Society of Women Writers

	In our recent Christmas competition for Short Story, Children's Story and Poetry, the majority of the winners were participants in Postal Workshops. It's definitely a very helpful and stimulating process to be part of.
What is a Postal Workshop?: See the information below.	Editors' Information
You think you'd like to join?	Editors' Duties
Now you've joined	Co-ordinator's Role

Do you ever wish you had an interested audience with whom to share your writing? Someone who will listen, make comments beyond, ‘That’s great,’ when you know it’s not.

You can share your work, read what others are writing, make comments, learn from the informed opinions of fellow members of the Society of Women Writers, without moving from your living room.

A postal workshop is a group of approximately eight writers, including the editor or leader of the group, whose monthly submissions are combined into a ‘magazine’ and circulated amongst members. Each member, in turn, receives the package, reads the contributions, makes her comments and, within four days, posts the magazine to the next person on the list. The package finally comes back to the editor who returns the original contributions, together with the comment sheet.

Members of the group are usually at different levels of accomplishment. Beginning writers benefit from the knowledge of those more experienced. The enthusiasm of the new writer encourages those who are inclined to procrastinate. At first, it may seem daunting to produce a short critique for each piece of writing within four days, but most members find it advantageous working to a deadline. Comments are helpful and encouraging.

Contributions can be prose of any genre, or poetry. Currently, two postal workshops are devoted exclusively to poetry requesting two poems each month. The remaining groups accept both prose and poetry.

All contributions should be submitted to the postal workshop editor on A4 paper with wide margins. For prose, double or one and a half spacing, for easy reading. For poetry, two pages only; one poem per page or one two page poem.

All contributions to be accompanied by a SSAE for return of manuscript and comments. The group’s editor will advise you of the date your submission is due – usually the 20^th of the month.