Puivert valley, taken from the Chapel of Notre Dame de Bon Secours.
Well, September was a crazy month, there’s no two ways about it!
My parents came to stay with me for around two and a half weeks, which was fabulous for two reasons: first, they got to see my new home in France, and secondly, they provided cat-sitting services while I went to spend a week with Bridget Holding at the Wild Words Autumn Retreat in Aude, Occitanie.
The first thing to say is that Occitanie (previously known as Languedoc-Roussillon) is a glorious place to be at any time of year, but especially in the autumn.
Nature’s abundance is everywhere: plump acorns ready to drop from the trees; fat, juicy berries ready to be picked by birds and humans alike for their respective dinner tables; the sunflowers left to dry out ready for the harvesting of their seeds to make oil.
Writing can often feel like an activity somewhat cut off from nature. Sitting at a desk and churning out words while staring at a screen is not always healthy. In my case, said desk is right at the top of the house, in the rafters, where there’s not even any natural light. So, I find it refreshing and energising to get outdoors on a frequent basis, preferably once a day at least.
Usually I like to go to the beach and spend some time swimming in the sea then drying off in the sunshine, listening to the rhythmic pulse of the waves gently rolling onto the shoreline. Attending Bridget’s retreat was, therefore, a nice change from the salty sea air and a great chance to get up into the mountains.
However, the main purpose of the week was to make progress with my writing. And I did. I have spent many happy hours of late getting stuck into research. Unfortunately, as a result, I had got myself in such a muddle because I lost sight of my characters and thus the story they had to tell.
The exercises that Bridget suggested helped me to get back on track and rediscover my characters. (As you read this post, I am busy building an eye-watering and violent back story for my villain.)
Because writing is always about our characters, isn’t it? Without them, the stories have no meaning. How many times have you heard the phrase ‘wooden characters’? It’s the phrase we all fear as writers.
So, as you review your writing goals this autumn, make sure you harvest as much as you can from your character studies. Every detail will give them depth, and this will come through in the story you have to tell.
Good luck!
Picture courtesy of Peter Reid at https://www.bluehorizons.eu/
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