As much as I’d like to have gone to Whidbey Island, WA. or Port Townsend, WA. or Vermont or Connecticut, last week’s writing retreat was good enough. I was close enough to home in case something should come up, but far enough away for privacy. The week was productive and relaxing.
After all, time alone, peace from the phone and a quiet place to gather thoughts and get them down and into a story, is what a writing retreat is all about. Well, those requirements and a glorious view to soothe the mind.
My son, Michael Devaney, wrote non-stop for four days. I’m not sure of the exact count, but I think his four day total was around 8,000 words! That’s a bunch of writing. Though Michael doesn’t normally consume coffee at night, throughout the writing days he did! You can check out his Amazon Author page at:
http://www.amazon.com/MichaelDevaney/e/B00KFF1BGW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Leave him a comment and like his page if you can. Michael will appreciate it.
This is one view of our beautiful lake sunsets. 
Here’s a photo my son took last weekend at his hunting club of a Wolf Spider. She blends in well with the ground cover, so you’ll need to look closely. You can also click on the photo for a perfect view of the baby congregation!
Wolf Spider
I’m not fond of spiders—at all, but I find this spider interesting. It’s the only spider to carry its babies on its back. Those baby numbers could range as high as 100-300, though roughly only about half of them make it to adult stage.
When I saw the babies on the spider’s back, I was reminded of all the stories in my folder waiting to be finished. Then characters came to mind. All those characters that sit on my back until they work their way into my heart and onto pages of a story waiting to come alive.
While writing last week, my story was set in my mind. Once I began to write, the characters had a totally different plan. The story took a 360 degree turn. That’s okay though, I’m enjoying the character’s new opinions.
Characters and new novel beginnings are our babies. They’re hard to share and even harder to let them go. To say goodbye. To give them wings.
I’m finishing up the second book in a series that has been too long on the back burner. I’ll be sad to see the stories come to an end, but happy to finally share with readers.
A Smoky Mountain Wedding – Book Two, coming soon.
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