A Weekend Away and a Story Coming to Life
Sometimes you just need to get away from everything. Not necessarily for a holiday, although I certainly wouldn't complain about one of those! But to find a little peace and quiet, clear your head and give yourself the time to focus on something you've been wanting to do for a very long time. For me, that meant packing up my laptop, notebooks, camera and an unreasonable amount of warm clothing and heading off to Mt Barney Lodge for a writing retreat with my daughter, Bek (also an aspiring author!).
And what a weekend it turned out to be!
Finding the space to think
Between work, family and everything else life throws at us, finding uninterrupted time to write is easier said than done. There's always something demanding my attention. Work emails, jobs around the house, the never-ending mountain of washing that comes with having four kids, or someone needing something the moment I open my laptop. And even when nobody's interrupting me, my brain usually has a hundred other things going on! Settling "the noise" is a task in itself.
I'd had the story for I'm Sorry, I Love You in my head for years and had already written the first and last chapters. A rather strange way to start a novel, perhaps, but I knew where I wanted the story to begin and end. What I hadn't worked out was everything in between. I'd spent far too much time thinking about writing and not nearly enough time actually doing it. So when Bek and I headed off to Mt Barney for a few days, I was looking forward to having time together doing something we both loved, without the usual distractions.
I've always loved being out in the outdoors, and Mt Barney was just what I needed. Misty mornings, spectacular sunrises lighting up the mountain's exposed rocky cliffs and temperatures hovering around zero (brrrr!). We'd sit with our laptops, surrounded by birdsong and mountain views, with nothing demanding our attention but the stories we wanted to tell. For once, I could switch off from everything happening at home and work and really concentrate.
I started mapping out the structure of I'm Sorry, I Love You, working through the different acts and how the story would unfold. From there, I broke down Act One into individual chapters, finally finding a way to connect all those scenes and ideas I'd been carrying around for years. And suddenly, it all started coming together. I could finally see how to get from that first chapter to the last.
So I opened my manuscript and started writing. And this time, the words just flowed.
When the words finally flow
There's something wonderful about getting to that point where the words just come. Once I'd worked through the structure and knew where I wanted the story to go, I found myself completely immersed in it. The characters, the scenes, the conversations. Everything I'd been thinking about for so long was finally finding its way onto the page.
And when my brain needed a break, I'd grab my camera and head out for a walk. Mt Barney is a beautiful place, particularly in winter, and there were plenty of birds and wallaby's to keep me entertained. Photography has always been one of my favourite ways to switch off, and wandering around with my camera gave me the chance to step away from the manuscript without really losing that creative headspace. I'd come back feeling refreshed, sit down and start writing again. It was exactly what I needed.
Two writers, one very cold campfire
One of the best parts of the weekend was sharing it with Bek. We both had our own stories to write, and there was something really special about spending that time together doing something we both loved.
We'd sit side by side, sometimes barely speaking because we were so caught up in our writing, and other times reading snippets to each other, bouncing around ideas or celebrating a breakthrough.
Having someone there who understood the excitement (and occasional frustration!) made the whole experience even better.
Even our evenings around the campfire were spent writing or talking about our books, despite temperatures hovering around zero and fingers so numb that typing became a challenge!
We were enjoying ourselves and making so much progress that we decided to stay an extra night. Apparently, another night freezing around the campfire was far more appealing than heading home!
Three nights away, two and a half days of writing and some wonderful memories made with my daughter. I couldn't have asked for more.
A weekend that changed everything
By the time we packed up and headed home, we'd spent two and a half solid days writing. And I couldn't have been happier. I'd gone away hoping to make some progress on my novel. Instead, I came home with a clear structure, chapters taking shape and, perhaps most importantly, a real sense of momentum. Something had shifted.
The story was no longer just a collection of ideas and scenes floating around in my head. It was becoming a book. And I think that was the biggest thing I took away from the weekend. Sometimes creativity needs a little room to breathe. A chance to step away from the noise, slow down and give yourself permission to focus on something simply because it matters to you.
For me, that meant misty mornings, mountain views, a camera full of bird photographs, a ridiculously cold campfire and three wonderful nights spent writing alongside my daughter.
I couldn't have asked for a better retreat. And we both agreed that it definitely wouldn't be our last!
Selena
Some of the photographs from the weekend:
