Day 2 of the ISH Writers Retreat kicked-off with Hatha Yoga at 7:45. I can’t imagine Ernest Hemingway or William Wordsworth starting the day with a round of sun salutations but even they would have agreed that there is something transcendental about being at Indian Summer House. As I sat cross-legged focusing on the bright red trunks of palm trees it was as if all the inside-noise in my head cleared away and the sweet sound of the gentle low of the neighbor’s cow, birds chir...ping and the momentous honk from the occasional truck was all crystal clear. Our hard work on the mat paid off when breakfast arrived. Golden pancakes with bananas and coconut and nuts and a smattering of maple syrup. If there is a restaurant in heaven, then this would be on the menu. At the workshop we talked about a story having two sides. Side one is the plot and side two is the sub-text, the themes, the issues, the character’s inner conflicts. We drew out mind-maps of our ideas, interlaced with events. Caroline Van De Pol suggested we think of a necklace where scenes of the story were the beads – different sizes and shapes for different events. After lunch the group split up and I wandered around looking for the perfect spot to park myself. It was hard to choose between lounging by the pool or in the salon or settling into one of the daybeds in the many nooks and corners here. This is exactly the sort of place I could see Hemingway and Wordsworth visiting every summer, leafing through a book under their favourite tree. Caroline Van De Pol, Don Vande Pol, Shonee M Mirchandani, Jacq Burns See more
