Annie Percik - Blog posts from Retreat

Subscribe by RSS:

Posted on 06 December 2017 18:41

Why Do We Do It To Ourselves?

The plan was all there. I spent a month brainstorming, outlining and cogitating. I felt excited about the story, and confident that I could make it good. I booked a writing retreat in the middle of nowhere for the first weekend in December, ready to crack on with the first draft of the new novel.

Leave a comment

Posted on 13 November 2017 14:44

The Luxury of Space and Time to Read

At this year’s NAWG-Fest in September, I met Cressida Downing, who was one of the tutors. She also runs reading retreats with her friend, Sara Noel, and I went on one this weekend just gone.

Leave a comment

Posted on 12 February 2017 15:21

Really Getting Away

Last week, I took a lovely, four-day trip down to Devon, to attend a residential writing retreat at Stickwick Manor, organised by the ever-awesome Charlie from Urban Writers’ Retreat.

Leave a comment

Posted on 11 December 2016 18:16

Learning About Revision

I spent the whole of last week on a writing course at Moniack Mhor, near Inverness. It was aimed at science-fiction and fantasy writers, with workshops in the mornings, led by the two tutors, Juliet McKenna and Pippa Goldschmidt, and the afternoons left free for individual writing time. I always find these kind of events really useful and enjoyable, but this one also provided me with a new focus for my writing as we head into 2017.

Posted on 18 September 2016 16:37

The Benefits of Forced Focus

Writing is a tricky business. It’s the thing I most want to do with my time, and it’s the thing I least want to do with my time. This seems to be true of all the writers I know. We desperately want to create amazing things - and in fact can’t imagine life without writing - but we find it so difficult to actually sit down and get on with it.

Leave a comment

Recent posts

Weeknotes - S01E15 - Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Summary:

Bits and pieces, small but regular progress. Not a lot of time and energy spent on writing projects this week, but still some.

Read more
Weeknotes - S02E14 - Wading Through Mud

Summary:

Lots of time spent on writing projects this week, and I’m pleased with my progress overall, but it mostly felt like wading through mud at the time.

Read more
Flamingo

“Is it dead?”

“I can’t tell from here. Why don’t you go and give it a poke?”

“Eww! No, you do it!”

“You’re the one who wants to know if it’s dead.”

“I wonder how it got here.”

“I don’t know. Flew?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“It looks kind of sad, just lying there like that.”

“Do you think it belongs to somebody?”

“Must do. It didn’t just materialise out of thin air.”

“But it’s not the sort of thing you just leave lying around. I mean, you’re not going to drop something like that without noticing.”

“But nobody’s taking any notice of it now.”

“Except us.”

“Well, yes, except us.”

“What should we do?”

“What can we do? If you’re not prepared to get any closer, there aren’t many options. I guess we could throw something at it from here.”

“Like what? A brick? What are you thinking of?”

“It hasn’t moved the whole time we’ve been standing here. It doesn’t look good, I’m afraid.”

“Well, we can’t just leave it lying there like that.”

“Why not? It’s nothing to do with us. Why should we care if it’s alive or dead?”

“I don’t know. I just thought maybe we ought to do something. You know, to help.”

“How? We could chuck it some money, I suppose.”

“What would a thing like that do with money?

“I don’t know. We haven’t got any food.”

“Maybe it needs a place to stay.”

“I’m not taking it home with us.”

“I think I just saw it move!”

“What? No, you didn’t! You’re imagining things.”

“No, I swear. Look, it did it again. Its foot twitched. I’m not kidding!”

“You’re right. I saw it that time.”

“It’s rolling over. It’s looking this way!”

“What should we do?”

“Run!”

Read more
Moon Windows

Moon windows. Pale light shines onto a face in repose, casting shadows.

Moon windows. The silver orb hangs suspended. It watches the world below, impassive yet ever-present. Pale light shines onto a face in repose, casting one side into shadow.

Moon windows. Darkness over the world. The silver orb hangs suspended, as if waiting for the call to action. It keeps its own counsel; its secrets are its own. It watches the world below, ever-present and judgmental. Those walking the streets beneath its gaze remain unaware of their potential fate. If they were to look up into its face, they would see their own sins reflected back upon them. Pale light shines onto a face in repose, casting one side into shadow, and insinuating disturbing thoughts into previously peaceful dreams.

Moon windows. Darkness over the world. Time ticking on. The night passes slowly, a myriad lives suspended. The silver orb hangs lower, straining to hear the call to action. It keeps its own counsel; its secrets are its own. It is poised, attentive and awaiting its opportunity to strike. It watches the world below, ever-present and judgmental, silently making its selection. It has plenty of targets to choose from, and it regards each in turn, considering their suitability.

Those walking the streets beneath its implacable gaze remain unaware of their potential fate, continuing on their journeys, oblivious to the danger from above. They move quickly, eyes down, acknowledging neither their surroundings nor each other. If they were to look up into the face high in the sky, they would see their own sins reflected back upon them, and perhaps this would make them pause. They might stop and think for a moment about their lives and how they have lived them. They might see the city as more than just an obstacle to traverse, a maze that blocks their progress from one place to another. They might look around them and discover more to appreciate than simply the paving stones immediately in front of their steps; a connection, perhaps, to something, or someone, outside themselves.

Elsewhere, pale light shines onto a face in repose, a face concealing a mind content up till now with its own significance; and yet the light casts one side of it into shadow, insinuating disturbing thoughts into previously peaceful dreams and causing that mind to question its motives and perhaps see a different path, opening up windows the colour of the moon.

Read more
Safeguarding the Future

My story, Safeguarding the Future, is featured in the anthology, Slave to the Axe Song, produced by Schreyer Ink Publishing.

You can buy a copy here.

Read more
The Importance of Brain Space

As someone who has to fit writing around working four days a week, a busy social life, and lots of trips away, I tend to feel as if I’m shirking if I don’t make use of every minute that’s available to me.

Read more
Weeknotes - S02E13 - Annoying Admin

Summary:

The admin has to be done, or there will be no publications, no matter how much I write. But it’s really, really annoying.

Read more
Weeknotes - S02E12 - Making good use of a retreat!

Summary:

It’s amazing how much you can get done, and still have time to relax, when you’re on a six-day retreat in a Devon manor, surrounded by snow.

Read more