Foxes’ Retreat Online Writing Group

Monthly submission format:

Please send in your piece(s),

by 8pm on the Monday before each meeting at the latest, so that we can organise sending out to other members of the group:

• Pieces can be up to 1000 words, or less - don’t feel obliged to submit more than you are ready to

• Double line spacing in Times New Roman size 12 font is easiest for most readers

• Your sent file/document should attached to the email as a word/PDF document and be named as "YOURNAME040521" and sent to myszka@foxesretreat.com

• Your name should appear on the first page of the actual document

• Any context your readers might need should be on the top of your document in a couple of sentences (eg this was a poem written from such and such a prompt, or this is an extract from a novel, and the reader already knows x, y and x)

• Focus questions should be after the context sentences, and before the main piece, if there is anything particular you would like feedback on - such as narrative voice, POV, dialogue etc

Thoughts collected from our members about why the Foxes’ Retreat Online Writing Group is such a useful experience:

• honest, friendly, constructive feedback

• feedback from people from different ages, backgrounds and reading preferences

• reading other people's work in a range of styles and genres

• exercises at the beginning and the end inspiring current and new pieces

• meeting others who value the writing process

• encourages me to share my writing when I normally would not

• encourages me to reflect on my writing more objectively and often more positively

• ideas for different approaches

• using journaling to inspire other pieces

• new approaches (eg book review!)

• considering dialect and speech patterns

• like minded people to spend time with

• impartial minds to bounce ideas off

• humour in difficult times

• being indulged in discussing fiction as if it is real

• contact, connection, introductions

• no masks required

• visiting others' homes without travel

• guilt free pleasure

• first audiences for new work

And why it can be challenging for us:

• sharing new writing can feel like getting changed in a mixed changing room

• feeding back on pieces that we only encounter on the night can feel tricky (but is a true first reader response!)

• technology is not always perfect for everyone (but we work around it)

Feedback from one of our regular writers:

“I thought I should let you know that I got offered a place on the Brighton Creative Writing MA. Thanks very much for writing the reference, I'm very excited to get started and see what can come from it!

Also, the piece I submitted for the June writing group got published, and through that I've met a lot of interesting alternative/outsider writers from that scene. Your feedback + the group workshop definitely helped me refine the first half and know what to focus on when writing the rest of it, so thank you!

The writing group has definitely helped me stay focused/sane during a very uncertain year, and it's a buzz talking shop with so many different writers about writing. All I can really say is thank you again, it's done a lot of good for me!”