Workshopping
by Post
SWWV
Postal Workshops
Do you ever wish you had an interested audience with whom to share your writing?
Someone who will listen, and make comments beyond, “That's great,’’ when you know it’s not. Or do you find yourself unable to attend workshops on writing or writers' groups and wish there was some way of being part of a writing group without leaving home?
The Society of Women Writers of Victoria (SWWV) has been workshopping by post for at least fifteen years. The Society conducts regular workshops for its members at its meetings and seminars but found that there were members who were unable to attend for various reasons. Postal workshops were the answer. Here's how they work.
HOW IT WORKS
Postal workshop membership consists of groups of six or seven writers, including the editor or co-ordinator of the group.
We
currently have five Postal workshops each with a co-ordinator. They are:
Spring: Paula Wilson
Carpe Diem:
Judith Green
Imprint: Phyl Macleod
Ariadne’s Thread:
Patricia O'Keefe
The
overall co-ordinator is Judith Green
Once a month members send a manuscript
to the editor. This is done by either snail mail or email. The editor prepares
the package of manuscripts including a Comment Sheet for the work of each
contributor into a "magazine". In some groups the editor does the
first critique, while in others it rotates between the members because if you
are one of the last two people receiving the "magazine", you can often
end up with nothing to say but "I agree with the previous comments".
The magazine is sent from member to member and all make comments. When the
magazine returns to the editor she sorts out the manuscripts and returns each
member's manuscript and the Comments Sheet relevant to their work.
Members of the group are usually at different levels of writing 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 is advantageous to work to a deadline. Comments are helpful and encouraging.
Contributions can be prose of any genre; or poetry. At present two of the postal workshops are devoted exclusively to poetry, and request two poems each month, while the remaining groups accept both prose and poetry.
Some group editors also keep in touch with the others in
their groups by email, sending notification of markets and competitions or other
items of interest. Other members do the same. Articles of interest are sometimes
included in the magazine.
Some groups run Round Robin stories where each member contributes part of a
story. Also a writing prompt might be issued and all the group will write to it.
It is always amazing what different styles and genres come out of the one
prompt.
COST
The charge to SWWV members is $10 per
year to cover costs.
BENEFITS
One of the most important benefits members find is that of the friendships that
are formed in postal workshops. Although members are all very different in their
backgrounds and their styles of writing, they have one thing in common: they are
passionate about what they do. Once a year, all the postal workshop members meet
for lunch in the
Members come from all over
All of this, without even discussing the great benefits each writer receives to
enable her to continue to write and improve her writing.
If you are interested in joining the Society of Women Writers Victoria and participating in the postal workshops, contact the membership secretary, Judy Bartosy.
