a brief hiatus
Tomorrow morning I head off for a week’s residency at Varuna Writer’s House; a writer’s retreat nestled in Sydney’s blue mountains region.
I’m absolutely thrilled to get the chance to stay, but I am a little nervous about how it will all turn out. My last self imposed stint of creative exile was tough work. Even though the outcomes were worthwhile, much of the time was spent nursing something akin to a nervous breakdown of the authorly kind.
Let’s summarise my lack of confidence by saying I’m cautiously optimistic about the coming week. Ready to be challenged, recognising the potential for frustration, and open to unexpected outcomes. Hell, it’s better than a week of 9 to 5. I have my camera, so at worst I’ll come back with some pretty photos of the garden.
Not that many will notice, but while I’m away things will be a bit quiet here on the blog and twitter. So why not leave me some thoughtful comments to come back to? That would be nice…
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3 Comments
Suffice to say we’re all reeeeally jealous! Be sure to post some pretty pictures when you get home.
looking forward to hearing all about it mate.
Congratulations on the residency, Mark – I am envious. I hope it was a productive week.
“Writer’s retreat” is an odd term – like writing isn’t solitary enough. Retreat also brings to mind images of white flags and red-coated armies turning on their heels. It makes me think that writers’ retreats should use a more positive way of describing themselves.
I tried maté on the weekend. It was like heroin in a cup. I didn’t find the taste paticularly pleasant but I couldn’t stop thinking about it and kept wanting more.
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