Hermits on a Hilltop

We've written about our writing habits -- our abilities to sequester ourselves and focus on our projects. But there comes a time when even the most reclusive among us benefits from interacting with others of our kind. Our tribe.

Months ago, the What Women Write members agreed a writing retreat would be a great vehicle for diving into our works and feeding off each other's creative energy.

Not to mention, it would be fun to get away.

After a little Internet research and a few (well, dozens) of back and forth emails, we reserved a lovely Texas Hill Country-style house along the Brazos River for a long weekend. We secured the date, changed and secured it again, and eagerly planned our retreat. We finalized transportation details and gabbed about what to bring. Laptop computers and food topped the list. It's possible food topped the list, actually.

And away we went.

Now, composing this post from our remote perch at the top of a lovely hill in Texas, surrounded by friendly dogs, curious donkeys, and a wandering pig, we can safely say: It's working!

We spend quiet time apart writing. We come together for critique and chat (and chat ... and chat ...). Some of us are piling up thousands of NaNoWriMo words, others are meandering happily. Over dinner last night at a historic inn (that came with plenty of ambiance and a delightful server happy to share the house's ghost tale at Joan's request!), we concurrred our retreat has been a success. And, except for Kim's allergic reaction to the prolific mountain cedar and an unfortunate run-in with some fire ants, we've had a fabulous time.

Now, back to writing ...