Writers Residency - a Fabulously Productive Opportunity

By Alyssa J. Montgomery

 

I knew my week as an Artist in Residence at Bundanon was going to be wonderful and I'd been looking forward to it ever since I'd been notified I’d been accepted in January. But, I had no idea just how fabulous it would be. 

A week with no other intrusions - just living with my characters and their stories was surreal. There was none of the usual write a bit, have to leave it for a few days (or longer) then try to get back into the story and the characters' heads and hearts again as I sat back down to pick up the threads. So I powered!

I arrived at Bundanon to check in at 2pm on the Monday afternoon and I had 54000 words. By Friday lunch time I had 87000 words. I didn't need to do my normal thing of reading the last chapter again before I sat down to write the next chapter because I was already there, in the scene, in their heads, feeling their emotions. I can't begin to tell you how unbelievable it was!

I had my plot on sticky notes on my plot chart when I arrived, so I thought it was just a sit down and write task, but it was so much more rewarding because I found the characters took me in a couple of entirely different directions when I put fingers to keyboard. It was a voyage of discovery which I loved, and I got to know my characters so much better in those few days than I had when I drove to Bundanon.

I was also able to write until I was too tired to write anymore because, of course, I didn't have to get up the following day to be at my day job. I found I didn't sleep in, because I am used to starting work at 7am, so I was up and ready to go again early. (Another writer who shared a kitchen with me said I was like the "Everyready Bunny"!!)

Now, of course, that 87000 words is a first draft and now I have to polish, polish, polish. But, it's so much easier to polish in fits and starts than it is to write like that. So, I am eternally grateful to the South Coast Writers' Centre for the opportunity to do the residency and for the Bundanon Trust who manage the Artists in Residency facilities.

It was also the ideal place to write the third book in my Return to Hope Creek rural romance series as I was able to look out from the studio windows and see my writing companions - the wallabies and wombats!

What is Bundanon? It's a property in the heart of Dharawal country and the name means Deep Valley. Arthur Boyd, the famous Australian painter, owned the property which is situated on the Shoalhaven River and he and his wife donated the property to the Australian Government for the Australian people. It houses not only the Artists in Residency studios but also an Art Gallery, The website is : https://www.bundanon.com.au/homestead-site/?

I have decided that I will find somewhere to go and spend a week at least one week (until I retire) annually so I can have a similar retreat and be productive.

Love to love: When writing flows - especially in the middle of the Australian bush paradise that is Bundanon

Love to laugh: At being described as the "Eveready Bunny"

Love to live: The writer's life. What a dream come true!!

What’s your best writing experience/best surrounding to have written in? Would love to hear from you.

Beginnings

I've been thinking a bit about beginnings lately, not least because I'm starting a new work in progress. And so, for my Breathless blog this month, I thought I'd take the opportunity to explore a few of my beginnings, and ask you to share a few of yours (in the comments below!)

My beginning as a romance author: Forget-me-not, a 5000 word short that won the inaugural Romance Writers of Australia Spicy Bites contest. The beginning of this was something that actually sprung from a little snippet of fanfic I wrote (Sea Patrol fanfic for those who remember that show!) and played off a contrast between a prim and proper FMC and her rougher 'round the edges MMC. This short isn't currently available but keep your eyes peeled and hopefully it'll be available before the end of the year, in a collection some of my other short stories.

My beginning as a romance reader: The Chesapeake Bay Saga by Nora Roberts. I read these back in the day, before e-readers were a thing, and carried them with me on travels through the US (back when we travelled to the US... won't be doing that for a while now!). These books were HEAVY, but the read was worth lugging them about. I still go back to them every so often when I need a little reminder of how good romance can be.

My beginning as a 'shipper:' This goes way back in the day, to the 1990s when I insisted my mother had to buy a video recorder (bless her, our first VCR was on one of those rent-to-buy arrangements!) so that I could record Days of our Lives every day while I was at school. Jack & Jennifer were my first loves... and I had to know what angst they were suffering that week! From that time I was easily convinced to ship who didn't also love Brenda & Dylan; Mulder & Scully; Superman & Lois (it's a shame Dean Cain turned out a little cooked); Monica & Chandler; Buffy & Angel & Spike; Booth & Bones; and (my latest obsession) Benson & Stabler (and I could go on).

My beginning fangirl experience with Christina & Lauren of Christina Lauren. This was taken at the Sydney Reader Event in 2016 and I stood in a queue for a while before I got a chance to meet them. I also remember poor Christina was so sick that day (she ended up having to cut her trip short) but she was SO LOVELY to everyone who stepped up to the table to meet them. Class acts... I got to meet them both again in 2024 at the RWA Conference (but no pic on that occasion!)

And last, but not least, my beginning in writing groups: the Love Sabre girls. We met at the RWA Conference in 2015 and we've been each others' cheer squad ever since. For writing things, but also for life things. I don't think this is our first conference elevator selfie, but it is one of the first and we try to recreate one every year (at least with everyone who can make it to conference, Life does get in the way sometimes!)

 

Kristine Charles writes sexy tales where coffee (and red wine) is abundant, designer shoes and handbags are cheap, chocolate has no calories and men always put the toilet set down. Find her at www.wordsbykristinecharles.com or on Facebook, Instagram or Bluesky.

You can preorder Kristine's latest novella in the Save the Date anthology here. Available 18 June 2025.

I love to love: this month, I remain obsessed with Benson & Stabler from Law & Order: SVU/Organised Crime. Sue me, I'm a glutton for exceptional unresolved sexual tension and these two have it!

I love to laugh: What do you call a fish wearing a bow-tie? Sofishticated!

I love to learn: I'm attending InkersCon online in June and I can't wait! 

Romantic Settings

 Romantic Settings

by Sharon Bryant

Magical romantic moments can take place anywhere, but sometimes a special place or type of setting strikes us as being particularly romantic.

When I think of romantic settings, beautiful sunny beaches with breaking waves creating their own rainbows, snow covered cottages with warm log fires,  and beautiful old cities like Rome and Kotor come to mind. I also think of the majestic fjords of Norway, the beauty of Cradle Mountain in Tasmania and the lush tropical islands in the South Pacific.

The Role of Settings in Romance Novels

Of course, great romance novels can be set anywhere, but the places where your characters meet, interact and fall in love should enhance their experiences and the vicarious experiences of your readers. For example, in Jane Eyre, Thornfield Hall's gloominess is used to magnify the reader's understanding of the extent of Mr Rochester's depression before he met Jane. It is also used to heighten Jane's shock and sense of betrayal when she finds out that Mr Rochester is already married. The house provides a sense of menace that heightens the reader's experience.

The atmosphere created by a place or item can change depending on the time of day and the emotions your characters are experiencing. For example, in "The Scoundrel's Daughter", Anne Gracie uses a beautiful kidskin bible with a mother-of-pearl cover to heighten our understanding of Alice's past marriage. She was devastated when she discovered her husband's infidelity. and now, many years later, she is gradually moving on from this. Older, wiser, penniless and widowed, Alice feels comfortable regifting the barely touched bible to her new goddaughter, Lucy. "Now it seemed a perfect gift, releasing her from the unhappy memories it evoked and entering a new beginning with a new owner."

Sometimes, setting is used to stop your characters reaching their goals such as when forced proximity is used to keep the hero and heroine together. In Michelle Douglas' "Secret Fling with the Billionaire",  Cleo dives into a canal boat to escape the press and has little choice but to accept Jude Blackwood's offer of refuge. She finds her growing feelings for him much harder to keep to herself. At other times the setting symbolises what is about to happen such as when Mr Rochester first proposes to Jane in a rising thunderstorm.

Settings and the Psychology of Love

Settings and how we react to them influence our life experiences. Psychologists talk of a "psychology of love setting" as a specific environment conducive to the development of romantic feelings. Physical intimacy, novelty, deep conversations, shared experiences and positive feelings all play a part. Each of these features in great romantic novels.

Valentine's Day has just passed. I hope you had a lovely day. Did you go somewhere special and romantic with a partner, friend or family? If yes, where did you go?

What is your favourite romantic setting - your special place where you experience romance?

I love to love: My husband and I still celebrate Valentine's Day.

I love to laugh: Romantic comedy is one of my favourite genres.

I love to learn: More about the world and the people in it.