"Retreat? From what?
Why on earth would I do that?
I am a woman with a million and one things to do at home,
why would I retreat?”
Retreating from home
One of the Cambridge dictionary definition of retreat is a move back by soldiers or an army, either because they have been defeated or in order to prevent further fighting.
“Ah…now you mention it, I have been in a bit of a fight with all the things I need to do versus placing my bottom on the seat and writing. Perhaps a retreat is what I need, to pull back. For life most certainly gets in the way of doing the writing I promised myself I would do. Even the 500 words a day can be a struggle, but all writing counts, right?”
Grocery lists, job lists for teenagers, and my journal, where I squeeze a few words on to the page in the cracks of time between being a taxi-girl and my duties as mother of the band.
Retreating to reassess
Leigh D’Ansey, Jen Yates and I retreated to St. Mary’s church in PioPio, New Zealand. It is a glorious place, where the old church has been given new life as self contained accommodation. The vestry is the kitchen, and the altar the high table. I loved the use of the confessional as the bathroom. But most of all, I loved that everything had it’s place, it was pretty, with extraordinary attention to detail (the door stops were church mice).
Above all it was a complete change from home. A re: Treat indeed.
Retreating to think carefully
Another definition of retreat is a period of time used to pray and study quietly or to think carefully, away from normal activities and duties.
I was in the perfect place to pray, but I took the opportunity to think carefully about my plans for the year ahead. What were my goals for my writing in particular? And as a group of writers, we had time to discuss what we might do together.
Retreating to plan
With laughter, some mind-mapping and many cups of tea a plan for our collaborative projects were hatched.
Do you need a retreat, to reassess whats going on in your life, to think carefully and to plan?
Our Plan
The Three Quills have been born!
Jen Yates, Leigh D'Ansey and Caroline Bagshaw.
Watch out there are two anthologies by The Three Quills coming your way in 2021
A Tangle of Titles and Tiaras due to be launched around mid-summer in the northern hemisphere, June 2021.
A Tangle of Tonights and Tomorrows will be launched towards the end of 2021
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