"Writing is rewriting," the adage tells us.
But how—literally—do we rewrite? How do we decide what to leave in and what to take out? How do we determine the scope of a piece, especially where to start and end? Do we edit line by line, paragraph by paragraph—or make the professional leap of re-structuring first?
During these two afternoons, we'll learn how enlightened writers edit their work. We'll practice revising short, existing texts. (There's no need to have generated your own material for this class.) And given the overlap of fiction and nonfiction, we'll learn professional revision techniques that apply to both.
As usual with the Amsterdam Writing Workshops, there will be no criticism issued in this class. Instead, there'll be instruction, inspiration, and editorial advice. The driving force of this weekend: learning to take command of your words on the page—new ways to shape, craft, and improve your own writing.
All levels welcome.
Non-native-English speakers welcome.
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“My expectations were to learn some techniques and 'rules of thumb' that I could incorporate into my writing now, so that the revision process would be much more efficient.
ReplyDeleteNot only were my expectations exceeded with
the quality of advice and the techniques,
but I received ENERGY and MOTIVATION to
work on my writing.”
“...Insights and well-explained revision processes - a wealth of useful information relayed. I found the handout to be well structured, and it covered all the major revision themes. There was also an exchange of ideas and discussions on these processes - something that helped give the workshop a life of its own.”
ReplyDelete“I didn’t know what to do next with my work. I was stuck. I was in a mood of self-criticism and self-doubt. What the hell did I write? This class helped me get out of that mood. Thank you!!!! I was able to move on with my piece.”
ReplyDelete“The course captured my attention the entire eight hours. All questions were answered in a considered and thoughtful way.
ReplyDeleteWhat was missing from the experience? I can't think of anything. I've always found that cookies help me think. ;-)”
“Thank you for the instruction on The Art of Revision.
ReplyDeleteThe material covered in the class met my expectations and has been very helpful in my efforts.”
“It was an eye-opener that revision can be done systematically. I was glad to hear of other revision techniques that I'm now already using! I also feel that it’s beneficial to hear about other people’s revision problems, because they are mine, too.”
ReplyDelete“What did I learn about writing during the class? For starters, some new ways to look at revision, of course. I also picked up a few things about my current writing style.
ReplyDeleteThe hand-out is nice to have for reference after the workshop, when you start revising your own texts.”
"I really thought the content of the Revision Course was excellent. I learned a lot about how to make a revision plan. I'm appalled that I've never encountered this idea before...amazing.
ReplyDeleteThe hand-out is always a wonderful added bonus to the worshop. There's a lot of material not covered over the two afternoons that I can use as inspiration later on.
Thanks so much."