New Critique Opportunity from 11th November!

This is your opportunity for FREE personal 1:1 feedback from professional editor Morgen Bailey!

Hello. Morgen here. In the safe space of Zoom, I will be hosting FREE weekly WIP (work-in-progress) 1:1 sessions most Wednesdays from 11th November (dates below) running at:

• 9am-10am
• 10.30am-11.30am (full ongoing)
• 12-1pm
• 1.30pm-2.30pm (full ongoing)
• 3pm-4pm

All are UK time (calculate your timezone here), where we BOTH share up to 1,500 words of our current projects in each session. Do bring more than 1,500 words in case we have time to continue.

Why 1,500 words? This is what two of us have been getting through each in an hour providing comprehensive feedback. I recommend no more than 2,000 words for a novel’s chapter so readers can devour in one sitting… standing… lying. 🙂 

Why FREE? Because you’ll be providing feedback on my work-in-progress too!

Unlike other Self-Pub Fest sessions (see Calendar for all the scheduled events) these Wednesdays are not open to the public so it will just be the two of us per session.

With five sessions per week there are therefore five guest places each week, one writer per session so please email me by 5pm Tuesday to reserve one of those places still showing as available. Please state which slot/s you would like.

Each session will have a different link with a different password. If you’re booked in please don’t share these details with anyone else. You’re welcome to share this page’s link (https://self-pub-fest.co.uk/wednesday-wips) as I’d love to fill each session.

I will confirm your place as soon as possible and update this page’s availability below (listing initials not full names so you remain anonymous).

If you are unable to make the session you’ve requested, please let me know asap to free up a place for someone else. Thank you!

What you’ll need:

• 1,500 words (but have more in case there’s time) of your work/works-in-progress. This can be a novel extract, poem/s, short story/ies, synopsis, blurb, script… really anything you like;
• I prefer to read text rather than listen to it so please email me your work (as a Word, pdf attachment or in the body of an email) the day before (Tuesday for a Wed session) plus a summary of what I should know in advance, i.e. ‘This is the third chapter in a horror novel. Brad and Erin are in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Everything’s quite up to this point but Erin hears groaning from behind the bedroom wall. Is it outside the cabin or within the wall?’ Ooh… I like that! I might write that story. 🙂
• If you have minor tweaks between emailing it and the session, there’s no need to send it again (although you can if there’s time).
• NB. All copyright stays with the author so they must not be shared. I will print your submission but then shred it afterwards.
• If appropriate, what you’d like from the feedback, i.e. is the dialogue realistic? Is there enough description? etc. Please do bring a tough skin with you as constructive feedback is vital for knowing what doesn’t quite work. We know what we mean by something but does someone else?
• As in-person critique groups do, please do say what works for you (what you like) but just as important, if not more so, to me is what could be improved upon.
• I’m hardy so don’t mind if your writing has swearing. Please let me know if you do, although I tend not to write anything that’s too dark;
• PLEASE do read your extract, poem etc. thoroughly before you email me/bring it to the session so it will be a smooth read (I was guilty of this in the first session!) and therefore save time.

Unless agreed at the time, these sessions will not be recorded so please make notes on the feedback of your pieces. These will be closed sessions and NO participant is to share any of the other writer’s work outside of this group without written permission from the relevant writer.

The schedule is…

• Wednesday 11th November 9am-10am: tba
• Wednesday 11th November 10.30am-11.30am: booked (FR)
• Wednesday 11th November 12pm-1pm: available
• Wednesday 11th November 1.30pm-2.30pm: booked (AB)
• Wednesday 11th November 3pm-4pm: available
• Wednesday 18th November 9am-10am: tba
• Wednesday 18th November 10.30am-11.30am: booked (FR)
• Wednesday 18th November 12pm-1pm: available
• Wednesday 18th November 1.30pm-2.30pm: booked (AB)
• Wednesday 18th November 3pm-4pm: available
• Wednesday 25th November 9am-10am: tba
• Wednesday 25th November 10.30am-11.30am: booked (FR)
• Wednesday 25th November 12pm-1pm: available
• Wednesday 25th November 1.30pm-2.30pm: booked (AB)
• Wednesday 25th November 3pm-4pm: available
• Wednesday 2nd December 9am-10am: tba
• Wednesday 2nd December 10.30am-11.30am: booked (FR)
• Wednesday 2nd December 12pm-1pm: available
• Wednesday 2nd December 1.30pm-2.30pm: booked (AB)
• Wednesday 2nd December 3pm-4pm: available
• Wednesday 9th December 9am-10am: tba
• Wednesday 9th December 10.30am-11.30am: booked (FR)
• Wednesday 9th December 12pm-1pm: available
• Wednesday 9th December 1.30pm-2.30pm: booked (AB)
• Wednesday 9th December 3pm-4pm: available
• Wednesday 16th December 9am-10am: tba
• Wednesday 16th December 10.30am-11.30am: booked (FR)
• Wednesday 16th December 12pm-1pm: available
• Wednesday 16th December 1.30pm-2.30pm: booked (AB)
• Wednesday 16th December 3pm-4pm: available
• then a break until…
• Wednesday 6th January 2027 9am-10am: tba
• Wednesday 6th January 10.30am-11.30am: booked (FR)
• Wednesday 6th January 12pm-1pm: available
• Wednesday 6th January 1.30pm-2.30pm: booked (AB)
• Wednesday 6th January 3pm-4pm: available
• Wednesday 13th January 9am-10am: tba
• Wednesday 13th January 10.30am-11.30am: booked (FR)
• Wednesday 13th January 12pm-1pm: available
• Wednesday 13th January 1.30pm-2.30pm: booked (AB)
• Wednesday 13th January 3pm-4pm: available
• and so on…