second draft writing retreat

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

Every writer knows the first draft is only a small part of the work involved in bringing a story to publishable standard. As Ernest Hemingway once famously said, “All first drafts are crap!” (I may be paraphrasing a little :)).

So how do we take a crappy first draft to something publishers are going to fight over? Rewriting! Or if we’re lucky just redrafting – though let’s face it if you’re a pantster like I was, you may have to write whole new sections. Twice I’ve cut back first drafts of 100 000+ words to 30 000 then rewrote the rest!

How do you self-edit?

The first step of any rewrite is the structural edit.

This looks at how the main elements of our story are working: characters, setting, voice, genre-expectations and plot. Mainly plot!

The best place to start is with a scene list – not just chapter headings but a list of every scene within every chapter. Include which characters are involved, where it’s set, what’s happening (clue – if nothing’s happening – cut now!) and the main focus of the scene, plus whether the scene is moving us towards Hope or Fear. Go through the whole manuscript and you’ll come up with a list of potentially hundreds of scenes.

Once you have this list it’s much easier to see any repetition, or worst of all, completely unnecessary scenes that are neither developing or illustrating character or moving the plot forward. This is when we press DELETE. Or, for chickens like me, this is when we cut these scenes and paste them into another document called “Good bits I may use later.” I have a few of these documents now for various projects and mostly they remain unused, but occasionally I’ll go back in and pull out a section that has become relevant again.

Your scene list will show you where your story starts to sink in the middle or if a character who was pivotal in the first half fades away in the second. You’ll be able to tell if a character is suddenly acting completely differently to who they were earlier, of if they have taken up too much page space – this often happens when we just go with the flow and let bossy or forceful characters have their way.

Oh yes, those bossy characters may kick up a stink.

A scene list makes it easier to find any plot holes or if you’re building enough suspense or just having characters repeat themselves over and over without growth or change.

What tricks do you have up your sleeve to help you tackle the dreaded, but actually fun, second draft?

Have you got a project nearing the stage when it needs a proper evaluation and an objective rethink?

Writers hard at work on their redrafts at the last Second Draft retreat!

If so, come along and join us at Springbrook in the rainforest covered mountains behind the Gold Coast in Queensland for a cosy winter SECOND DRAFT RETREAT – AUGUST 12 – 14.

This special retreat, for women and non-binary writers with a project needing attention, has workshops to help you tackle the second draft, focusing on finding the heart of your story, distilling the themes, the structural edit, and plenty of tips to help with line editing and pitch documents too.

All in a stunning location with cosy single rooms with desks, beauty and peace, like-minded folk to share your story with in feedback groups, fantastic food and lots of fun.

For only $440 if you book before June 30 2022. See more information about the retreat and other retreats coming up HERE.

Or drop me a line for more information.

The second draft needn’t be a scary or lonely experience. Come along on retreat, connect with other writers, and get a head start on the next stage of your project.

What tips do you have for tackling the second draft (or third fourth or hundredth for that matter!).

Hope you can make it to retreat – we always have a wonderful time 🙂