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Wednesday  30 November

Must do some more writing. Back to Chapter Two. Delete lots of what I wrote.  Force myself not to edit later chapter in novel.  Finally get going on chapter Two, even though I delete more words.

Wed afternoon/eve

Haven’t even read the three competitions I brought with me to judge. Must, must do that. They all have deadlines. Spend entire afternoon and evening reading them and making notes.  Have the shortlist of 6 in the one I am judging for Wimborne Literary Festival. (This is flash fiction so not too long). Great entries. Hard to decide.

Have the shortlist of 11 in another and the shortlist of 7 in another.   Make decisions on these two, but not the Flash Fiction. Must agree to judge fewer competitions. They are a wonderful displacement activity. Like blogging!

Tuesday 29 November

Beautiful day. Take Maggie for long walk. Get back at 10.00. Leisurely breakfast.

Must get serious about this.  Sit and drink morning coffee on window seat watching view. Decide it will be good plan to do some stream of consciousness writing to get going. On notebook I have brought with me. Start writing. Was going to reproduce it here, but too embarrassed 😉

Nice to do stream of consciousness writing. Decide I am warmed up enough to return to novel. Continue with Chapter Two.

Struggle. It isn’t blinking working. Maybe I should change viewpoint. Decide not to. Struggle some more. Check emails. Tell Maggie it is not working. Decide I’m lonely. Ring up friends. Have long chat. Feel better. Go back to novel. Chapter Two – still not working.

Have brainwave. I will write a chapter that is further on in the novel that I fancy writing. I don’t usually do this as it’s hard to catch up. But I am keen. So I do it. Works wonderfully. Fantastic, I now have a chapter that may or may not be in novel. But at least I have a word count 3500 words. Yippee.

Tue Eve

Watch a bit of My Transsexual Summer, channel four. No I am not a transsexual and nor is anyone I know (as far as I know) but I find this programme absolutely fascinating and have been watching the series.  I think because they’re so courageous – how hard it must be to be shut out and shunned by your families just because you were born the wrong sex. They have my utmost admiration. I like brave people.

Monday 28 November

Slept wonderfully well. Walked Maggie across the fields – there is a footpath a few hundred yards away.  We both get extremely wet.   Returned to cottage to dry off.

Read back through first chapter. Not bad. Will need fleshing out, but I like it. Phew.

Check internet.  Get embroiled in emails – good time to catch up on emails as I don’t have anything else to do!  After half an hour, remember I am supposed to be writing a novel. Go back to novel, read first chapter again. Still like it. Begin to edit chapter, increase word count to 1800 words Hurrah. I knew this was a fantastic idea.  Have brief self congratulatory moment about what a wonderful idea this was.

Write the words Chapter Two. Underline and centre.

 Chapter Two

 I am on Chapter Two already. How good that feels.

Write first paragraph of Chapter Two.  Check emails again. Maybe I should tweet about this. Yes, that’s a good idea. I was going to tell my Twitter friends. Also, just remembered I have urgent email to answer from good friends who is having problems with an ill husband Must, must check she is OK.

Go back to novel. Delete first paragraph of Chapter Two.

Have lunch.

Restart Chapter Two. Am rubbish at writing in the afternoon. It feels like wading through toffee sauce.  Toffee Sauce, yum, decide I need something sweet to sustain me. Didn’t bring any chocolate. Go on chocolate-buying expedition. Come back, check emails. Have nap.

Wake up feeling guilty. Must write novel, must write novel.

Word count for the day 400. Hmmm!

Hello. This is my first ever blog. And I thought I’d kick it off with another first in my life – my first ever solitary writing retreat.

Five days of uninterrupted writing in a cottage in Devon – alone.  Just me and my dog, Maggie, the mud monster.  Bliss, right? I thought so too. Read on to hear how it went.

Sunday 27 November, 2011

2.00 pm. Arrived, laden with laptop, note book, clothes (scruffy but one nice top in case I went out to pub), supplies (basic food that wouldn’t take long to cook and big jar of coffee) one dog (Maggie), one dog basket, books to read (in case I got fed up of writing), three competitions to judge (in case I got fed up of writing).

Discovered owners had left a bottle of wine to welcome me. How lovely. Discovered cottage had amazing view across a valley with a window seat so I could sit and dream. A log burner, a well equipped kitchen, central heating, internet access.  I was going to do without the internet access, I promise, I was, I was.

But as I was about to start a brand new novel – I thought I might need it for research. Yeah right!

3.00 pm.

Plugged in laptop – wrote first line of my novel. Scary stuff. I was slightly worried it wouldn’t work. I’d had this novel swimming in my head for a few months. Had not yet committed a single line to paper.  Very very Scary.

Evening.

Have written first chapter – not a very long chapter, mind, (1600 words) but I like it. I think! The acid test is tomorrow when I read back.