E E Montgomery
  • Home
  • Books
  • Free Stories
    • Alive and Free
    • In a Pool of Blood
    • Morning Run
    • Making Friends
    • Love at First Sight
    • One Perfect Day
    • Love vs Tradition
    • The Gingerbread House
    • The Way Out
  • Blog
  • Bio
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Books
  • Free Stories
    • Alive and Free
    • In a Pool of Blood
    • Morning Run
    • Making Friends
    • Love at First Sight
    • One Perfect Day
    • Love vs Tradition
    • The Gingerbread House
    • The Way Out
  • Blog
  • Bio
  • Contact
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

Blog

20/5/2016 0 Comments

I want to go on retreat every weekend!

Picture
I'd really like to spend every weekend in a secluded house, doing nothing but writing and talking about writing. The retreat last weekend was fantastic.

The program overview:
  • Arrival was any time on Thursday or Friday, depending on work commitments.
  • We brought breakfasts and lunches with us and went out to dinner each night.
  • Each morning after breakfast was a half hour workshop. I presented one on a quick, easy way to plot a story and maintain production when writing.
  • We followed a modified Pomodoro method of working: work on writing for 45 minutes, break for 15. By Sunday, when we were trying to finish our work on time, and getting tired, the 45 sometimes stretched to 50 or 55, and sometimes the break stretched to 20.
  • Morning tea was in a scheduled break (15 minutes).
  • Lunch was an hour, which included a walk.
  • We worked that way from 8.30am to 5.15pm before breaking for dinner.
What do you accomplish with a weekend like that? LOTS.

Just having the time away from everything that usually grabs so much of your attention is marvelous. Being with others who are focused on writing too, is inspiring. It's reaffirming to be able to discuss the most realistic way for someone to react to a hit-and-run without others thinking we're callous. Staying in a place with a magnificent view and that feels separated from the rest of the world, reinforces the idea that there's nothing else more important to do but write. The photo shows only part of the view we woke up to every morning. We could see right around from the ocean and The Gold Coast, to Brisbane, to the mountains.

What did I accomplish?
  • I completed a few final edits on No Evil Star and sent it to Betas. I suspect there's still more work to do on this one, but it's closer to being finished.
  • I wrote a synopsis of No Evil Star and did one edit before putting it aside to think about.
  • I finished plotting the last half of a new book. It's a bit complicated. I think I've got it plotted now but I'm not sure how much of a romance it's going to be. The two lovers don't find each other again until the last third of the book. I'll sort that problem out once it's written and I can see where everything is.
  • I wrote three new scenes for that story.
By Monday, I was shattered. I couldn't have worked like that for a fourth day straight. I needed a nap.



0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    E E Montgomery

    About writing, life, and random thoughts.

    Archives

    November 2020
    September 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    September 2019
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    Categories

    All Author Interview Books Characters Coming Soon Conflict Cover Reveal Editing Excerpt Family Fantasy Free Stories Goal Holiday Holidays Maps Memories Miscellaneous MM Romance Motivation NaNoWriMo New Contract New Release Plotting Poetry Publications Reading Reviews Setting Special Events Synopsis Writing The Gingerbread House Travel Website What I'm Reading Words To Know World Building Writers Life Writing Writing Courses Writing Habits Writing Retreats Year Of The Novel

    RSS Feed

(c) E E Montgomery, 2014 - 2020
Proudly powered by Weebly