It was perfect timing at Salt Lake Comic Con in September when I stepped on a hotel elevator with James Duckett, another writer I’d met a couple of times before. He looked at me, got a contemplative look on his face, and said, “I won’t know unless I ask.”  He told me about a writers’ retreat he was participating in, one that would be held the first week of November near Park City. They were looking for a “writer in residence” who would come, give a few breakout sessions, and spend the rest of the time curled up writing or editing (thus providing a “professional good example”).  As it happened, that was EXACTLY when I knew I would be in the midst of a big concentration-heavy edit on ETERNITY’S MIND.

As many of you know, I love to go off by myself in the mountains, find a quiet lodge where I can spend days writing without being interrupted. I wasn’t entirely sure about doing it in a large lodge with 20 or more other writers, but I decided to give it a try.

I am very glad I did. James picked me up from the Salt Lake City airport on Thursday morning and drove me out to Heber City in the mountains; we had lunch in Park City, then went off to find the lodge.  People were starting to arrive, food and equipment were hauled in, and I got to my room. After changing into comfy clothes (my writing “uniform” of sweat pants and fluffy slippers), I found a spot in one of the sofas near a fireplace, put on my ear phones, and started editing.

The scenery was beautiful and inspirational, and the group—writers of all levels and all genres—were all dedicated, eager, and respectful. I felt immediately at home. We would all get together for group meals, which was a time for conversation, but the rest of the time they were all diligent workers, wearing headphones, talking quietly, devoted to their WIP.

We got to know each other quite well over the next three days. Each night after dinner I gave a talk on various aspects of writing or publishing, but also talked a lot informally.  I think we all benefited from the experience.

As a measure of the success, from the time I left home on Thursday morning to the time I returned home on Sunday afternoon, I edited 324 pages in ETERNITY’S MIND—which is an incredible pace, even for me. Now that I’m home, getting “only” 50 pages done in a day seems like quite a small accomplishment.

Thank you all for a wonderful experience.