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ALL THE FUN OF BLISSFUL BALI 2024!
HOW TO GIVE AND RECEIVE FEEDBACK
Writing Buddies make everything better!
RELAX AND WRITE IN PARADISE: Magnetic Island Retreat June 2- 4 2023
MAGGIE RETREAT 2023 IS FILLING FAST – Don’t miss out – early bird prices end March 31!
Magical Magnetic Island! You can’t get much better than this beautiful tropical island off the coast of Townsville in North Queensland.
Escape the winter blues and reboot your writing mojo at RELAX AND WRITE IN PARADISE 2023. Immerse yourself in the beauty of the island’s many secluded beaches, reignite your creative self, indulge your inner writer and learn from one of Australia’s most experienced writing teachers (yes, that’s me 🙂 )
Connect with other writing women and write up a storm!
Is your creative spirit crying out for a little TLC? Come along and regain your love of writing and life at the nextRelax and Write Retreaton Magnetic Island in tropical Far North QueenslandatAmaroo on Mandalay.
From FRIDAY 2 JUNE – SUNDAY 4 JUNE 2023
Join like-minded women in a fun and supportive environment discovering just how much some deep relaxation can ignite your…
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WRITING IS REWRITING – SECOND DRAFT RETREAT SPRINGBROOK 12 – 14 2022
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.
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?
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
Lots of love,
Edwina xx
FIVE FUNCTIONS OF YOUR FIRST FEW PAGES!
Hints for getting your story opening right! Memoir retreat is almost full – contact me if you’d like to come!
The first few pages of your book, or the first few paragraphs of a short story, have a heavy load to bear. These are the pages that make or break your chances with publishers or competition judges and, most importantly, readers. It’s best not to think about it too much when you’re doing a first draft. Just start writing and then, later, once you’ve written all the way to the end, you can figure out the best place to start and whether it’s working well.
Most importantly your first pages must:
1.HOOK THE READER! Something in those first pages must intrigue the reader and compel them to continue turning the page. But how? SET UP A QUESTION. You can engage a reader with your beautiful prose but really, most of us just want to get our teeth into a riveting story that…
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RELAX AND WRITE IN THE MOUNTAINS 2021
NEXT RETREAT! 22 – 24 OCTOBER IN HIGHFIELDS NEAR TOOWOOMBA. Life Writing and Memoir focus.
RELAX AND WRITE RETREATS are thrilled to announce a special introductory and memoir writing retreat at Camp Koojarewon in Highfields north of Toowoomba.
Is your creative spirit crying out for a little TLC? Always wanted to write but don’t know where to start? Need to reboot your writing mojo and be inspired to tackle that project you’ve been thinking about forever? Come along and regain your love of writing and life at the next Relax and Write Retreat among the beautiful big trees.
From 3pm FRIDAY 22 October – 2 pm 24 October 2021
Join like-minded women in a fun and supportive environment discovering just how much some deep relaxation can ignite your imagination and get you writing again. Relax and unwind with gentle morning yoga sessions and get writing with innovative workshops designed to help move those stories out of your head and onto the page.
“I feel…
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6 STEPS TO SHAPING YOUR MEMOIR
HELP FOR MEMOIR WRITERS from my other website 🙂
Structure is the primary concern of the writer, how to order all the key emotional plot points to keep the reader turning pages.
A memoir is not an autobiography. Unfortunately, unless you are a sportsperson, politician, musician, or movie star, no one cares about where you were born or your ancestral history, how your parents met, and what you did in grade three. Unless, of course, this is of itself interesting enough to be a story. A memoir is a slice of your whole life, focused around a topic, an idea or theme, a specific time, or linked moments that resonate around a search or question of some kind.
Here are 6 STEPS to help you find your structure.
- NARROW THE FOCUS
When shaping your memoir, it helps to narrow the focus as much as possible – not justMy Journey to Healing, butMy Struggle with Addiction from…
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Rainforest writers and exotic dancers!
A wonderful weekend was had by all at the latest Relax and Write Retreat in Springbrook on the Gold Coast hinterland. From our retreat nestled in the rainforest, it was only a short walk to a spectacular lookout that made the rest of the busy world drop away.
A fascinating group of women, aged from 23 to 83, gathered together to write, do yoga, feast and have fun, sharing wisdom and kindness. I am always inspired and uplifted by the magic of women coming together. These retreats are only as special as the women who come along, and this one was very special indeed.
The highlight for me was our glorious Jacqui and her Exotic Dance performance. Jacqui performed in an international revue in the late 70s and in eh 80s performed with Joe Cocker onstage and even for the Harlem Globetrotters. She taught us all that sexy is sexy…
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RELAX AND WRITE 