The beautiful Varuna House |
I arranged to meet
with Stephen Measday, my mentor as part of the PIP Fellowship, on the first afternoon I arrived. We had a
long discussion about his suggestions for my story. I wrote copious notes and later
typed them into a check-list of things to cover.
Selfie (rugged up against the cold) of me at Varuna |
At welcome drinks
that evening I met the other four residents. Jansis O’Hanlon, the CEO, talked
to us about the history of the house.
As I work full time
and have a family my normal ‘spare’ time is very limited but the beauty of a
residency at Varuna is that there are no jobs to go to, children to take to
sports or groceries to buy. There’s nothing but you and your willpower to get
the job done. I’m happy to say I used my week of writing time very wisely. I
got up early and worked hard on my manuscript. I diligently crossed the items
off my list of changes from my mentor. I even got started on opening chapters
of two other projects I’d been thinking about for a while.
When I needed a
break from the computer I went for a walk. The town of Katoomba is not far away
from Varuna and is full of lovely shops and cafes. The weather was bitterly
cold though. It even snowed one evening.
Breakfast and lunch
are a help yourself arrangement from the products provided in the kitchen area
but dinner is cooked by the amazing chef, Sheila. It was wonderful to relax by
the fire each night and talk to the other residents about how their projects
were going.
One of the writing desks in my room |
One night we each read
a piece of our work aloud to the others. They were vastly different in subject
and style but we were all pleased with what we’d produced in such a short time
period.
The true beauty of
Varuna House is that it focusses your attention to writing, books and the
company of like-minded people and seems to bring out the best in everyone.
I had the most
productive week and I felt like a ‘real’ writer. I encourage everyone to apply for
the Varuna residential programs. Having time to dedicate to your writing in
such a great environment, without distractions, is absolutely priceless.
Read a full interview of my experience at Varuna House in an upcoming issue of Buzz Words (a brilliant newsletter for aspiring authors).
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