Anam Cara front entrance

Day three of our stay at the Anam Cara Writers’ and Artists’ Retreat in southwest Ireland. Yesterday (Saturday) was our first full day, and there were torrential rains, so we didn’t get outside during the day. And you know how drowsy you get when it’s rainy and gloomy outside? Combine that with jet lag, and let’s just say it wasn’t our most productive writing day ever.

In the evening we went into the village of Eyeries to Causkey’s Pub to hear a traditional Irish band from…(wait for it…) Belgium. Interesting to hear familiar songs with a Flemish accent.

Christy on the Strand

This morning, Christy and I got in a solid couple of hours of writing and then took what we thought would be a short walk to the strand. We filled our pockets with rocks, but don’t worry, we didn’t jump in the river. Three hours later, we’re back and ready to get to work until dinner. Well, I’ll be working as soon as I finish this blog post.

I’ve finished rereading and marking up my NaNoWriMo novel and am about to begin editing. Christy’s been working on a new rewrite of her novel. There are four other guests here, but during the day it’s strictly quiet. There are lots of different rooms to work in, shelves of books, coffee and tea (does this sound like our little oasis at WriterHouse?) We all eat meals together and the rest of the time is for quiet contemplation and writing.

I have an idea for a short story which I hope to work on in the next few days. I also have the beginning of an idea for an essay. It’s supposed to rain again tomorrow, so we’ll be stuck indoors. Many hours to write.

We’re inspired to set up a WriterHouse retreat sometime soon. Post your ideas here in the comments section.

Have you gone on a writing retreat? Even in a tent in your backyard? Send your photos and accounts of your experiences.