Another Retreat Gone

The annual writer's retreat is over - well, all but the tiredness! But it's a good tired.

For four days, we did nothing but work on our writing. Well, nothing that is except eat, play, go for walks, haunt the local cemetery, have dance parties, etc. Hey, everyone needs a break now and then, right? :)

Most of us arrived at the grounds on Thursday. We found our rooms, unpacked, looked around, then got to work. Though it was a low production day for me, I did get some editing done. It was mostly my set up and plan day.

Friday, after a wonderful breakfast that was great for my soul, but definitely not for the waistline or cholesterol count, we got down to serious work. The remaining retreaters straggled in throughout the morning. We broke for lunch and dinner (again, great food, if not exactly healthy) at specified times, but other than that, it was mostly steady work. I managed to finish the edits on my current WIP - over 200 pages done. Friday evening was break time. While some went out for "refreshment" and to see the Star Trek movie, others of us stayed in and spent the evening chatting or continuing our work. I enjoyed getting to know a couple of my fellow members a little better as we talked about our lives, our work, our writing.

Saturday was similar to Friday - great food, great conversation when together, hard work. I mapped out my next two stories and got to work writing one of them. I managed 15 pages of solid writing after all the plotting details were done, so a really good day for me. After dinner, several of us wanted to go exploring the grounds, but the weather didn't cooperate, so Megan Hart, one of our members, set up her online camera and did interviews with several of us for her upcoming blog. I'll let you know when it's up and running. After a couple of those, the rain stopped and we went out for a walk. Across a narrow, two-lane country road from the retreat center is an ancient cemetery which we visited. Most of the stones there date from the early 1800's. Since most of us are huge Harry Potter fans, we got a laugh from one stone for "James Potter". After that, we wandered back to the grounds. By then, the sky had darkened and thunder rumbled in the distance. Since I am the ultimate coward when it comes to storms, I headed back to the hotel while the others continued their playing.

Later Saturday evening was our annual retreat party where we all get together and play silly games that have us laughing so hard, tears run and our cheeks hurt. It's loud, raucous, completely inane - and so much fun. It's the highlight of the weekend. Afterwards, we drifted back to our rooms, not necessarily to work, though. I know some tried, but others set up iPods in the hallway and we had an impromptu dance party. The revelry lasted well into the night - or dare I say morning?

Sunday morning, we straggle into breakfast, most of us grasping our caffeinated beverages like lifelines. Though some do stay until later in the day, breakfast is the last meal the center serves us. My travel mate and I packed up and hit the road shortly after breakfast for our two hour drive home. I was tired beyond thinking, sporting a pounding headache from lack of sleep, and my tummy was rumbling unhappily (good food, but definitely not what I'm accustomed to).

But I'm already marking my calendar for next year. I can't wait. :)