HOLISTIC REVISION WORKSHOP FOCUS
You’ve finished a draft, now what? How do you tackle everything that needs fixing in your manuscript without feeling like you’re trying to eat an elephant whole?
The key is, you don’t try to fix everything at once! Learn about the strategies and tactics necessary for holistically appraising your manuscript and editing in stages: each with a very specific focus. We’ll explore how to approach the different stages of revision in a variety of genres, how to use proofing sheets, work with an editor, critique group, and weigh in the different types of feedback you receive before submission to a literary agent or preparing for a variety of types of publishing. Early registrants (by May 1) have the opportunity to have their work workshopped anonymously in class, with permission.
This class is limited to 25 participants. We welcome writers from all over the world. This class will be conducted over Zoom on Wednesday, May 19 from 12-1:00 pm CST. You’ll have access to the recording for a month after the class.
This course will cover the following topics:
- Identifying the stages of editing
- How to holistically edit in passes or phases of manuscript development
- Strategies for keeping focused on a manuscript that’s had a lot of critical feedback
- Differences between developmental, copy-edit and granular edits
- Working with collaborators, critique groups and professional editors
- Making the transition from a rough or “middling” draft to a polished, fine-tuned manuscript
Who should take this course?
- Writers of all genres who want to understand the revision process
- Authors looking for more critical feedback to help them to continue to self edit
- Authors who want to hone their self-editing skills and become more self-reliant editors without losing the essence of their original vision.
- Previous experience is not required. You can be at the beginning stage of your writing process or very experienced. This workshop is designed for all levels.
What does the course include?
- All digital handouts (usually sent 24 hours before the workshop starts)
- Written feedback on up to 1,500 words of your manuscript for those who book in the $179 ticket via margin notes throughout your manuscript pages and an individual summary video.
- All questions answered from the Q&A (even if we run out of time during the live class, all questions will be answered in the follow-up e-mail with the class recording, handouts, etc..)
- Explorations you can use in your writing again.
- Access to all the slides (in pdf) after the course concludes.
Deliverables for Students
- Digital handouts
- Course recording
- Class slides
- Q&A answers
- For $179 ticket: Written feedback on up to 1,500 words + summary video
PRICE $25-179 (Register by May 17 at 5pm CST) You have until May 30, 2021 11:59pm to submit your work for feedback.
How do I know if the course is worth the cost?
This is a difficult question to answer, as live, online classes (with access to all of the above after the course concludes) can range anywhere from $25-300+. A few important gauges in comparing costs are the two important features of this course: you meet live, online in real-time with the instructor and fellow students for 90 minutes (and if something comes up and you cannot attend the live class, you have access to the recording later). For those booking in the $179 ticket, you also receive valuable written feedback to spur your further edits of your manuscript from an award-winning author and teacher. When you factor in the opportunity to meet and talk with other writers, share your work in progress (if desired) and receive valuable instruction from a seasoned editor, teacher and author, this course is priced for a variety of budgets so that individuals from around the world can participate.
However, ultimately you decide if this form of investment in your writing is best for your budget, writing goals, and work. We hope that you will find value in Britta’s instruction (you can read more in her bio below).
About the instructor:
Britta Jensen has spent seventeen years in the literacy education and publishing world. She is the award-winning novelist of the Eloia Born series. She has also received numerous awards, including the General Sharp Award, for her teaching of creative writing and literature. Many of her stories explore themes of persevering through disability, parental separation and the intersection of various cultures in new worlds. She holds a BA in Acting Performance from Fordham University and an MA in Teaching of English Literature from Columbia University. Friends often refer to her as a polyglot—which is a product of living twenty-two years overseas in Japan, South Korea, and Germany before settling in Austin, Texas. She enjoys mentoring writers and editing books with The Writing Consultancy and Yellowbird Editors and teaches first-year writing at St. Edward’s University.
Testimonials from Previous Students
“The class was so rich with ideas and wonderful exercises…I also loved the advice to not focus so much on rewriting the beginning (which is something so many of us do!) but instead to try to finish a draft and then go back to rework the beginning.”–Maureen Turner Carey, author & librarian
“I like the way you provide a mechanism to explore what a character might do, not necessarily in the context of the story, but just behave if I extracted them from the story and watched them go.”–Sam Ritter, author
“So much revealed in so little time!”–Roanna Flowers, author of Dramedy Au Contraire
