Retreating - The Tyrone Guthrie Centre
The Tyrone Guthrie Centre is paradise. I haven't cooked or committed acts of housework in seven days. I'll get to the writing part soon...but the food (dinner is every evening at seven) is exquisite. A fatted calf took the bus back to Laois yesterday! Thai food, vegetarian, fish, roast...every evening was different and a taste of heaven.
The novelty of writing uninterrupted never wore off. My room was large, en suite and had plenty of light. I do wish I'd brought a sketchbook, the gardens were stunning. If I went to the kitchen for coffee, there was always homemade scones and someone to talk to. The balance is perfect, if you need to work for hours at a time in silence, you have it. If you'd like a break and a chat, you have that too. I've made new friends and will be keeping an eye out for various plays, exhibitions, poems and novels...
Writing wise, it was hard work. I discovered my novel isn't as near to finished as I'd imagined. I could wrap it up now but it needs deeper writing, one of my main characters has a lot more to tell. The person who went to Monaghan would have been gutted by this revelation, but I'm not. It takes time. I've two points of view with a third one creeping in. You tackle what you can at the time of writing, and when I started this novel I didn't know the characters well enough, now I know them well enough to continue...
Another rewrite!
Did I mention the lake? The organic gardens? The relaxed atmosphere?
Comments
and homemade scones! I'd have been in that kitchen all day...
Take care
x
@Martin H- Thanks,they don't always but these people have been running the centre for over 25 years so they've got it sussed!
I am delighted you got a chance to concentrate on what is an obvious talent to us readers of your blog..
Good luck with working on it now.