Shelley Stuart
Adventures in Hollywood
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Retreat! Retreat!
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For various and sundry reasons, I ended up in Sedona, Arizona on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to take a writing retreat. I've never done the "go away someplace isolated and write" thing before, so I looked forward to the experience. Not only because I got to take time off of work, but because I essentially gave myself permission to ignore everything in the world except the words on the page.
Which meant no dogs, no cats, no laundry to wash, no dishes to clean, no lawn to mow all those "chores" which need to be done, and which I sometimes use as procrastination tools. Writers may be the ultimate procrastinators. I kept myself to a hotel suite (which sounds so la-di-dah, but was essentially just two rooms), didn't have internet, phone and kept the TV turned off.
It was an excellent and productive time. Any time I got up to distract myself, I walked twenty feet and was back at the computer again. I couldn't even invent things to distract myself with. Once in a while I relaxed in the jacuzzi, or took a walk to stretch my legs, but for the most part I wrote.
My accomplishment from 2pm on Monday to 4pm on Wednesday:
-- started and finished the 10-page short for the director;
-- substantially rewrote two of the three scenes for my showcase in January (or maybe February)
-- decided how I wanted to end my current feature, and beat out the major plot points for the last act. I get to start writing the actual story tonight, now that the plot has had time to simmer in my subconscious.
So, I have a feeling that I'll be doing future retreats, and maybe if fortune allows, I'll even be able to buy a cabin in the woods to have as a permanent retreat.
I mailed the short off to the director last night when I got home, and I'll give Deanne the revised showcase scenes tonight. I'm most interested to have the director's thoughts on the script. I think that I've given him most of what he wanted. It's a matter (I hope) of him knowing what he wants. I hope he likes the script, but if not, then I hope he can quantify what he doesn't like.
More on that as it develops.
Which meant no dogs, no cats, no laundry to wash, no dishes to clean, no lawn to mow all those "chores" which need to be done, and which I sometimes use as procrastination tools. Writers may be the ultimate procrastinators. I kept myself to a hotel suite (which sounds so la-di-dah, but was essentially just two rooms), didn't have internet, phone and kept the TV turned off.
It was an excellent and productive time. Any time I got up to distract myself, I walked twenty feet and was back at the computer again. I couldn't even invent things to distract myself with. Once in a while I relaxed in the jacuzzi, or took a walk to stretch my legs, but for the most part I wrote.
My accomplishment from 2pm on Monday to 4pm on Wednesday:
-- started and finished the 10-page short for the director;
-- substantially rewrote two of the three scenes for my showcase in January (or maybe February)
-- decided how I wanted to end my current feature, and beat out the major plot points for the last act. I get to start writing the actual story tonight, now that the plot has had time to simmer in my subconscious.
So, I have a feeling that I'll be doing future retreats, and maybe if fortune allows, I'll even be able to buy a cabin in the woods to have as a permanent retreat.
I mailed the short off to the director last night when I got home, and I'll give Deanne the revised showcase scenes tonight. I'm most interested to have the director's thoughts on the script. I think that I've given him most of what he wanted. It's a matter (I hope) of him knowing what he wants. I hope he likes the script, but if not, then I hope he can quantify what he doesn't like.
More on that as it develops.
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