Well, we’ve eaten a mountain of chips and dip, chocolate and shortbread. We’ve consumed copious amounts of wine, gin and cider. (I lost count after the first night). We’ve worked hard and we’ve laid around and vegged. We’ve hung out and chatted and had billiard wars. But now, the time has come when we are done.
It’s just past five, and Matthew’s been vacuuming and Russell has been sweeping. Food is being organised and rubbish taken out. We are leaving early tomorrow.
All up the retreatees wrote just over 200,000 words in two weeks.
For myself, I’m a little short of target word wise, but I’ve accomplished more than I expected. Into the Dark Glass is at 79,000 words. I’m revising now and rethinking. I need to take time over this MS, but I have finished the story arc, which is what I wanted. I’m not sure it will be the final arc, but for now, I think it works. I wrote 44,000 words over two weeks on this story.
Yesterday, I finished the revision of my paranormal romance, adding 2,500 words to it. It’s not quite done but I’ve sent it out to beta readers so I can go in for the next revision. I seemed to have left out my hero’s pov toward the end. Oops!
At the beginning of the retreat, I revised a short/long story adding 2,500 words. That was totally unplanned. So I’m 1000 words shy of 50,000 words.
Each retreat has it’s own flavour and there is little point, I think, in having expectations. The retreat is a combination of things, the house, the weather, the availability of internet, the other retreatees and your own state of mind. This retreat was fab.
Jo and Cat managed to come for the whole two weeks. Jo was saying to me that it made a big difference to her. She settled in. I noticed she was much more relaxed than the previous time she came along. And she wrote a whole first draft of a YA novel. 61,000 words.
Nicole continues to be the powerhouse at 60,000 words, but she was pipped at the post by Jo.
Matthew managed his best word count yet, doing his stints in the wee hours. Now he says he’s out of alignment with the day. Matt managed around 25,000 words. Knowing Matt as I do they are going to be good.
Russell was working on a edit of his novel and managed 2,000 words of the sequel.
Cat did 20,000 words plus a critique and a review.
Kylie has been refreshing her Indonesian and writing notes and working on her revision. She managed 2,000 words and deflected a lot of teasting.
Ian McHugh dropped in and managed something, around the sort of heavy drinking and partying on Friday night.
The house here is great and the views to the lake and the mountains change on a daily basis. Today, it’s been hazy with smoke from fires, we can’t see the mountains.
I’m very grateful for this time to get away and write with friends. There’s a freedom involved when you are with like minded people and you aren’t fussed about the eight pairs of shoes around the coffee table, or the chocolate wrappers on the floor. You just enjoy being.
This morning, I thought I might have put on a couple of kilos as certain parts of my anatomy don’t fit my clothes anymore.
As the others left this morning, it’s just Matt, me, Russell and Kylie and we are heading out to get dinner. Until next time then.
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