Retreat! - Tamsyn Murray

As you read this, I am ensconced in a country cottage somewhere, my brow earnestly furrowed on a writing retreat. There are some other people here but for the most part I will be alone with my story and my laptop. Once, I used to be able to write any time and anywhere but these days, if I want to make sustained progress with a novel, I need to go away from home. I need to retreat into myself.

I make excellent progress when I'm away - who wouldn't, when all the stresses and strains of everyday life fall away and the biggest decision you have to make is whether to have another cup of tea or not? But because I can't go on retreat every weekend, I'd like to be able to keep that 'retreat feeling' when I get home. And it occurs to me that some aspects of being on retreat might travel back with me. Obviously, the solitude is tricky, especially with a day job, a toddler and other assorted family members around, but I think what I get most out of being on retreat is headspace - the freedom to be creative and work on my ideas. So I wonder if it's possible to carve out a niche to help maintain a bit of headspace when I get home? Maybe it's just about being disciplined, about spending less time faffing about on social media and more time writing. Or maybe it's about recognising that writing makes me happy, even though I have to sacrifice a couple of hours TV watching with my family, and that a happy me is worth everyone's while.

So my post-retreat resolution is to keep the retreat mentality going for as long as I can. Perhaps some enterprising soul could start a sweepstake on how long I last - the breaking point would be the first snappish, bad-tempered tweet about my WIP. Anyone who suggests twelve hours or less will be severely frown upon...