Today I jumped into a car with three other women that I know only slightly who were kind enough to invite me along on their writing retreat. I am so grateful when people take a chance on me, and I try to say yes to those moments whenever I can, because I find they almost always turn out to be fantastic experiences. Today was no exception. There was lots of writing talk and life talk and language talk and laughter and a beautiful dinner and wine and even a little writing.
The house we’re staying at is also beautiful. Right on the ocean, lots of big windows and beautiful views, complete with a spaceship shower. Tomorrow’s plan is to get up early, go for a walk while thinking about plot and dark things that live under the water and poisoned apples, and then sit my butt down and write for many many hours.
Today’s Project(s): Beautiful Names for Monstrous Things
Today in Writing: 600 words, plus a whole lot of shaking going on
Today in Walking: 1.5 miles (I spent a lot of time in the car)
Today I Loved: Talking fiction (and other things) with smart, thoughtful, interesting people
Tallies:
Fiction words written today: 600
Fiction words written this year: 600
Total words written this year: 1200
Total distance this year: 17.7 miles
Daily Shot: Late-night writing against the ocean
I’ve never done a writing retreat. My publicist says I write in a vacuum. My fear is I wouldn’t get along with any other writers…
Also, I NEVER count my words or pages. I’m afraid of giving myself a high-five and calling it a day early. I did a brief count over the break (I locked myself into a basement and wrote for four days straight) and it came up around 22K words. If I had known I was writing that much, I might have made the mistake of stopping and resting.
The place sounds lovely. and the company wonderful. One day, if I find people I tolerate, I should try this.
I recently heard someone on a podcast interview say that “plot is the hard part…I just sit down, put my blindfold on, and hold on” which is without the best writing advice I have heard in 2015!