2 years ago
126
by Julia Bartz
“Question: How bash we each consciousness astir the publishing industry?” Roza asked.
“It sucks!” Taylor called done cupped palms.
“It does suck.” Roza took the associated from Wren, who I was almost certain had taken a faux puff similar me. “I got lucky, I published successful the seventies. They were unfastened to extremist worldly from nobodies backmost then. You could propulsion the boundaries and they’d instrumentality a accidental connected you. Now you fundamentally person to beryllium moving your ain marque earlier they springiness you the clip of day.”
The weed truly was strong; adjacent with the tiny magnitude I’d accidentally inhaled, I could consciousness it.
“You person to beryllium truthful slick these days,” Roza mused. “Not conscionable with all that societal media nonsense. But besides a highly sellable manuscript that volition entreaty to the masses.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s perfectly disgusting. Right, Ian, darling?”
He shrugged, watching her with amusement.
“So. Because I was lucky, I privation to walk immoderate of that luck along to you.” She gazed solemnly astatine each of america successful turn. “I judge that you are the astir talented young pistillate writers successful America. And due to the fact that of that, this isn’t going to beryllium a mean retreat. You’re not going to fool astir with the archetypal section of thing that you’ve been moving connected for 3 years. No, we’re going to commencement fresh.”
“What does that mean?” Poppy asked.
“What it means, darling, is that during this period of February, over twenty-eight days, you are going to constitute a wholly caller novel.”
“What?” Taylor snorted. “That’s not possible.”
“Oh, no?” Roza’s dependable sharpened. “Are you that lazy, dear? In a month erstwhile you person perfectly thing to bash but write?”
I’d stiffened, hunching implicit my plate. Terror tornadoed successful my chest.
I’d already been tense astir writing, period. Now I was going to person to constitute an full fucking novel?
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“So.” Roza smiled. “I’m definite you person questions. Ask away.”
“How long?” Keira asked. Her look was perfectly neutral. “I mean, what’s the connection magnitude you’re expecting?”
“Good question, dear. This caller enactment volition person to beryllium astatine slightest eighty one 1000 words. So that means you volition request to constitute astatine slightest 3 1000 caller words each day. Twelve double-spaced pages. You tin bash that successful a day, easy. And you adjacent get contiguous disconnected to settee in.”
“How volition you know?” Taylor was present leaning forward, her arms on the table. “I mean, that we marque it to 3 thousand”
“This is how.” Roza utilized her fingers to mimic legs walking downward. “Every day, you volition instrumentality your laptop, and you volition spell down to the study, and you volition people retired your enactment from that day. Then you volition locomotion backmost up”—here the fingers rose—“and you volition gaffe the pages underneath my door. No aboriginal than midnight, please.” The manus dropped and she cleared her throat. “Every greeting by 8 a.m. determination volition beryllium copies of the excerpts successful the eating room. You volition work your colleagues’ works by 2 p.m., erstwhile we volition conscionable successful the room to sermon during a two hour seminar. Please person notes connected the others’ works to share.”
The caller realization was settling in: not lone would we person to write a book.
We’d person to assistance edit 4 others.
“Every time astatine 4 p.m., I volition conscionable with 1 of you to spell more in depth; I’ll stock the bid time astatine our archetypal radical meeting. Let’s see . . .” She held a digit to her chin. “Oh, yes. We volition conscionable for cocktails successful the parlor each evening astatine six thirty, with meal to travel astatine 7 thirty. Please beryllium prompt; lateness volition not beryllium toler ated. She considered. “Breakfast and luncheon volition beryllium a buffet laid retired for you successful the eating room; you tin devour erstwhile you please. And you are besides invited to sojourn the room astatine immoderate time, time oregon night. More questions?”
“What if we privation to—or request to—edit what we’ve already written?” Keira asked.
“You’ll person to conscionable support going.” Roza shrugged. “So unless you’re a gambler, you’ll astir apt privation to person immoderate benignant of outline. You’ll beryllium capable to spell backmost and edit astatine your leisure aft the retreat. Well, but for the winner. That idiosyncratic volition conscionable person a period oregon two, if we privation to get it retired by fall.”
“ ‘Winner’?” Poppy repeated arsenic Keira echoed: “ ‘Get it out’?”
“Oh, yes.” Roza’s eyes danced. “Did I hide that? Whichever novel is the best, Ian present volition people it. I’ll constitute a bully introduction. And you’ll besides get an advance. I judge it was”—Roza glanced astatine Ian—“one million, wasn’t it?”
Taylor whistled.
Ian nodded, smug. “And the publication tour.”
“Right. And we’ll spell connected circuit together.” Roza sighed. “I’m finishing up my ain blasted book, truthful I’ll beryllium moving close on with you.”
Wren, soundless up until now, fto retired a abrupt laugh.
“Yes, dear,” Roza said patiently, arsenic if she’d raised her hand.
“I’m sorry, I just . . .” Wren’s eyes flashed. “I’m conscionable processing this. And wondering . . .”
“Yes, dear,” Roza said again.
“Well, okay.” Wren straightened. “I’m wondering why. It feels like we’re being forced to vie against each other, similar a world amusement oregon something.”
“Oh!” Roza turned to Ian, eyebrows raised. “What an interesting way to spot it. Here I thought we were being truthful generous.”
“I don’t privation to look ungrateful.” Wren shook her head. “I guess . . . I don’t know. I conscionable privation we could each enactment together. Instead of having winners and losers. It’s conscionable what we’ve been dealing with forever.”
Wow. Wren didn’t instrumentality crap from anyone—that was a halfway property trait, 1 I’d envied since the archetypal time I’d met her and overheard her talking backmost to her supervisor. But I inactive wouldn’t person expected her to question Roza.
Even though . . . she decidedly had a point.
Roza was gazing astatine her with a frown. We held our corporate breath.
But past Roza smiled. “Here’s the crushed I’m not giving each of you a personal grant, darling. It’s due to the fact that I’m not successful the concern of dispensing handouts.”
Wren watched her, giving a dilatory nod.
“And there’s different crushed too,” Roza went on. “I’ve recovered that the best enactment comes erstwhile the stakes are raised. When there’s an constituent of stress. That’s erstwhile the endurance instinct kicks in. And that makes for the astir earthy and vivid work.”
“Okay.” Wren said it woodenly.
“After all”—Roza fiddled with her lighter—“I’m not moving a spa, darling. You didn’t deliberation a retreat with maine was going to beryllium a nice, relaxing time, did you?”
Wren blinked. “Well, no, but—”
“You knew this was a penning retreat,” Roza pointed out. “That penning would beryllium involved. Just deliberation of this arsenic an added bonus. A one-in-five accidental to triumph a cardinal dollars.” She raised her hands. “And adjacent if you don’t win, you’ll person a novel! One that a radical of superb writers volition person helped you create. It volition beryllium your champion enactment yet. And, of course, you’ll person maine arsenic your champion.” Roza tapped the lighter twice. “I don’t program connected leaving anyone retired successful the cold. Unless you permission first. I can’t enactment idiosyncratic who gives up truthful easily. Understood?”
Wren bobbed her head, chastened. “I do.”
“What if we autumn behind?” Taylor asked suddenly.
Roza widened her eyes. “Don’t autumn behind. If you neglect to marque your daily connection count”—she shrugged—“then you’ll beryllium asked to permission the adjacent day.”
The array was silent. We stared astatine Roza, waiting for her to burst out laughing. You’re each truthful serious!
“Anything else?” she asked instead.
“Any restrictions regarding the content?” Keira’s code verged connected casual.
“Up to you.” Roza pushed backmost her chair. “Of course, you cognize what I like, based connected what got you here. But if you privation to effort sci-fi oregon whatever, that’s up to you. I lied astir the time off; delight travel up with a one-paragraph connection by our archetypal gathering tomorrow. No request to stock beyond the midpoint unless you’d similar to. Print retired copies for everyone; we’ll sermon them astatine two.”
“Oh god.” Poppy looked stricken. “That’s fast.”
“That’s the game, darling.” Roza stood, picking up her glass.
“What if you don’t similar it?” I asked. “The communicative idea.”
Roza studied me. “Then you’ll person to travel up with something else.”
Being the absorption of her regard was similar thing other I’d ever experienced: similar being pinned down arsenic she cracked unfastened my skull, staring impassively, considering the slimy things inside.
Then she grinned and it was friendly, astir jaunty. The switch jarred me.
“So, my dear.” Her dependable was light. “Make it thing I like.”
Copyright © 2023 by Julia Bartz Inc. from THE WRITING RETREAT published by Atria Books, a part of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
English (US) ·