This workshop is specially designed to benefit those that have a written draft that they are trying to improve.

“All fiction deserving of the time and effort it took to write it in the first place also deserves careful, serious, and thorough revision.” –Jesse Lee Kercheval

Revision is an indispensable part of the writing process and not for the faint of heart. How do we begin the substantial revision work necessary to turn our first drafts into polished pieces? In the Fiction Revision Lab, participants will explore multiple approaches to re-envisioning story drafts. Each week, you will complete investigative prompts and experiment with various tools and strategies to strengthen your prose and further refine your narrative. We will review elements of craft and take inventory of your draft’s unique set of intentions. We will close-read published fiction and share craft essays, articles, and videos by Zadie Smith, Robert Boswell, Christine Schutt, George Saunders, and Jennifer Egan, among others, to widen our perspectives. We will talk about language and style, discuss time management, and thoughtfully consider the emotional pitfalls that can often keep us away from the page. The aim of the class is to support you in developing a concrete plan to usher your draft to its next stage.