Retreat

There's never enough time to write.  There's always so much... stuff in the way.  Whether it's too many friends getting in your face, or your getting too many friends on Facebook, the cell phone ringing or the strident singing of what everyone else is selling, finding those precious minutes when you can focus on your writing is a major challenge.  Short of magically discovering a 25th hour in the day, what's a 21st century scribe supposed to do?

I say, go away.  Get out of Dodge.  Maybe you could join a 60-day, 1,400 mile dog-sled expedition across the Canadian Arctic -- if you have the strength to write about it during those long wintery nights and the yapping of the dogs doesn't preclude sleep. 

On the other hand, how does hanging out on 2,000 summery acres of American pasture, river, trees and solitude sound to you? 

From June 22nd to June 27th this year, writer Barbara Abercrombie and I will be conducting a writing retreat in Twin Bridges, Montana at Rockpoint Ranch.  I'll be teaching a workshop on "Character and Plot for Film and Fiction," and Barbara will be teaching "Writing Your Life Into Story: Memoir and the Personal Essay." 

Each workshop is limited to eight students and will be held Monday through Friday morning, with afternoons devoted to your writing on your own, and one-on-ones with me or Barbara.  Lunches and dinners are included in the cost of $850.00.  Further details on the courses and the environs can be found in the Montana Writing Retreat link located at the bottom of this blog's right-hand sidebar.

Some years ago, I spent a week at the ranch rewriting my novel that glimmers in my memory as golden -- it was one of most transcendent experiences I've ever had trying to wrestle a recalcitrant draft into submission (and man, those suckers can be fierce). 

I'd wake each morning in Barbara's guest house, get out of bed, pull up the blinds and see dozens of cows grazing on the greenery right outside the window, a few gazing back at me with benign indifference.  Then I'd make a pot of coffee and shuffle out to the porch with last night's pages and a red pen in hand.

As it happened, I was reading Henri Troyat's great biography of Tolstoy at the time.  On breaks from writing, wandering along the river banks with that tome in one hand and a self-whittled walking stick in the other, I felt transported to Count Leo's era.  I half-expected to come upon some Slavic serfs carting hay or a peasant woman doing her laundry by a millstream's waterfall.

The ranch wasn't then wired for internet, cell reception was sporadic at best, and even the idea of watching TV seemed unnecessary and somehow antithetical to my task.  With a caretaker and his family the only other humans in scarce proximity, I had nothing but my imagination and a big expanse of blue heaven above to bask in.  I think I got more work done in a single week than I'd managed to achieve in the preceding three months.

Obviously, this June at the ranch you won't be in such extreme isolation.  And the considered input from a dedicated instructor and some fellow students may be just what you need to help spark inspiration when you're in the midst of such a writer's getaway.  In fact, you'll get the kind of up-close, personal hand's-on help with your current project that a work-of-progress thrives on.  But the basic beauty of the situation is the same: whenever you want, you can be alone with your words and that big sky, providing plenty of room for your spirit and your mind to move.

Further details on the courses and the environs can be found via the link page, and you can e-mail me with any questions.  We're still accepting applications and I've moved the deadline to April 16th, figuring that after the 15th, you'll know if you have the extra funds to invest in your work.  Taxes and other such troubles are exactly what you'll leave behind, should you be able to join us.  Me, I can't wait to be contemplating those Twin Bridges cows again.

Comments

[binnie]

I had to comment. Those pictures are beautiful. Montana is one of my favorite places on the planet and every minute I spent there was magic.
What is it about cows? Your story reminded me of the time I was touring Europe with Leonard Cohen (and oh man wasn't his Hall Of Fame induction wonderful?). We were in a lovely little hotel in Zurich, I opened the shades the morning after the night we arrived and a cow was looking right at me. Just...looking. I was transfixed.

[E.C. Henry]

Billy, Your 5 day writing retreat with Barbara in Montana sounds AWESOME! Five years ago I went to a writers' conference on Widbey Island, WA and stayed at a bed and breakfast. My room had a view of Puget Sound that was to die for, and the bed and breakfast people kept stocking my refrigerator with kickass, homemade snacks. I'd get up early in the morning, watch the sun rise, and edit pages on the epic fantasy novel I was working on at the time.

This year's tax refund is earmarked for airfare for this year's Screenwriting Expo. Hopefully I'll see ya there!

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

[Christian Howell]

I totally envy anyone who doesn't have a full-time job that sometimes brings 12-16 hour days.

[Jennifer]

If you want to "escape while at home" try Script Frenzy. It is a great writing event that challenges you to write 100 pages in the 30 days of April. I did it last year and it was wonderful. Having an externally set deadline was what I needed to get from wanting to write, to writing. My family understood, too. Check it out: www.scriptfrenzy.org.
(It is the sister program of National Novel Writing Month.)

Here's to Writing!

[Anna]

Hi Billy,
I am a professional screenwriter who lives in Stockholm, Sweden, and I have a question that hasn't got anything to do with what you've just written. It is about Juno, a movie I really liked of course - BUT: how come no-one seems to be puzzled with the ending of the story? To me, it is definetely not an emotionally satisfying endpoint when a baby is given away just like that. Sure, the baby will be fine with its new mum. But isn't it a bit strange that the adults in Juno's family without any thoughts or pain or reflections at all, just accept that their grandchild disappears out of sight for ever? OK, Juno herself and her boyfriend can be considered too young to understand the seriousness of giving birth to a human being, but their parents??? If I had a 16-year-old child who by mistake became a mother or father, I would think about the future, both from my own POV and my son's or daughter's POV. When Juno, for example, is 30 years old her child will be 14. There is of course a big risk that Juno by then (or sooner) will realize that she has missed her own child's childhood. Why don't her parents take care of the baby, and let Juno be a happy, guitar-playing 16-year-old, and let the baby stay in the family? I don't get it. To me it is very strange to see this "happy end", it is certainly not a feelgood ending, more of a tragic one. I'm wondering if it's something different here between American culture and European culture in the way of looking at parenthood? Or what? Please, tell me your view on this topic. I would be very pleased, because I'm very curious!

[MaryAn]

Sounds awesome, Billy.

To Anna. Okay, I'm not Billy, but I'll say this about Juno's father and stepmother. They named their daughter Liberty Bell. Diablo establishes early on (obsessive dog picture cutting, anyone?) that we aren't supposed to expect from Juno's parents what we might expect from our own.

[J]

GOD do I want to go to that.

After 2 years in this city, that sort of beautiful isolation sounds so delicious I can almost taste it.

[mernitman]

Binnie: Cows in Munich? How cool is that.

EC: Homemade treats in the fridge, eh? We'll have to get to work on that.

Christian: I think the concept is about people who do have jobs like that (I've done my share of 16 hour days, thanks) taking a once-in-a-full-year week OFF...

Jennifer: Thanks for the tip.

Welcome Anna, and thank you for the intriguing question. I think it is about a difference in our cultures.

In Sweden, don't you have universal health care and good support for single mothers? Evidently more than 50% of the babies born in Scandinavia are born out of wedlock, and (according to my girlfriend's research) inexpensive child care is widely available; daycare is guaranteed by law for every child older than 18 months; Swedish are free to take 64 weeks off their jobs after the birth of a baby, at 90% pay for the first year.

In America, we have NOTHING like this for single moms, and the financial burden involved in raising a child can be huge.

Meanwhile, in terms of the screenplay's context: Juno's parents seem like the types who might or might not take on such a mixed blessing... And the ending doesn't seem to rule out the idea that Juno might have a role in her child's life, as she's already forged a relationship with her child's new mom.

I do agree with you, at any rate, that the ending is more bittersweet and even melancholic than "happy," but perhaps for the reasons cited, Americans are more willing to accept this.

MaryAn: So which bank are we going to knock over so that you can join us on the ranch?

Same question to J.

[Anna]

Thank you for your answer, that really made sense. You are definetely right about the differences between Sweden and the US when it comes to economical benefits for parents. To me, though, your note about Juno's possible future relationship with the baby and its new mother, is even more psychologically satisfying. You have a point there. Now it feels much better!
I look forward to keep following your writing.
Thanks again, Anna

[binnie]

ZURICH, not Munich! Different country, different "ich"!
:)

[mernitman]

Binnie: Zurich, of course! I had it in my first draft!! Until the computer went blooey and I had to retype all the comments including the long one with all the statistics to Anna in Sweden, and in my aggravated rush I confused my ichs!!! Apologies.

[binnie]

Ich forgive you.
(Looking forward to the excerpt from the book this week!)

[MaryAn]

Dunno. The cost of the retreat doesn't frighten me as much as the gettin' there. OY! Airfare!!