I liked the question about my ideal writing retreat. I long to sit and write in one of those beach side chalets on stilts over the sea at Pan Pacific, Pangkor. (Or better still Pankor Laut.) I'm sure my muse would be really awakened and ready to do great stuff if I could have a few months there. (Sponsorship deals greatly appreciated!)What would your ideal writing retreat be?
17 comments:
sharon, I have always wanted to write during train journeys, long train journeys. That way, I can be with my own thoughts. Trains here - esp for long journeys do have sockets for Laptops. But I never had a laptop to bring with me during my train rides, not until yesterday (Thanks to my children) . So, now i dont have any excuses anymore.
btw, what is it with you and plants. The last time we had a picture taken together at MPH, you were also posing behind one.
Love the pix though!
i don't know but i always seem to be most productive working in extremely minimalist, raskolnikov-ian surroundings. a bare room, with a table, chair, pens, paper and wastepaper basket. maybe a sleeping bag at one corner.
kak teh - trains are good for writing. toby litt wrote his first collection of short stories on the train between london and norwich when he was a student at UEA.
glad you have your laptop and can write on the go now.
... and i dunno, i do love plants and i'd really love a frangipani tree in MY bathroom
burhan - raskolnikov-ian surroundings *LOL*
I think the idea of an ideal writing retreat is also a way to delay the actual writing process. It would make us imagine and wishing for the 'greener' place to write. Whenever I was given a room facing the sea or any hotel room (when giving lectures & talks) I thought I could write because of the serenity or tranquility of such places. But, I would end up writing back in my good old room, anyway. Such places are good for pondering and rearranging our thoughts on writing.
Wouldn't you agree?
I'm happy writing anywhere as long as I have my Neo (see avatar) with me. Last November, I wrote a lot in noisy public places, especially the IKEA cafe. The set of 3 AA batteries I popped in at the beginning of September still has about 50% juice left in it. It really is the typewriter of the 21st century.
Ooh, my ideal writing retreat isn't anything picturesque nor quite ideal. I'm thinking, hey, ok, now i'm in this picture perfect beach...I'd probably NOT write and enjoy the "retreat" part more. Hahahaha... My ideal writing retreat would be two weeks in the city with NO TV, NO PHONE CALLS, NOTHING BUT BOOKS and GREAT FOOD. Also, good lighting and ventilation, please. The company of friends and family during a very narrow window of time (say, 6 to 8 in the evening?) will also be appreciated.
My ideal retreat: Chateau de Lavigny with the rose garden overlooking Lake Geneva where sailboats bob in the water. There was no call to cook or clean - or buy fish at the pasar malam. Sans family, sans housework or indeed any other work - the brain got freed up. And in the evenings, there was good wine and conversation with fellow writers - and more writing. Wonderful.
saras
Forgot to mention - lovely pictures. Woman in the bath with tree - that's a superb shot.
saras
nisah is actually completely right. just wish she weren't.
chet - i love that keyboard thingy too.
siege - i like the bit about just letting family and friends in for a couple of hours ... and the great food of course
saras - "woman in bath with tree"? love it
and everyone, saras actually applied for a space on a writer's retreat and france a couple of years ago and got it. sometimes you have to ask for the things you want.
... and saras? would love you to blog about it ...
"Chateau de Lavigny"
this reminded me of Villa Diodati (which is also close to Lake Geneva) where Byron and the Shelleys holed up one night and Mary wrote her novel Frankenstein in a frenzy of inspiration. who wouldn't love to be writing with byron and the shelleys!
another cool place to write in a frenzy of inspiration: Rilke's Duino Castle.
"toby litt wrote his first collection of short stories on the train between london and norwich when he was a student at UEA."
i actually took the return train from london to east anglia a few weeks ago. first class, because i got a super-cheap ticket online. but no socket for the laptop.
Dear Sharon,
I nicked your thumbnail of the Quill interview and blogged about it a bit at Notes from Venus (http://www.notesfromvenus.com/blog/)
It should appear there when the editors have been through my post.
Adline :)
wow. many thanks adline. more fame!
Hi Sharon, it's up! View here:
http://www.notesfromvenus.com/blog/?p=2822
Best,
Adline
Fantastic pic of you!
no lah, the lettering hiding all the bulgy bits
i love the picture!
Hi! So far, I'm most productive at Starbucks (when I don't have friends who promised they'd be doing their own thing, along with me) or on the garden set in my mum's garden.
The writing desk in my bedroom works too, but only after a change of scene (i.e. Starbucks, garden, etc..). Otherwise, writer's block comes for a visit.
I want to try Thailand's Let's Sea Hua Hin Resort & Hotel one day.. i wonder if I'll be distracted with my mind wandering off since it seems to be such a beautiful place and I am so prone to day dreaming. Al fresco living beside the beach, each unit is connected to the pool, then with a roof where you can lounge with your laptop on.
hua hin is lovely ... but when i was there it was so hot ...
interesting that you write in starbucks - i think it does provide a pretty condusive atmosphere ...
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