I love writing retreats. Not organised ones with tutors, but small gatherings with other authors in attractive or new surroundings to write. Being in a different place is usually a stimulus to the creative juices – and there’s nothing like having someone to else to offer an impromptu mutual critique of the day’s work.

I first tried this about fifteen years ago when I went to Devon to a specialist writing retreat and returned there about half a dozen times over the following years. These days, I like to ring the changes and actually prefer places that are not dedicated to writing. You might remember last November when I went to Goddards with five writer friends.

My latest trip was to Mousehole in Cornwall. I booked it on the spur of the moment as an author friend, Debbie Young, told me about a cottage she’d recently stayed in there and it looked adorable. After I’d booked I realised it had two bedrooms so asked if one of my writing friends would like to join me. Carol Cooper jumped! I couldn’t have chosen a more congenial companion.

Carol and I spent a very relaxed week in Mousehole. What a beautiful village! Nestled under higher ground, it has a horseshoe-shaped harbour, a small island just offshore, and is just a few miles from Penzance. It’s not very car-friendly – we had a parking space but getting through the narrow winding streets of the village made us less than enthusiastic about the idea of leaving once we’d safely arrived!

When we cooked, it was simple easy stuff and mostly at lunchtime, (Carol does a great Salade Niçoise) but most evenings we took advantage of the excellent restaurants in Mousehole. Gorgeous fish!

We worked when we felt like it. Chatted. Read. Walked around Mousehole. Sat in our little seafront terrace garden. Drank in the beautiful views. Argued with the seagulls. Met the neighbours. We thought of going to St Michael’s Mount but decided against – inertia is a key ingredient of a writing retreat – especially when there is so much to look at when just gazing out to sea including St Michael’s Mount from a distance. As someone with a recently diagnosed heart condition I wasn’t relishing the prospect of climbing all the steps to the top.

We read aloud to each other from our works-in-progress. I can’t wait to read Carol’s work when it’s finished, as her writing is very witty and I was laughing all the time. It’s set during the historic March on Washington in 1963 – Carol took part in the march herself. Meanwhile, I was writing my book set in 1908-1916 (no personal experience involved!) so we were following very different paths.

In between the writing, reading, eating, quaffing wine and eating, we managed to catch the end of the FA Cup Final. I  was born in Liverpool but I’m a long-term former season-ticket-holding Chelsea fan and was forced to endure Carol (born in Egypt but a diehard Liverpool fan) talking in a Scouse accent and singing You’ll Never Walk Alone. This was followed by the Eurovision Song Concert, when we were able to reconcile our differences through our shared appreciation of Ukraine winning and the UK coming second.

So, now, what of the works in progress? Well Carol and I are continuing to build on our shared support in Cornwall and had a Zoom tomorrow last week to catch up, critique each other’s latest chunk, and brainstorm writing problems.

There is something energising about changing scene as a means of supercharging your writing. It doesn’t have to involve renting a cute cottage in Cornwall. It can just as easily be sitting with your laptop or notebook in a café in your local park.

Wherever you choose, as a solitary writer getting together with another author can be hugely beneficial.