FEEDBACK AND REVISION RETREAT! AUGUST 9 – 11 2024

/ Edwina Shaw / 2 Comments

The view from our spectacular private lookout in Springbrook

Have you made it all the way to the end of your first draft? Most of the way? Or at least a bit, but then you got stuck? Need some help and motivation to move onto the next stage of writing? Do you like a deadline? Make this retreat the deadline for your first draft! Need to prepare pitch documents and figure out how, and where, to submit your work?

This retreat is for you!

This special retreat is for those with a bit of writing under their belts, looking for some advice and information on self-editing and structure. Get ready for your second draft!

Workshops are focused on:

  • Finding the themes and key messages of our stories and honing in on those in the manuscripts,
  • STRUCTURE – working out a structure that will support and enhance your plot and make it a compelling read.
  • Fixing your sentences. Get your head around the nitty-gritty of sentences and learn ways to clean up your prose to make it strong and vigorous.
  • Pitch to agents or publishers and learn how to write that dreaded synopsis.

Connect with other writers at a similar level and get useful advice and feedback on your work in progress in small feedback groups, or pay a little more for written feedback from Edwina and an individual session to talk through any issues you’re facing.

All in beautiful Springbrook in the Gold Coast hinterland with plenty of room to spread out and lie in the grass to write, or prop yourself up against a giant tree, or hole up in your room all weekend and just write your heart out without distraction. Ask questions and get all the answers you need from Edwina and the braintrust of attending writers. Have fun and relax. Stretch out with yoga every morning and let go of all your worries with deep breathing and relaxation techniques in the evening.

Explore the beautiful grounds, take long walks at the nearby National Parks, or wander down to our lookout and waterfall and rock hop your way to solitude in nature. Let the birdsong and rustle of leaves soothe you as you write and rewrite, then come sit by the fire and talk through any challenges with your project with other writers as you feast on Gay’s delicious home cooked meals and treats.

A weekend out of time, just for you and your story. You’ve been working hard on your book. Treat yourself to this weekend of connection and information, to help elevate your story and prepare it for publication.

THIS RETREAT IS ALL INCLUSIVE

All meals, workshops and accomodation in comfortable but basic single rooms with a desk and electric blankets for those cold winter nights are included, all for only $500 (early bird unwaged) or $650 (early bird – employed).

EARLY BIRD PRICES CLOSE 30 June 2024. BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW to avoid disappointment, places are already filling.

Check that spaces are available with Edwina first, then PAY YOUR $200 DEPOSIT before 30 June to secure early bird prices.

Any questions or to get the flyer, contact Edwina.

Come and join the fun and joy of connecting with other like-minded writing women. Make this August your time to have your first draft finished and reward yourself with this uplifting, informative and inspiring retreat!

Hope you can come!

Lots of love

Edwina xx

WRITE A BOOK IN THIRTY MINUTES A DAY! The 30 a day club!

/ Edwina Shaw / 2 Comments

Busy? Too busy with the drudgery of life to get your writing done? That was me too. Then my friend Kathy, also a busy small business woman, and I hit upon a plan. We thought we’d be able to squeeze in half an hour for our own writing projects between all the chores and paid work. It was necessary. Boy, was I getting grumpy when I wasn’t writing. The kind of grumpiness only cured by writing. 

But 30 minutes? What can you get done in that small space of time?

Turns out, you can write a whole book and then do a second draft, including a scene list. I know, because I’ve done just that. In less than six months. I’ve written an entire 80 000 word comedy manuscript and redrafted it, all to a timer set to 30 minutes. I like to do my 30 early in the day because, like most things, if I get stuck into the busyness of work, I don’t emerge till evening by which time my brain juice is empty. So it’s mornings for me, but anytime will do. I also like to play some writing music, with the sound of a train clattering on tracks behind it, urging me forward. 

Photo by Mark Plu00f6tz on Pexels.com

I knew I could probably write the first draft in short bursts, I do lots of timed writing exercises and know that good quality work comes when you’re not thinking about it too much – and only having a limited time certainly stopped me reviewing what I’d already written and falling into that easy trap of rewriting the beginning before you reach the end. Having the timer on forced me to keep writing forward. DON’T LOOK BACK is the first draft motto – keep writing until you reach the end. And I did! I had so much fun, most days I had to force myself to stop writing. Writing comedy for the first time was also a revelation, I was making myself laugh instead of cry for a change. Hopefully other people will also find it funny!

I was more concerned about doing a second draft in short bursts, but by writing a scene list as I went through I was able to hold a full picture of the novel despite the time constraints. I’d put so many barriers up “I need a whole block of time.” “I need at least a week to focus solely on the project”. “I need to have a clean slate.” Now all of these things would have been wonderful and I’ve booked a week for just my own writing in June, but I’ve also learnt that books can get written and redrafted in 30 minute blocks outside these dream conditions.

So what are you waiting for? Got a story that you need to get out of your head on the page? Too busy with life to make a start? Bugger that!

Make yourself a promise to give the 30 minutes a day a try. Super busy? Make it 15 minutes. Ten! Put a timer on, find a quiet spot, tell everyone “I’m out for the next however long” and write like the wind, free and fast and carefree. Write and write and write. Don’t stop until that timer goes off. Then stop, even if you’re on a roll. End mid-sentence as Ernest Hemmingway suggested – that way you know exactly where to start the following day. Feel better. Writing helps grumpy writers find their joy again. It’s the writing itself that is the magic. Creating! Get to it!

Photo by furkanfdemir on Pexels.com

Find a writing buddy to do the 30 a day club with and send a message when you’ve done yours, checking your friend is also on track. No judgement or criticism allowed. Just encouragement. Kathy and I have had down times when life was just too busy, but we’ve slowly pulled each other back and got on with the job. Days off are allowed, as are binge writing days. Sharing the adventure of your 30 minutes a day is part of the fun.

The best part for me is feeling like a writer again. I love writing. I love the magic that happens on the page when I step out of the way and let the story tell itself.

Give the 30 Minutes a Day Club a try. Rekindle your joy in writing. Connect with a writing buddy and get ready to roll!

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

Let me know how you go! Reaching The End today on my second draft was a joy I didn’t think would happen. But now here it is and I feel like I’m ready to start a whole new project. 

What will I do for my 30 tomorrow? 

I’ll write. I’ll just write and see what happens.

With lots of love

Edwina  xx

P.S. JUST WRITE RETREAT! Still some spots available at the April 4 – 8 2024 JUST WRITE RETREAT in Springbrook – Gold Coast Hinterland. All the info HERE. CONTACT ME to make sure you don’t miss out. 4 nights, 5 days – JUST WRITING! Plus daily Q & A plus a couple of workshops to help you focus and a Pomodoro collective writing room for those who write best in company!.