Before I dropped off the face of the earth, I said that I had signed up for a weeklong writing retreat.
That retreat took place at a place called Nimrod, and it was honestly one of the best weeks of my life. I don’t know how to describe how magical that experience was. There was no air conditioning, there were bugs, it was humid as all get out, and I’d have gone back in a heartbeat. I loved spending the morning at an antique desk, staring out lacy curtains, plunking away at my work in progress. I came away with the knowledge that my project was worth pursuing, which was priceless. I met some amazing people and had incredible food.
The owners announced in January that they were taking their land private rather than running it as a retreat. I can’t say I blame them – it’s got to be a ton of work. But it broke my heart.
However, I wasn’t about to give up on the whole retreat thing. So I signed up for a more structured workshop that was recommended to me. It was nerve-wracking, because this was definitely taking it up a couple notches. This was a week to get and give feedback and improve my craft. Because I am an absolute slacker, I took the same project to Tinker that I took to Nimrod – just a different section. (If you’re thinking she had ten months and she didn’t finish that book – yes, we can both be disappointed in me.)
This time I came away with incredible, tangible feedback, and the conviction that I need to finish this novel and work on submitting it.
Don’t get too excited. I have a lot of work I need to do. Like, a LOT. Don’t expect to see a finished product any time soon. If I’m lucky and diligent maybe I can have a workable draft by the end of the year, query-able by spring, fingers crossed.
Maybe this time…
Fingers crossed.