Continuing my report of my writing retreat cruise (read #1 here).
Obviously the purpose of the cruise was to write. We’d wanted to do a retreat where none of us had to spend a lot of time shopping, cooking, cleaning… you know how it goes. We worked out a cruise was the best option.
Everything on the cruise is done for you – plus if you get a deal like we did it’s very economical, with the added bonus you get to travel to new places. But how did it go for writing?
Brilliantly! It took a couple of days to find the best place for me to work – we all found different places worked for us. But essentially my writing days were all the same. I’d go to brekky at 7am when it opened. After brekky I’d start writing – or in my case, editing (I started the cruise with a completed draft manuscript).
For me, the best place to edit turned out to be the back of the buffet dining room. The tables were a good height, lots of glass to look outside, power points and an endless supply of tea 🙂
I’d work most of the day until about 4.30pm when I’d pack up to get ready for dinner. During that time I’d take breaks as needed.
During the cruise I edited close to 200 pages of writing, so I think it was a success.
The thing about our cruise was we had terrible weather on all but one day (more on this in a later post). This meant nearly all outside activities were cancelled or closed. Indoor space became a premium. As a result, many of the inside areas which would normally have been very quiet – not so much. Maybe if I’d been trying to write new words it might have been a little more difficult. Not sure.
My verdict: I will definitely do a writing retreat cruise again!
May 20, 2020 at 12:24 am
Interesting. I can see why this was appealing. 200 pages of editing! I’m impressed. What joy it is to write all day, don’t you think?
May 20, 2020 at 6:46 pm
Oh, it truly is wonderful, Jacqui. I miss being able to sink into my story.
May 20, 2020 at 7:25 am
Glad it worked out. Inclement weather is great for writing, isn’t it?
May 20, 2020 at 6:46 pm
The best, Liz. I actually love it when it rains – it just doesn’t do that very often here 🙁
May 21, 2020 at 8:58 am
It sounds wonderful. I’ve heard of writers doing various types of retreats, and yours is right up there! Sorry about the weather, though!
May 21, 2020 at 7:27 pm
I think we were lucky, Jenny, because while the weather wasn’t great, we were there to write so it didn’t worry us as much as everyone else who was there to holiday and soak up the (non-existent) sun!