I recently walked down a steep hill and met some lovely people at the bottom of it.
That was the start of my week at a creative writing course run by Arvon, where I lived and worked amid glorious surroundings for five days, met inspirational writers and ate magnificent food. I also ran back up that hill at one point, and regretted it.
There were 12 of us gathered for the course, from wildly different backgrounds but with the common desire to write a book. Helping us out were two tutors whose achievements are significant but only hint at their ability to inspire and provoke me into writing better.
Adam Foulds wrote the mesmerising The Quickening Maze, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and Kim Sherwood recently published the third of her James Bond novels, Hurricane Room. We were also joined by Gurnaik Johal as a guest writer. All three were generous with their time and advice, and each made me think about and approach my writing in new ways.
I knew I would enjoy the time and the space, and get a lot out of meeting the authors, but the great unsought joy of the week was the chance to make those 11 new friends. To Steph, Lewis, Paul, Ruth, Anne, Mel, Daniel, Donna, Fiona, Alison and Rick, thank you for making me a part of your life for a week.
I enjoyed learning about your quirks, your strengths and your ambitions. And of course, Lewis, I will remember always your vulnerability to losing control of your laugh when drunk, as I offered a Kiwi-accented recitation of Hamlet. But I have special memories of everyone: horses, t-shirts, knitting, discovered heritage, winking, that little rabbit, and so, so much more. Special times.
On the final night, we all read something we had written that week. It was a lovely way to finish.
By the time I walked back up that hill for the last time (for now), I had new friends, new experiences and news ways of looking at myself and my writing.