NCBF26 29 May - 20 June
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Tuesday 21 July 2026

Step Back, Look Again: Self-Editing For Writers with Victoria Villasenor

Literature Education
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About this event

Your first draft got the story out — now let’s make it shine. This hands-on workshop walks you through the self-editing process from big-picture structure all the way down to the sneaky word-level habits that creep into every writer’s work (yes, very and just are coming for you). You’ll learn how to read your own writing with fresh eyes, identify the most common issues that slow readers down, and build a practical editing checklist you can return to again and again.

Whether you’re polishing a short story, a novel chapter, or something in between, you’ll leave with the tools and confidence to be your own best editor. No prior experience needed — just bring your writing and a willingness to look at it a little differently.

 

Victoria Villaseñor writes under three names, which she’s mostly made peace with. As award-winning Ally McGuire she writes WLW romance (including the Wifey Romance series, co-written with her wife, author Helena Harte); as Brey Willows she writes speculative fiction for readers who like their feelings complicated; and as J.J. Taylor she retells the stories of women history got badly wrong. With an MA in creative writing and nearly two decades in publishing, she champions marginalised voices on the page and through her writing consultancy. She lives in the middle of England and blames the rain for everything.

 

Tuesday 21st July 7pm-8:30pm

Online talk

 

Please choose the ticket price that works best for you. Pay-it-forward tickets help us keep Beyond The Spectrum events accessible, allowing us to offer free and concessionary tickets.

 

Ticket options:

Pay-it-forward price: £10

Suggested price: £5

Concessionary price: £3

Free

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