If you’ve already written the better part of a novel—or maybe even completed a rough draft—chances are there’s still a lot to do before it’s ready to submit to an agent or publisher. In this class, we’ll focus on the revision process, with a heavy emphasis on your first thirty pages and overall story arc. The road to publication is often ludicrously bumpy, so the main goal for our week together is to make sure your novel begins with all the energy, novelty, and polish it needs to grab the attention of readers, agents, and editors. We’ll also spend some time talking about strategies to make the rest of your book just as good as your opening.  Come prepared to do a lot of writing, reading, critiquing, discussing, and thinking: it will be a busy week, but I think you’ll love it!  

Due to time constraints, we won’t be reading your entire manuscript, but class enrollment is restricted to those who have completed at least thirty pages of a novel. You’ll also need to provide a plot synopsis and a chapter-by-chapter outline.

In this workshop, we will generate new writing through guided exercises and prompts; offer feedback/first impressions on writing you produce in our week; workshop writing you bring from home.