Made Visible Writing Class: Revision
April Session“Made Visible Writing Class: Revision” is for writers who have completed the Made Visible Writing Class and want to focus on refining and polishing a selection of their first drafts.
Revision is writing. It can be an intimidating process, because it sometimes feels like we have to start over, and in the process, throw away sentences and paragraphs we love. But in my mind, revision doesn’t mean that. Anything you’ve written becomes part of a piece’s DNA—and even if you delete it from the page in the name of making the piece more concise or changing the structure, those words still exist in the bones of the piece. When you write new sentences or move paragraphs, all the work you’ve already done is there to help you. This, at least, has been my experience with revision. I encourage you to think about this, if revision feels daunting or less fun than generating!
Of course, this is just one way of thinking about revision. As we talk about your pieces and support you with ideas for how you might revise them, we’ll talk about how you view revision, too.
Logistics:
This class is four weeks long and will be capped at 6 writers. The fee for this class is $450.
Over the course of the workshop, you’ll present two drafts (this can be two different stories, or two revisions of the same story). You’ll share your piece via Google Docs one week before your in-class workshop. This will allow the class, and me, to go in and make comments and suggestions. When we meet, we’ll spend 30 minutes discussing your piece as a class.
After your piece has been workshopped, you can schedule a 30-minute 1x1 conversation with me. We can use this time to talk about questions that surfaced during your in-class workshop, areas in your piece you’re still grappling with, or really, anything that came up for you while writing.
We’ll have a pre-meeting before the four-week class begins to discuss logistics. You’ll also hear from me before then with the schedule of who is being workshopped when, so you’ll have plenty of time to prepare your first submission.
Email hello@madevisiblestories.com to sign up
Class takeaways in summary:
Written edits/comments from Gemma and your classmates on two drafts (in this class, the drafts you submit may be up to eight pages; in revising, you may be expanding sections!).
In-class workshop sessions, where you’ll get verbal feedback on your draft from Gemma and your classmates for 30 minutes. Each writer will have two in-class workshop sessions.
Two 30-minute 1x1 meetings with Gemma to discuss questions and revision ideas. If you don’t have specific questions, you can use this time to talk about your writing goals.
A deeper understanding of revision and your own strengths and challenges when revising.
Two pieces (or one, should you choose to focus on one piece) that are near-finished. Whatever your goal (publication online or in a print journal, assembling a collection), you will be one step closer after completing these rounds of revision.
Email hello@madevisiblestories.com to sign up
Your Instructor
Have questions about the Made Visible Writing Class: Revisions? Email hello@madevisiblestories.com