Last week I had the absolute privilege of spending five nights at the Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre in beautiful Beauly.
The retreat was a Covid-delayed part of my Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. Fourteen of us were staying, all past and present awardees. It felt like a diverse group in terms of writing genres but everyone shared a desire to make the most of the time and enable others to do the same. I feel very fortunate to have shared such a special experience with this particular set of people and hope I’ve made a couple of real friends.
The peace, surroundings and food were incredible but the uninterrupted writing time was what I loved most. I took full advantage, gradually ticking off my ‘hope to achieve’ list. It confirmed how much joy writing brings me. I feel in a new phase of my writing where I’ve found my ‘spot’. I’m secure in my strengths and what I’m working to improve and it feels good.
What didn’t feel good was having to say goodbye to being looked after! Hopefully I’ll be back for more in the not too distant future.
