Authors often get stuck in the revision process. They recognize their manuscript needs work but are unsure of what’s wrong. So, they fiddle with comma placement, delete a few words here, add different ones there, and still don’t feel like they’ve significantly improved their literary product.
Renowned editor Lisa Poisso understands this challenge and will conduct a Zoom writer’s workshop this Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon to address it.
The revision secret is to think like a developmental editor. Using developmental editing tools to help guide revisions will improve a writer’s work and increase its chances of getting good reviews once published. Improvement can lead to more sales that contribute directly to the writer’s bottom line and critical success.
In her workshop, Poisso will explore and explain how to apply the tools and methods of developmental editing – sometimes called story editing ¬– to your literary work.
The focus is on the big picture, not on sentence-level concerns, although sentence-level edits may be required to address big-picture concerns.
The most common and primary concerns a developmental editor looks for in a manuscript will also be covered, as will an exploration of how the building blocks of a story (goal-motivation-conflict) can and should play out in a well-constructed novel.
Poisso specializes in working with new and emerging fiction writers. Originally a classically trained dancer, her approach to writing is grounded in structure, form, and technique. She applies those dynamics as a writer’s entrance to freedom of movement on the page.
For more than 30 years as a writer and editor, Poisso has edited and coached developing journalists, writers, and bloggers. She has been in the writing trenches as a journalist, magazine editor, corporate communications manager, content writer, managing editor, foreign language and j-school tutor, and communications consultant. She now works exclusively with independent authors and new authors seeking representation.
Tickets to attend this May 11 GWM-sponsored Zoom event are $35 each. To register, visit GWM online at georgiawritersmuseum. org/writers-workshop.