Winter Writing Retreat at Home
February 10th - 12th 2023
Join me and a group of outstanding authors across multiple genres for a three day winter writing retreat at home.
Winter can get you down. Long days in the cold, less time socialising and interacting with others.
Let's join together and inspire each other to creativity and purpose this February!
From the comfort of your home, receive daily presentations to enlighten and guide, writing prompts and tips and more...
Do as much or as little as suits your schedule.
Whether you are a seasoned author, a dabbler, or someone looking to start a new hobby using the written word, this retreat is for you! With a focus is on making the space, physically, emotionally and mentally, to take the time to write, the Winter Writing Retreat at Home will support you to find your writing voice.
Running from Friday evening through the second weekend of February this retreat will help you find your writing groove.
Wherever you are at in your writing journey, join us and be inspired to continue through the winter season and into the future.
What you get:
* Daily presentations from highly skilled and respected authors
(all recorded and posted to the private Facebook group so you can watch anytime)
* A daily suggested schedule to support creativity
(posted to the private Facebook group and emailed)
* Writing prompts
* Email tips
* Private Facebook Group
(to share snippets and connect for the lead up to and during the retreat)
Just £10.00
Sign up now for just £10!
One-on-one Sessions
Looking for one-on-one feedback on your work?
Some presenters are offering one-on-one feedback sessions for £25.
Applications open in January and will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Lelita Baldock
Host / One-on-one Sessions
Award-winning Historical Fiction author signed to London-based literary agency InterSaga. Upcoming novel through Cahill Davis Publishing.
She is the author of two historical fiction novels. Her 2020 debut, Widow's Lace, is a tale of hidden desires, fears and betrayal, set between Australia and England. Her latest release, Where the Gulls Fall Silent, uncovers the everyday realities of life on the Cornish coast, and explores the impact of social structures and expectations on individuals and their choices.
Lelita enjoys engaging with other readers and writers through social media, publishing a regular writing newsletter. When not writing, Lelita will most likely be found reading, with a cup of coffee or icy white wine in her hand.
Fiona Barker
Presenter / One-on-one Sessions
Fiona believes that a good picture book is for life, not just for childhood. She loves talking to all ages about picture books. She is writer in residence at The Marist School in Sunninghill where she works to promote reading for pleasure and is a registered WI speaker.
Her first picture book, Amelie and the Great Outdoors, was self-published in 2016. Danny and the Dream Dog and the best-selling Setsuko and the Song of the Sea followed in 2018 and 2021 for Tiny Tree Children’s Books. The BIG Christmas Bake (Quarto) and I Definitely Don’t Like Winter (Scholastic) came out in October 2022.
Fiona founded #PictureBookClub and has run online courses for writers and illustrators with Write Mentor.
She is represented by Alice Williams.
Alizée Musson
Presenter / One-on-one Sessions
Alizée is a script editor, writer, and translator with 7+ years of experience in script development. Currently based in London, she works internationally in French and English, providing translation and script editing support for screenwriters working in film, TV, and animation.
Growing up between France and the Netherlands, Alizée moved to the UK at 18 to study film production at the Arts University Bournemouth. Following an exchange with FAMU in the Czech Republic and an MA in Creative & Cultural Entrepreneurship, she started working in script development as a reader. She went on to work on various projects with independent production companies and studios such as Entertainment One, Amazon Studio, and Walt Disney. Recently, Alizée was selected to participate in the Midpoint Feature Launch and the TorinoFilmLab Extended script editing labs, where she collaborated with international filmmakers on developing their feature film projects. She's also a BAFTA Connect member since 2022.
Lucy Skoulding
Presenter
Journalist, Author and Editor
Lucy is a writer, editor and journalist by trade with over 9 years of experience in the media world. Based in Brighton, Lucy is currently working as an editor and content creator for London-based charity Local Trust and studying for an MA in Human Rights. She is especially interested in the power of storytelling to bring about positive changes in the world.
Books and fiction have been interwoven in Lucy's work throughout her career. This journey began at Warwick University with her English Literature degree and role as Books Editor of The Boar newspaper. After graduating, she co-authored and edited her first fiction book which became a trilogy called So Great a Man. Finding success and passion in this, Lucy began taking on more commissions on a freelance basis and joined the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading. Then in 2019 Lucy founded Starlight Editing, an independent books editing business helping new and underrepresented authors prepare their manuscript for submission. So far, she has edited 10 fiction books, one children's book and one non-fiction book.
Jessica Dionne
Presenter
Full Bio Coming Soon
Schedule
February 10th - 12th 2023
Friday
Day one: February 10th
Welcome !
6pm - 6:30pm
Welcome to the retreat Facebook Live with Lelita Baldock
Grab a cup of tea or a chilled wine and join the group for a welcome chat to set intentions and focus for the weekend of writing ahead.
Saturday
Day two: February 11th
Session one
9am - 10am
Lucy Skoulding - Editing your manuscript for submission
Finished your first draft but feel completely baffled as to what to do next? Unsure whether you should work with an editor or proofread yourself? Wondering exactly what you need to do before you submit your manuscript? Keen to support new authors and diverse voices in the literary world, Lucy's session will give you an in-depth insight into the editing process your book needs to go through, whether you intend to self-publish or pitch your work to an agent or publisher.
This session will broadly cover working with an editor and how they can help you; manuscript and proofreading tips; learning from criticism; using beta readers and working through a pre-submission checklist. There will be plenty of interaction and some activities throughout the session, plus the chance for questions at the end.
Session Two
2pm - 2:30pm
Lelita Baldock - Setting as Character. Crafting a believable and authentic setting to enhance your narrative.
Session Three
4pm- 5pm
Jessica Dionne: full details coming soon!
Daily Round Up
6pm - 6:30pm
Daily round up Facebook Live with Lelita Baldock
As our first full day comes to a close, join the group to talk about your day, writing goals and more.
Sunday
Day three: February 12th
Session One
10am - 11am
Fiona Barker - Picture Books Please
In this interactive workshop, picture book author Fiona Barker will chat about where to find inspired ideas and then discuss plotting and pitching. There will be the chance to share stories and really get to grips with picture book creation. This workshop will be perfect if you are in the early stages of your picture book journey and would like guidance and tips on taking things to the next level.
Session Two
2pm - 3pm
Alizée Musson - Screenwriting for Novelists
A short talk for novelists considering adapting their work to the screen or interested in becoming screenwriters: What should you consider when adapting prose for film or TV? What are the key similarities and differences between novel writing and screenwriting? What are common mistakes to avoid? This talk will cover all the basics.
Group Party
6pm - 6:30pm
Retreat round up Facebook Live with Lelita Baldock
Let's gather together one last time to share our experience, network and enjoy the company of our follow retreaters!
Sign up today!
Purchase your entry to the Winter Writing Retreat below, February 10-12th
Only £10.00
Once your payment has been approved you will receive an receipt invoice from PayPal confirming your entry to the online retreat.
(Please note, your receipt will show a payment to Mesuva Ltd.)
The Private Facebook Group will open in February.
Any questions, email Lelita
Want to gift the Winter Writing Retreat at Home
to a friend?
We think that's a wonderful idea! Please email Lelita Baldock to arrange a gift option.