Once a week on Sunday mornings (10am, AEST), a writers group of six people meets up on Zoom for an hour to share their memoir material, fiction or non-fiction, including essays, articles and books-in-progress, of up to 1000 words each week.
Whether you’re only just starting to scratch out ideas or have 200,000 words on a floppy disc in a drawer that has, since 1989, been giving you a nervous breakdown at the very thought of its existence, the group will provide constructive feedback, led by Jenny. You are also free to use this time to ask questions about the publishing process or where you might get smaller excerpts accepted. A separate WhatsApp chat for the group is a place to air your thoughts, writing opportunities and share material in advance of the Sunday sessions. Since I launched this group in 2021, two of the regular participating writers have had book deals.
Session costs
$50 per week for the Sunday Zoom group, plus private, marked-up feedback from Jenny on your piece, which can be up to 1000 words.
Total: $300 payable up front.
Next sessions
AA
March 23, 2025 (for six Sundays)
May 4, 2025 (for six Sundays)
Testimonial
"Jenny’s memoir writing group has been such a support for me. It is the first writer’s group I have taken part in and so I was a bit nervous about sharing my work. The feedback has been very useful, and being part of something bigger than just me at my laptop has been energising. I am loving reading the work of other writers and am learning to offer constructive criticism to them. All this has helped me a lot with my own writing. Jenny is an expert group leader, with a relaxed yet knowledgeable and generous approach."
Seana Smith
Testimonial
"My novel will be published in 2026, and Jenny's expertise really helped get it to this point! The book got its start in Jenny's writers group and I found her guidance so helpful I got her to assess the manuscript when it was complete.The assessment helped me tighten up my novel and find new ways to look at the work when I was stuck. Jenny helped me to feel excited about the book, and gave me direction. She's great at praising your strengths and identifying where you need to put in work. Jenny’s feedback is thorough and thoughtful, she’s got a keen eye for clumsy prose and inconsistencies, she’ll let you know when your work is hitting the mark and when it’s losing focus. I highly recommend Jenny’s guidance to give polish, focus and depth to your work."
Samantha Byres
Testimonial
"Jenny Valentish's classes are very inspiring and as a freelance writer, help me stay accountable to my own goals for long and short term projects. Jenny is professional and efficient and is a great role model for meeting deadlines as she always get our editing notes back to us same day as our classes. Her notes are astute as well as encouraging. Jenny's classes are good value for money and way better than many of the 'vanity' publishers offering hope of publication in a tough competitive industry. Jenny is a grounded realist coaching us to work as hard as she does."
Barbara K
Six-Week Writers Group
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