I am sat in bed with my laptop, a print out of the Charney Programme 2009 and a set of instructions, including a reminder to bring a towel and a bottle or two of wine. Soon I shall start packing and getting ready for the four-day writers retreat in Oxfordshire, organised so kindly and voluntarily by the Scattered Authors Society. I am meeting Moira Munro at Oxford rail station (we have never met before) and we are sharing a cab to the venue. I feel nervous and a bit of a fraud. Will I be found out as 'not a proper writer'? I feel excited. I feel doubtful that my manuscript is worth all the work of the past few months. This retreat marks a final stage for me; I hope to soon have something I can show an agent. Which means that rejection could be entering my life. Yes, something more positive may happen but I have to prepare myself for the dreaded, polite 'no'. For now, I am looking forward to green fields, new friends, quiet writing, laughing and sharing. And no day job. I'll tell you all about it when I get back! In the meantime, I post a photo of me for your amusement. I am stood beside a wedding car (whose wedding? I have no idea, we were walking past to the pub for lunch) and the chauffeur kindly allowed me to wear his peaked cap. Perhaps I have career options if everything else goes wrong...
