Back row: Nicholas Tchan, Amin Chehelnabi, Roger Reynolds, Kylie Bullivant, Me, Maclaren North, Angela Rega, Kurt Mueller
Front row: Cat Sparks, Terry Dowling, Rob Hood

I could have gone with “what not to write and where not to get published”, but (my crutch word, apparently) it was a creative writer’s retreat, and that demands something a little more… creative. Plus it’s pretty indicative of the level of humour of the weekend. Thanks first up to authors Terry Dowling, Cat Sparks, and Rob Hood for leading the retreat, to Maclaren North for organising it all, and to the staff at Leura House for service beyond reproach.

Great weekend. Second retreat for me and I love ‘em. Excellent company all round, and I’ve returned with the creative batteries fully charged and leaking all over the joint. I was the only writer who hadn’t taken part in one of Terry’s creative writing courses, so there was a few terms and ideas I wasn’t familiar with, but I think I caught on quick enough. 

First time in a group critique and it was brutally, brutally honest, which is great — spares anyone from publishing crap they want to bury later on, and also means that praise is genuine. 

Fat of the Land was generally panned, which is fine. “Revelling in expression” which I take as a compliment, but “florid, melodramatic, and overblown” clearly isn’t. And the criticism is spot on. Most folks found the staging and execution dull and unengaging, but on a positive note the concept behind the story was well received. I just need to find a better angle to tell the story and at least the idea passed the litmus test.

Grimshaw faired much better; even so, when your dialogue is is described as “lego-man talk” you know you’ve got your work cut out for you. I did receive some really lovely comments and encouragement (thanks heaps!) and I have the drive now to tackle that dreaded second draft.

There were some really great stories and wonderful ideas submitted and it was a pleasure to discuss them with the group. I feel bit bad singling out any one particular author but I found Nick Tchan’s work to be fantastic.

That said all the writers who attended displayed enough talent to succeed; but as Cat pointed out, talent alone means shit - it takes total dedication and relentless determination. So when I see someone like my best mate Kurt, who’s just starting out on his writer’s journey, cop a pounding in the critiques and then find him an hour later back in the saddle writing away, applying everything he has just learned — that’s what she’s talking about.

I hope I can be as determined as him.

Jeremy