (and believe me…you don’t want to miss those).
Born in Philadelphia, PA, and raised in Turnersville, NJ, doretta pirollo martelli holds bachelor’s degrees in journalism and communications and a master’s in teaching. She taught middle school writing and reading for twenty-five years. While teaching, doretta teamed up with kindness.org as a kindness ambassador. She has appeared in several prestigious magazines including Positive News and EducationWeek. She also serves on the Rowan University branch of the National Writing Project where she shares her expertise with other writing teachers. Since retiring, she has been writing and editing her novel, and helping others to polish their manuscripts. She has also recently taken on a new role as WFWA’s Online Community Liaison. Doretta’s interests include cooking, home design, film noir, rooting for the Phillies, and curling up with a cup of strong coffee while reading Stephen King novels. She and her husband Lou have one daughter, Ally, and a grandpup called Otis.