Somehow I just knew the value of trying something like this would surface in multiple ways… On Wednesday I had a minor, innocuous encounter on a short walk from the house. During the evening ‘reading’ session, the conversation turned to what we write about, how those things manifest themselves, etcetera. And it was at that moment that I suddenly realised my walking encounter might actually be a door opening onto a writing opportunity…
The result? Around 2,800 words – in one day! – on a short story based around that experience (the first draft of the story to be finished on Friday, the last day). Not only that, but it also suggested an idea for a new collection of linked short stories. Nothing may come of it in the end, of course, but I wouldn’t have had the story without the walk, the Retreat, the conversation.
So the running total is now over 5,000 words of prose, work on a number of drafts of poems – perhaps six – plus reading (I have a book to finish while I’m here) and the value of our daily interactions.
One day to go, so things to finish off – the World Cup draw to watch (sadly!) – and then the final ‘end of Retreat’ reading to conclude the week. Then home in the snow!
Ian Gouge - Writer 