A writer's retreat

While I could mean a retreat from writing here (and sometimes that sounds like a good idea), I'm actually talking about a place to go to write, or paint, or read, or just be you for a while.

Where is this absolute gem, you ask? I'll tell you (because I'm nice like that).

It's in a tiny little village called Sheepwash, near Okehampton, in Devon. I know for a lot of my friends outside the UK environs this is rather a long way to go, but if you're ever visiting…

Anyway, I've had trouble getting into my rewrite with all the distractions of everyday life intruding. I'd booked a holiday, but, inevitably, if I stayed home, I'd find chores to do. My plan was to get away completely - escape - and concentrate on my writing for a few days.

Short vs long

I'm one of these people who can set out to write something short, but still end up with something way over the word limit for that "short" descriptor.

I admit that I never had that problem with essays set as homework. Then, I tended to have trouble getting them up to the word count. Writing stories for English, though, or writing something for a competition… Inevitably, I'd have to take the editing scissors to my work before it could be handed in.

I think this is why writing novels appeals. OK, so no one wants a 250,000 word opus, so I can't get carried away when writing, but I do get to explore the story without worrying about the word count.

On the other side of the coin, "short" reins in my tendency to over-write, and makes sure I squeeze every last ounce of meaning out of every word.

Which format do you like writing best? Short or long? And which do you prefer to read?

The train and the writer

I'm on a train today, heading up to England's capital of London. The snack trolley has just gone past and the aroma of strong coffee is swirling about the carriage making me wish I'd bought one.

My favourite trick when I'm on a train, even when I've been on the journey several times before, is to stare out of the window. I don't know what I'm looking for. I'm pretty sure the trees and buildings won't have changed that much from the last trip, and the rail network is unlikely to have decided to reroute the railway lines so I get a different view each time. Still, as standard, me on a train equals me looking out the window.

Today is different. Today I have my NetBook. And more than that. I've actually got the NetBook out!! (Cue stunned gasps.)