Dear Reader,
It’s still fairly early yet, I suppose, but Word Raccoon managed to get sidetracked this afternoon and I just don’t know if I can get her back on course.
She was supposed to be writing, but did she?
Nay, nay.
Instead, with one innocent question: What are we doing on (such and such holiday)?, the need to schedule the annual writing retreat came upon her.
It could have been easy.
It should have been easy.
But our gorl never takes the easy way out.
There were calendars and schedules to consult.
There were seemingly endless options to explore from “The usual?” to “What about the cute place your aunt rented on Airbnb?”
WR shook her head fiercely.
We puttered around the Airbnb site, once we had the days for our stay chosen. So many options! So many cities, nay, states, to choose from.
I tried to convince her that when we’re writing, place is almost irrelevant.
She had opinions about that.
She almost settled on a great loft space but when she read about the traffic noise, she said no.
There was the adorable cabin, but the decor was teddy bears in overalls and she could not.
She scrutinized every photo, looking for the most important things: a comfy place to sit while writing, a comfy place to sit when not writing, inspiring surroundings, proximity to nature, and good restaurants.
At least I convinced her that a kitchen would be nice this year.
Of course cost was important, too.
She finally settled on a place not too far away (in case of bad weather; one year she missed a whole day and a half of her retreat due to the “inclements”), but far enough so she’d be away from life on repeat.
The winner is the cutest two-bedroom bungalow, with the most gorgeous wide woodwork and it comes with a turntable and a stash of records! (We spied a Nina Simone album in a picture.) WR is very pleased.
Oh, and there’s a white sun porch with a desk!! A more enclosed, presumably more climate-controlled one, than her usual spot. But of course she chose the light. As I’ve said before, this creature is solar powered!
The interior is cozy without being cluttered, equipped without seeming maximalist. That WR can work with. You’d love it.
WR means to finish up this novel draft over the retreat, if at all possible. She will bring her hooded robe that feels like living inside a stuffed animal, her writing table for maximum writing flexibility, and, of course, her “magic box,” which is what she calls her Macbook.
Also a pile of books.
And her journal.
Let’s not forget Book Goblin either, her stuffed friend, and BG’s special friend you have not met yet, though she’s lived here a few months already! (I’ll introduce her eventually.)
WR just wishes she didn’t have to wait so long for the retreat. I will try to keep her from posting every day while she’s at the retreat, but you know her affection for writing to her Dear Reader.
Here’s hoping that all of my creative readers (I define creative broadly) are giving themselves the time and space to create.
In the meantime, maybe I can get WR back on task before dinner tonight. Doubtful, though. She’s too busy staring out the window imagining our writing retreat.
Drema