Dirtbag Mystique

I finally consulted with Freddie regarding the aforementioned scenario, and he told me that we are now venturing into the realm of “dirtbag mystique”.

The Banff Book and Film Festivals went by in a blur. I didn’t manage to see any films, but I did manage to make it from one cocktail party to the next without a glitch. The highlight was busting in on the OR sales meeting and watching Christian model the Banff Bodysuit on the makeshift runway. I think you had to be there, and you definitely had to be a woman.

Throughout all of this my editors aren’t letting me stray from the facts of my story. I am finding it quite interesting that my biggest core weakness in my writing is the same one I struggle with in my life, namely that I tend to generalize and philosophize and be judgmental about things rather than just tell the story. This tendency gets me into trouble with people because I am trying to interpret my stories for them instead of letting them come up with their own interpretations.

What all of this means is that I am not only going to exit this program a better writer, but hopefully a better person as well.

Banff Landing

I arrived two nights ago after my seven-hour drive from my home in the West Kootenays. I was worried about feeling distracted being in Banff; after all I spent two decades living and climbing here in the Canadian Rockies. But luckily my friends are busy and the ice is slow in coming in. I have been running up Tunnel Mountain and going to the rock gym at the Sally Borden Centre to get my daily training fix. Sarah Hueniken told me about the new “Playground” for mixed climbing that is just outside of Canmore, and we’ll get out there as soon as we can both clear our schedules.

The writing is going well. I came here with a lot of existing material, in need of a lot of editing. Tony Whittome is my main editor, and he has given me quite a lot of feedback on how to structure my story. As you can imagine, it is a chaotic affair sorting though the contents of one’s psyche, so there’s nothing better than an objective mind throwing in their professional perspective.

The Banff Centre is taking on a whole new slant for me. I have been coming to the mountain film festival here every year without fail since 1992, and I can say that being here on campus as an 'artist' has a completely different feel. I have a wonderful room; complete with king-sized bed and balcony, and a little writing studio in the basement of a different building. There is no view in this room, and it is dead quiet. The only distraction is the piano against the wall, where I can practice my scales and arpeggios whenever I need a break from putting thoughts down in writing.

I started having trouble sleeping about one week prior to coming here, and my insomnia is still in full swing. This gives me lots of extra time to write, especially late at night. I feel like I am running on some sort of adrenaline high, but I hope it wears off soon so I can go back to my normal sleep patterns.

Dirtbag Chic

I learned a new phrase today from Freddie Wilkinson, another course participant, and it’s called “dirtbag chic”. We were sitting around the writers’ lounge when he downloaded the idea to me.

“It’s the Yuppie who wears ratty outdoor clothing and drinks Pabst Blue Ribbon at the bar to fit in with the other lifestylers.”

I meant to ask him if being a money-flush drug dealer while living and climbing out of your truck fell under this category, but Franki chimed in and the conversation quickly turned to politics. Luckily Tony walked in and broke up the meeting, which will convene again this afternoon at the climbing gym.

It’s pretty easy staying up at the Banff Centre around the clock and delving into our projects, but Freddie and I are running low on stores and will be making our first trip into town tonight. Christian Folk from Outdoor Research arrives in a few hours and I want to have some good beer on hand to celebrate his first Banff Mountain Film Festival.

As for my writing, it’s going really well. My strength is volume; I have absolutely no trouble coming up with content. I am working on structure and flow, focusing on telling the story in concrete detail instead of theory, rhetoric, and abstraction. I am so ready for feedback, both from the program editors and the other participants.