Two writing retreats, plus a holiday, and the mountain that stood in the way of the 17th century witch trial work-in-progress is, at last, surmounted. Ye-bloomin-ha!
Much of the required work turned out to be yet more editing to shore up the story’s foundations, but then new words powered my protagonist up and over that mountain, and delivered us to a marvellous new place, a kind of hidden plateau, where there’s time and space to revisit earlier ideas, and reconsider them, discarding many but fitting others into the shape of the story without feeling it’s mere procrastination.
A eureka moment post-retreat also identified the protagonist’s subconscious as a scene driver, which is helping me plot the next steps and reveal his rationalized self-deception about injustice to the reader.
This burst of creative energy means I don’t want to leave the writing for too long, nor over-analyse this phase of the process, hence this month’s ABBA post is brief, photographic, and by way of a thank you to Janie Millman, Mickey Wilson and our tutor, Jo Thomas, of Chez Castillon, France, and also to Debbie Flint of Retreats For You in Devon where I retreated earlier in the year.
I am very aware of the enormous privilege of being able to afford such luxuries as writing retreats, and my heart aches for all those creative souls in greater need of time and space than me who can't.
If you are lucky enough to be able to afford to escape the day-to-day and nourish your writing self, I hope these pictures tempt you. I've found both retreats hugely rewarding. If not, may the month of May bring you the kind of natural beauty that awes and inspires you wherever you are.
Chez Castillon (above) is a classic French town house with a beautiful courtyard garden in Castillon-la-Bataille on the banks of the Dordogne, just down the road from the vineyards of Saint Emilion, with a welcome as warm as old friends, great food, plentiful wine, and inspiring, intelligent company.
Website: https://www.chezcastillon.com/
Retreats for You (above) is in a wonderful thatched house in the timeless north Devon village of Sheepwash and
is as delightfully English as Chez Castillon is French. A tea-room to
charm, cosy and quirky historical bedrooms, more great food, and more
lovely writers to dine with and share ideas, hurdles, hopes, and dreams.
Website: https://www.retreatsforyou.co.uk/
If your budget, inclinations, and obligations allow you to savour either, enjoy!
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