Chocolate and Conversation

This year I’ve dragged Paul along to the retreat, because I’m not writing and ignoring him. You see, I’m under ‘doctor’s orders’ to rest my RSI-suffering right hand. But I don’t need my hand to talk about writing, so it was still worth flying to New Zealand to be with the FWORians for a week.

So far there have been discussions about agents, ebooks and the merits and flaws in Game of Thrones – tv series and book) as well as more technical examination of slow and turgid vs fast and action-packed writing styles. I’m sure there’ll be many more debates to come.

When not at the retreat, Paul and I are exploring the north of the north of New Zealand, and area we’ve not visited before. Yesterday we saw giant kauri trees – definitely a sight to inspire fantasy ecosystems – and I’ve just head about a weaver with an open studio/shop I want to visit, who might provide some insight into the ‘makers’ of my new series of books.

Otherwise, I have been dutifully providing chocolate sustenance for all, and testing out the local product. I can confirm that Makana Confectionary chocolates are very good – especially the macadamia nut butter toffee.

Trudi

The Retreat You Have When You’re Not At The Retreat

Phase Two of the writing retreat for me has begun. I’m ensconced in an apartment in Bowral, a town with a yarn store a cinema and several bookshops. I work best in isolation, so I should get a lot more writing done here, but I will miss the company of my writerly friends. Still, I know I’ll see some of them before I leave for Brisbane, and perhaps we’ll all get together again as well.

Did you notice that pile of books beside Matthew in an earlier post? That was his purchases from one bookshop in Bowral yesterday – or maybe just part of them. I’m rather hoping some FWORians will come back for a bookshop crawl, just so I can gain vicarious pleasure in watching Matthew leave big holes in a few more store bookshelves.

- Trudi

Slogging through the mud of my mind

The perils of drafting without detailed planning.  This third book as has been in my head for years. Sometimes,  I thought up things and I may have written them down, sometimes not. So of the different projects I had waiting to start  I went ahead with this one. Today, I thought of stopping it, despite how much that would ruin my writing goals for the retreat. I do have other things to do.

Then I started writing down what I had to think about, some technical issues I need to overcome. Then I started noting some things for particular characters and found I could go right ahead to draft those. I leave notes now in the manuscript.  Think about this. Think about and then I decided to keep writing on the bits I can and worry about the rest later.

In half my mind, I think I am wasting my time. I know already that I need to have some action to carry the introduction through. With all that recap from the previous books I have people sitting in rooms thinking. Well that’s no good. Then I think  I want to work out what people are doing and thinking and then work my way forward. When I am not drafting, when I am editing, polishing, considering, I can cut it away and reveal the story. Not quite the non vomit draft I was aiming for, but it is story.

I am still looking for that place in my mind where I get all creative and find something in me that is different and unusual. It usually takes days and day of drafting, of letting myself go in my imaginary world. Haven’t got there yet. Having Trudi leave yesterday left a gap here at the retreat, one I don’t know how to fill. Cat is here though, lighting our way with her enthusiasm. Go Cat.

So I put away my down”, and put down my knitting and I am writing today. Though I may let Matthew tempt me (or let me tempt him) up to the bookshop in Berry today.

-Donna

Writing at night… weird

Well, this isn’t right. How can I be this productive? I mean yes, I did sleep for nearly three hours this afternoon and tomorrow there will be a morning spent out to the house with cleaning and then Cat arrives in the afternoon and there will be much rejoicing (day’s Python line) so there probably won’t be much work being done, but still… I barely ever work past 6pm.

I’ve pulled up two thousand words today, so that’s good, although I’m running out of pages in the book to add more wordage. May have to stop and think through the plot and whether there are scenes that I’ve not covered that I should. Or maybe just cause more chaos and make the characters take another ten thousand words to get out of it.

We had the bestest dinner tonight in Kylie’s hamburgers. It was difficult for her, being as fiercely vegetarian as she is, but Kylie we appreciated the sacrifice. It was sensational!

Unfortunately, we ran out of tonic water and so there was only one G&T to be had. How that was allowed to happen, I do not know. There will be an inquest, and someone will be shot.

Time for more musical education from Dr Kirkpatrick. I shall be so edumacated by the end of this retreat, I’ll have to put a piece of paper on the wall.

- Nicole

A quiet day in beautiful Berry

So, there’s not been a whole lot of action here today. Some uninformed people might blame my margaritas. To them, I say *pttth*

For my fellow retreatees it’s been a day of not feeling well, of having to deal with other things and of thinking deep thoughts about progress and aims and what the hell does this all mean anyway? I predict that tomorrow will be a day of much tapping on the keyboard.

I myself have done okay. I’ve managed to ditch an entire storyline from book two that I realised served a purpose two or three drafts ago but no longer does. Instead, I’m going to do some severly nasty things to some quite lovely and innocent people. Such are the joys of being a writer. Am on track to finish this rewrite by the end of the week.  The peacock has been standing at the door watching me for more than an hour now. I am happy that our official word count supervisor can verify my work, even if I have been going backwards at a massive rate of knots.

I cook tonight – my bean casserole. I admit to being a little nervous – I am no where close to the good cook that many of my fellow retreatees are (especially Miss Donna, who is INCREDIBLE). On the other hand, at least being cook tonight excuses me the dishes, so I’m happy about that.

- Nicole

The Evils of Caramel Slice

As part of my evil plans to undo my fellow retreatees, I made a batch of caramel fudge before we came away. It turned out great last year but I couldn’t find that recipe. So I used another one and it came out a bit soft and it stuck to the foil I used to line the tin.

So the evil buggers here decided it would make a good caramel slice. Trudi rattled off some instructions. I think she is still basking in the glory of her fantastic apple with berries crumble. Then there was discussion about whether I should put chocolate on top of it. I said that the addition of chocolate would make it truly evil and have a gazillion calories per slice. I was voted down, derided, mocked. So in revenge I have made the caramel slice with dark chocolate on it. The base of Arnotts Nice biscuits didn’t take too long but separating the caramel fudge from the foil did. Saint Awesome Trudi flew to my aid and instructed me to heat it up and then sieve it. So patiently in a bowl in boiling water I removed each little section of foil to the best of my ability. I melted the chocolate (just plain cooking chocolate aye Trudi?) and layered it over the slice. Now if my fellow retreatees would just load a photo of it before they eat it, I’ll be happy. Mwhwahahahahhaaa they will eat it and get fat!

The freshly baked bread was devoured by a pack of large, ultra competitive rats!

Here is a piccie!

Evil Caramel Slice

My word count btw stands at around 900 so far today. I am a saint amoung the low lives.

Tour of the Retreat

Last night I couldn’t get to sleep, partly because I’m having trouble settling in here, then was woken up at 6:30am. Lack of sleep does not sit well with me. At the worst it gives me huge mood swings, at the best foggy-headedness and the inability to concentrate. So no writing today. Instead I went shopping while it was still cool enough to walk to town. And now that the suns out I’ve been taking pictures. So here’s a little pictorial tour of the retreat.

First, the house:

Here’s where Nicole, Kylie and Donna work:

Except Donna is sitting on the other couch right now.

Where Russell works. Wonder where he is…

Nope, not thwacking.

Matthew ‘working’:

Where I’d be working if my brain wasn’t frazzled from lack of sleep:

What I’ve been playing with instead:

Which is a lot of fun, despite turning my left hand into a disfigured claw.

- Trudi

I think today is Friday.

Mmm. So this means that it is the second day at the retreat. Really can’t count day one. We got here late etc etc.

Today Matthew and I are on the cooking circuit again. This is due to our visitor, Tim, not liking chicken so we have brought the bbq forward. So t-bones, potato salad, mushrooms and green salad here we come. For the lovely vegetarian we have barbequed haloumi cheese. Yum. I may even drink wine or a g&t, surprise, surprise.

Perhaps we can convince Trudi to make the apple crumble or the evil muffins…If we could only get her away from her ukelele (just bought from town). Twang! Twang! Or persuade her to untangle herself from her knitting.

I have knocked off two items that weren’t in my goals but were in the way of my goals. (contrary to other blog posts by competitive writers).  I had to revise a vampire slut story, which I did yesterday. Then today, the mammoth short story peaking at 9,500 words.  A nice, friendly, emotionally wracking SF story. That has been sent off too. I can now return to the drafting, on a clean page and move forward. Between these stories I would have clocked up 2000 words, but I am not I will count them, not being part of the goal etc.

So it is time to eat lunch, crunch those fingers and start writing. Pity I feel like a nap already.

- Donna

Ow ow I love Nicole and she’s the most fabulous person on the face of the planet apart from Kylie. Please, let go of my arm!

The wordcount supervisor put in an unexpected appearance this afternoon at our back door. Russell was the only one present, so automatically gets extra credit. Yay! The others were out shopping, pah. Hey, what’s for tea tonight?

- Russell

Who's working?