The week was spent planning and brainstorming. We continued work on the movie script idea we’ve been developing and prepped the pitch for the adult animation pilot that we wrote last time we were at the barn, as well as coming up with an idea for another series that we shared with our animation partners. Thankfully, they were as excited about it as we are. More on all that very soon.
An important part of a retreat like this is the opportunity to recharge, so we made sure we spent some time exploring the local villages including Morton-in-Marsh (stopping off at Charlotte’s Pantry & Tearoom, home of the best pumpkin soup and cheese scones!), Stow-on-the-Wold (with special shout outs to the Borzoi Bookshop and Cabinet of Colours where I picked up this ace art print by Dick Vincent) and Burford (where George found The Most Important Comic Book on Earth in the wonderful Madhatter Bookshop)
Not only did I come back with bags groaning with new books, art cards, notebooks and local produce (Rollright Cheese is a new favourite of mine!), the visits were incredibly productive as, yes, we relaxed, but but we also couldn't help but discuss stories as we wandered. Both George and I have come home with new ideas, George with the beginnings of a really spooky short story and me with a concept that may well evolve into a new horror novella.
Then there were the evenings when we fired up the projector and treated ourselves to big screen movies, running through Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, The Green Knight, The Changeling (introducing George to one of my all-time favourite movies), The Vigil and, for a little pre-Christmas fun, Krampus and Gremlins.
Oh, and knowing that we would be returning to the Rollright Stones at some point in the week, we also watched that classic Doctor Who story, The Stones of Blood. Of course, when we finally made it to the stones I couldn’t help but tit about, while George just played it cool!
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