Because it is the destination that needs to capture the imagination.
A writer’s destination is: first, beautiful nature; second, diversity.
Walcot Hall has both.
https://walcothall.com/shropshire-cottages
I went to Inkwell’s retreat because I needed to get away from it all. This was my first retreat. It was a long-time voucher of some sort my husband had promised me, but I couldn’t cash on it because I always had someone I needed to care for.
This was my first time on my own, away from home.
Think of Walcot Hall as a country.
In just a few paces, you could go to different universes, different cultures, and speak different languages.
There is a garden where one might learn to speak the language of flowers.
There is a strange village of yurts where one might learn to speak South Asian rites.
There is a trail of gypsy wagons with campfires where one might learn the language of divination.
And there is a variety of rundown houses and cottages for those in need of learning the language of time passing by.
And then in the village nearby, there is a poetry pharmacy for those in need of words to complete their thoughts. Haiku puzzle pieces. Poems to send by mail. Books about the secret language of trees. Over there, one might drink from a chemistry tray and sip the words of poems from a jar.
I went to this gateway in March 2020, just before the blockade.
Inkwell: https://www.inkwellwriters.co.uk/
I didn’t expect anything.
I didn’t know the persons in charge of the event.
I didn’t know how the organization would look like.
I didn’t care.
I live under a rock!
I was backpacking to a place where I wanted to reflect and write away from my life.
My journey has been a difficult one. It has also been a spiritual one. Somehow both always go hand in hand.
I had just made a breakthrough in my understanding on how to structure my novels. I wanted to redraft them and give them more depth. I didn’t have any expectation and was totally opened to anything, even the possibility of non-participating.
And the price was right.
I knew that was the only way for me to fully appreciate the people and the teachings.
I believe coming to this sort of events with a lot of expectations just ruins it. No one can ever meet personal expectations.
Going to this retreat felt like backpacking. We had regular meetings in the morning, and we did go outside in groups and wrote along the way. It was an exploration of the senses, an exploration of themes, an exploration of our imagination. We listened to each other. We enjoyed each other’s writings.
I was happy I didn’t know anything about the celebrity invited or about our hosts. I was meeting them with the heart, and I found depth in their words. I found wisdom in the way Olivia, Ellie, and Mike taught. I found heart and a deep friendship in the way they talked to each other and the way they talked about writing. I felt compassion in the acts and words of the attendees. They seemed hand-picked although it could not have been possible.
It felt like home.
Home for a week.
Home away from home.
Thank you all.
Here is my take on how to go to a retreat. What is yours?