Sunday 26 July 2015

Writing Away From Home - Holiday/Retreat/Conference


The writing calendar is full of wonderful events. With financial resources at a premium how does one choose what to attend and what to just hanker after (apologies for the split infinitive)?

Holiday:

It’s late July, ostensibly the middle of summer here in England though you wouldn’t know it looking out of the window. It’s been raining persistently with more to come. Several of my writing friends are even now travelling to Fishguard in Wales to attend the annual Writers’ Holiday. While I’ve always thought ‘holiday’ was a bit of a misnomer, Ann and Gerry Hobbs have consistently maintained that delegates are there to enjoy themselves. This much is true as I can testify, having joined them on three consecutive years (the first two at the Caerleon Campus near Newport). In blazing sunshine last year we did indeed manage a couple of outings and a walk on the beach. One of us actually paddled – it wasn’t me! That said, we attended courses and talks, learned a huge amount and left with a strong desire to learn more…there’s always more to learn, isn’t there? A holiday? Not entirely; maybe more a combination of work and play. A wonderful week and one I can thoroughly recommend to anyone who hasn’t been before, and indeed to those who have.

Retreat:

In the spring of this year I went with three writerly friends on a retreat to Whitstable – I wrote about it on this blog here (you may want to refresh your memory) and the benefits of this type of ‘holiday’ are huge. Disciplined enough to set aside time for our writing, the ‘time out’ we took was essential as, in my opinion, it is impossible to maintain such a high level of concentration and output without taking any breaks. In any case, there were some little gems we were able to gather in the name of research.

It may be argued that one could work just as easily from home but that isn’t in fact the case. No matter how dedicated, there are always distractions…coffee breaks, phone calls, emails. Internet access at our retreat was almost non-existent and while this was frustrating at the time it did have the benefit of precluding displacement therapy. I know I can speak for my companions when I say that more output is achieved under these circumstances than is possible under normal circumstances.

Romantic Novelists’ Association Annual Conference

My favourite event of the year. There is little time (read that as no time) to do any actual writing. I have recently returned from this year’s Conference which took place at Queen Mary University in Mile End Road, London. It’s a wonderful campus on the Regent’s canal and I was astonished to find an old Jewish cemetery situated within the grounds. I’m sure many of you reading this will also have been there. Much has been said already on various forums so I will not expand here other than to say that I came away with my usual regret of not being able to attend two sessions at the same time. There is such a wide choice and so many opportunities to extend one’s knowledge. Ah well; it would seem the only solution is to go again next year and play catch up, while at the same time missing others – so obviously I’ll have to go again the year after, and so on.

RNA members know how to work hard but they also know how to play hard. The Gala Dinner on Saturday evening was no exception, a wonderful glittering event. Then there are the flat parties (most definitely not in the sense of dull) but no, I promised I wouldn’t expand. Suffice it to say there was much merrymaking. I’m never quite sure how it’s possible to cram so much work and play into three days but it’s a hell of a lot of fun trying.

Conclusion:

It takes time to learn what best suits one’s needs and indeed what is most enjoyable. There are many other events in the writing calendar that I haven’t talked about here and many I have never attended, nor will I be able to. I can’t do everything but I think I have found what suits me best. Sadly Fishguard is probably off my radar for the foreseeable future. The RNA Conference and the writing retreat, be it in Whitstable or elsewhere, would always be my first choices. Anything else would be a bonus. What stands out as special in your writing year?







  

10 comments:

  1. Natalie, I aways take my iPad and wireless Mac keyboard with me, so I can write if the mood takes me. And it always does! At this very moment I'm sitting in our caravan writing blog posts because the weather is so horrible. I find if I let days pass without writing something, I sieze up - a bit like old bones. LOL.

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    1. And the guilt, Lizzie, the guilt. I'm not a fan of the expression 24/7 but I think if you're a writer that's what it is. If we don't wake up in the night thinking about it, we dream about it. Thank you for stopping by. Sorry your holiday, weather wise, is such a wash out.

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  2. I've just got back from Umbria, which has always been a great place in which to write. While I was there this time, I received the line edits for Golden Tiger, which is coming out in October, and I decided to get down to them at once. However, I found that I didn't have the kind of concentration required for tight editing - the sun and the pool kept calling me. In the end, I had to wait until I'd returned to England.

    I've been writing in Italy for years, and this inability to shut out the the desire to profit from the weather was a first for me. It showed that creating a novel engenders of sort of concentration that doesn't come into being when editing.

    Happily, though, back in England in the cold and rain, I'm making up for lost editing time. :-)

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    1. With the weather the way it is here, Liz, it's lucky you DID take advantage while you were away. Whatever has happened to the blazing summer they forecast? Good luck with the edits.

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  3. It was me! I paddled at Fishguard last year - hopefully no photos survived. I must agree with Natalie, there are times and places we can write and places to simply listen and learn. I've attended many writing 'holidays', retreats and conferences over they years. Retreats are the best although Imiss the 'old' Writers Holiday at Caerleon. Next week I go on holiday to Devon - with my laptop!

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    1. I have the evidence, Elaine. However, without your permission I decided not to publish. You do look as if you're enjoying yourself though!
      It seems that none of us can go away without something to 'write' on. Unfortunately I'm not very good with a pad and pen - can't read my own writing - so it's usually the laptop for me as well. Have a lovely holiday.

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  4. I much prefer going on retreats now rather than conferences. Retreats are so much more relaxing. I like to go to Dunford House in W Sussex. It's in the middle of trees and fields. The atmosphere and surroundings are so peaceful. We get plenty of time to write, and chat and eat. Conferences I now find are a bit too full on, so I do try to find time to unwind or not go to a workshop.

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    1. I know what you mean about relaxing, Julie. At one point during the Conference I thought I'd met myself coming back until I realised I was looking in a mirror!

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  5. My first RNA conference stands out for me... because of my lovely flat mates ;) and because it's the only writing event I've been to!

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    1. Let's hope it was the first of many, Wendy. It was lovely to spend so much time with you.

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