Island Time by Pamela Bennett
Sunshine streams through floor-to-ceiling windows in our octagon “tree house,” painting a golden sheen on twin keyboards.
Outside, live oak branches circle the house, wearing long scarves of Spanish moss. Palm tree fronds dance in the wind, whispering above the soft roar of ocean waves.
A few steps away, palmetto fans and prickly pear edge the path to the beach, where stranded jellyfish wriggle on the sand and seagulls squawk and squabble.
Sound like the fictional setting for a novel?
It could be—someday. For now, however, this tropical paradise on Hilton Head is far from fiction and ours for four weeks. My sister and I are on “island time” for our first long writing retreat.
We smile periodically at each other across a slate-topped table. How surreal it is to sit in the sunshine and have extended hours to work on our twin novel. Most of the pages of Twinless were written in bi-weekly stints or time leftover from day jobs and busy family schedules.
Marcus Aurelius said, “Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.”
Sometimes, however, a man—or woman—has to bust through daily routines and retreat a bit further away—to find an island.
So Janet brought me to her “happy place,” also known as Hilton Head, luring me with the promise of four weeks of daily writing in a beach house…not to mention walks along the beach, sunsets on the sand and hikes through a tropical forest.
We’ve walked past long canals with turtles sunning, blue herons fishing and eight-foot alligators hanging around together…doing whatever alligators do when they stretch out on the shore.
We have to remind ourselves, however, that even though the sun and sand outside beckons, retreating into our fictional setting is the only way to move our characters from dark, musty corners into the light of day.
This also is a “working vacation” for us, where we must keep up with freelance obligations as well as book work. I’m sending newspaper stories to my editor by email and Janet is sending brochures and web graphics, thanks to the magical speed of the Internet.
By stepping away from our homes and daily routines, however, we get a chance to carve a more creative schedule, where the book progresses despite day job obligations. We begin to form habits—like daily writing—that we hope will fuel future productivity.
What about you?
Could you turn your annual two-week vacation into a writer’s retreat? Or maybe a long weekend could mean some extra writing hours.
Don’t wait to create a daily writing habit. Every creative endeavor takes more time than you think it will.
Napoleon Hill said, “Do not wait; the time will never be just right. Start where you stand and work with whatever tools you have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.”
We’ve all heard it before. You won’t “find” time to write. You have to “make” time to write.
So what are you waiting for?
Glad you two had a great time at Hilton Head. I was at Amy’a. Also enjoyed getting to getter for Easter with Dollie and Steve. Finish the Novel. Want to read it.
Love
Mom