The blog's coming in a bit late this week because I've been off on a trip to Buxton International Festival. A wonderful festival specialising in performances of rarely seen operas. I booked myself in to a few shows as part of my libretto-writing project, especially as they had commissioned 4 new 20-minute operas. The big takeaway is new opera is extremely diverse and very exciting. I really enjoyed all the performances I saw, and I was able to have a great chat with one of the librettists in the programme.

I attended this festival solo and what struck me was how many lovely new people I met and chatted with by keeping an open mind. Enthusiastic volunteers, insightful academics, and passionate arts leaders were all generous and welcoming, and these chance meetings greatly enriched my experience. It's no secret, but I always find that seeing the work of others ignites my own creativity, and I've found the mental block I had on one aspect of my writing lifted greatly after my Buxton trip.

Another benefit I've felt particularly clearly this week from existing in community is the wisdom of my wonderful mentor, Laura. I've admired her work for a long time and so I was thrilled to be able to work with her as I learn this new skill. In our latest session, we were discussing my translation. I will admit that my biggest enemy in the writing process is editing. I have no patience for raking over the same ground once the thing exists, but I'm working on it because I know it does make the work better. My initial translation was effective in communicating the text but lacked depth. I'm glad Laura pushed me to go further.