A writer's retreat in Brittany

Posted on: Tuesday, June 22, 2010

People often ask me if it's difficult to work from home. Not usually, I tell them. After all, I don't even have to change out of my pyjamas to go to the office. But sometimes it's not that simple. Sometimes, when I should be concentrating on writing, I can't help noticing a new crack in the ceiling or a dust bunny that needs hoovering up and before I know it I've spent all day doing anything but writing. I'll have a pile of freshly pressed linen, a shelf full of beautifully polished glasses. Maybe I'll even have cooked tomorrow's lunch, but I won't have managed a single word. That's why I take myself on a writing holiday from time to time.

This time, I found a real gem of a place called 'La Petite Maison' in the tiny hamlet of Lierou in Brittany. It's a small retreat run by Pauline Smith and Chris Williams, who moved to France from Devon a couple of years ago. Pauline is a writer, researcher and creative writing tutor, who has worked for the prestigious Arvon Foundation. She knows exactly what a writer needs. "Although you can't always work in a vacuum, most writers say how much they long for a period of solitude, to be alone with their work and to immerse themselves in it,' she says. "That is exactly what we offer here at La Petite Maison."

The accommodation is wonderful, the setting idyllic and the cooking (Pauline and Chris will provide evening meals on request) is to die for! Add to that the company. It was wonderful to be able to talk about the ups and downs of the creative life over dinner. Pauline and Chris's warmth and generosity made me feel as though I was staying with old friends.

I managed to get a great deal of work done, which was a huge relief after a frustrating few months at my desk back home. I cannot recommend 'La Petite Maison' highly enough. You can find them at www.writealonefrance.com. I just hope they won't be booked out next time I need to get some work done!

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