This tree and I bonded.
Last month, I went on my very first post-graduate school writing retreat, and let me tell you… IT WAS EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED.
On a whim, I clicked on some contest to win a free room for up to five days at the When Words Count retreat in Vermont. It seemed kind of fishy at first, but then I Googled the hell out of it and found it was a legitimate establishment. I won the room, plus a room for up to two friends, and chose my dates to coincide with the deadline I set for the first draft of my first novel, and mid-winter recess for the kid, and off to New England we went.
First of all, VERMONT IS BEAUTIFUL. Creepy, yes, because I watch too many movies, but so goddamn beautiful. I could (fake) live there.
Second, it was absolutely blissful to not have to do anything besides rest and write. There was a chef on-site cooking all the meals, so really, I had zero worries the whole time I was there. There was the little matter of having to hear the owner pitch his editorial and marketing services at and after dinner every night, but I’m pretty good at tuning people out, so it’s whatever.
Finally, I nearly doubled my word count in just four days. FOUR DAYS. I went from 16K words, which I’d been stuck at for a year, to 30K words. Plus notes for the next 20K that I think it will take to finish this draft.
I feel good about what I’ve written so far, but I can’t lie–the next steps are stressing me out. Returning home to my cramped and cold apartment, the bills, the anxiety, the responsibilities, and MY JOB, has stalled me something awful. I wanted to recreate my experience in Vermont at home, I just haven’t been successful.
I’m trying to stay positive, though. I have 30K words of a great story; I’m over the hump. But still, pray for me as I struggle through these last 20…
xoxo,
Raquel Ivelisse