Revision Prep: Create a Revision Plan

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

We’re down to the final days before the At-Home Revision Workshop begins. If you’ve been playing along at home, you should have already filled any plot holes or missing research in your novel, and created your editorial map. Odds are you already have a pretty good idea what general revisions you want to make in the novel, and where they fall. (And if you don't know what the manuscript needs yet, that’s okay, that’s what next month is all about).

Since we have a lot of information to cover in a short amount of time, it’s helpful to have a revision plan to guide us.

How to Create an Editorial Map

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy


Before any revision, it's helpful to know exactly what you have to work with. Novels often change during a first draft, so any outlines or summaries you did could be outdated by the time you’re ready to revise.

Doing an editorial map (or book map) lets you know exactly how the novel unfolds and where it needs tweaking. It’s also a handy reference tool when you need to check when, where, or how something happens in the novel.

Are You Ready to Revise? Prepping for a Revision

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Not every first draft is ready to revise. Some need a bit more fleshing out to fill plot hole or fix issue you skipped over until you had more time to focus on them. 

This was originally written for my March Revision At-Home Workshop, but it applies to anyone who isn't sure if their draft is ready to revise or not. 

Before any revision, you want to fill whatever holes might still exist in your manuscripts. This is all about finishing a not-quite-done-yet-draft—some of this prep work won’t even be in the manuscript itself, just information you might need to tighten and polish it later.

Prep work includes:

At-Home Workshop: Revise Your Novel in 31 Days

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Welcome to the home page for the Month-Long At-Home Revision Workshop. If this is the first you're hearing about this workshop, then read on and see if you'd like to join in (starting late is no problem at all, it's a work-at-your-own-pace kind of deal). The more the merrier! If you participated last time, welcome back.

Since I get asked a lot about the differences between this workshop and my book, Revising Your Novel: First Draft to Finished Draft, let me take a moment to explain those differences.

This workshop was the foundation for that book. It's the Cliff Notes version, and it gives a taste of what the larger book is all about. The book has considerably more information, analysis questions, revisions options, and cheat sheets to help you analyze and revise your novel. If you enjoy the format here, I highly recommend getting the book. It's nearly 400 pages of helpful information and guides, broken into an easy-to-follow format that focuses on what you need to work on when you need to work on it. There was so much more I wanted to do for the workshop, but I would have needed to run a six-month workshop to do it (grin). The revision book covers it instead.

And off we go again... 

Early Bird Registration Closes Soon: Get Ready for November! Novel Planning Workshop

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Just a head's up that the early bird registration for the September 26 Novel Planning Workshop is tomorrow at midnight EST (That's September 10th). Click here to register or go to www.itsawriterslife.com. Email upincummingwriters (@) gmail (dot) com for more information.

Here are the details:

November is fast approaching, and if you're participating in this year's NaNo, it's time to start planning your novel. October is the unofficial "get ready for NaNo" month, where writers plot out their novels and plan how they'll achieve those 50,000 words come November. To make the most of your November writing, make the most of your October planning. (Open to all writers, not just those doing NaNo).

Upcoming Writing Workshops From Janice Hardy (Seattle Area)

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

It's a fun and busy fall this year, and I'm presenting one more workshops in October. If you're in the Seattle, WA area and are looking for some nice and meaty workshop to dig into, give this one a try.


October 16th
 

How Point of View Can Improve Your Writing

This master class is part of the RWA Emerald City Writers' Conference in Seattle, WA. You can register for just the master class or make it part of your full conference (where I'll also be presenting my, "It's Showtime! Show, Don't Tell" workshop).

Know Someone Who Needs a Little Revision Motivation? Tell Them About the At-Home Revision Workshop!

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Only three days until the At-Home Revision Workshop begins. If you have any friends who might need a little motivation to get their revisions started, please let them know about our workshop while there's still time to get some of the prep work done. The more the merrier!

Or if you frequent any writing forums, please share the At-Home Revision Workshop link with writers who might be interested in the free play-along-at-home workshop.

Leave no writer behind.

Writing Workshop: Janice Hardy at the Dahlonega Literary Festival: 10 Ways to Kick Your Writing up a Notch

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

WHAT: Writing Workshop
WHEN: March 28, 2015
WHERE: Dahlonega Literary Festival, Dahlonega, GA
TIME: 3:15

Come on over to Dahlonega, Georgia at the end of March for my writing workshop at the Dahlonega Literary Festival. Come for the ten tips to kick your writing up a notch, stay for the great weekend of panels with a variety of authors across genres. (And the fried Twinkies)

If you've never been to the Dahlonega Literary Festival before, give yourself a treat and go. It's a great event in a charming mountain town, with lots of friendly people. The always fabulous gals from FoxTale Books (voted the Best Bookstore, 2103 by Atlanta Magazine) will be on hand to sell books, and authors will be available to sign them.

This year's line up:

Raymond Atkins | Susan Boyer | Mark Braught | Jackie K Cooper | Lynn Cullen | Delilah S. Dawson | Jessica Handler | Molly Harper | Kevin Hearne | Kathryn Hinds | Ann Hite | Vicki Lane | Erika Marks | Man Martin* | Frances Mayes* | Cherie Priest | George Weinstein

And Special Appearances by:

Tanya Long Bennett | John D. Cressler | Janice Hardy | Robb Helfrick | Renea Winchester

Writing Workshop: Planning Your Novel in 10 Easy Steps

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Just a heads up that my monthly post is up over at Pub Crawl, where I'm talking about the benefits of a small writers' conference. Come on over and say hello!

Start the new year off with a writing bookshop!

If you're in the Atlanta area this January, I'm giving a free novel-planning workshop at the Northeast Spruill Oaks Library.

Planning Your Novel in 10 Easy Steps will cover the key turning points of plot and how to find those points in your story idea. You'll learn a simple process to find and develop the key novel elements, from creating characters to determining the conflict to crafting the major plot points. Explore how to use goals, conflicts, and stakes to build a story and develop characters, and how to approach a story in a way that will make it easier to write and be more marketable to agents, editors, and readers.

Looking for a Plotting Workshop? Then Look No More!

If you live in or near the Woodstock, GA area, I'm holding a plotting workshop at FoxTale Book Shoppe on August 23rd. This workshop benefits all ages and writing levels, so come on down and spend an afternoon with me and the great gals at FoxTale.

Workshop: Plotting Your Novel With Janice Hardy 

Ideas are only the first step to writing a novel. Once that spark of inspiration hits, we need a great plot to support our great idea. In this workshop, you'll learn tips on how to create a solid plot for your novel and develop a process to make future plotting easier. Hands-on exercises will help you dig deep and find the goals, conflicts, and stakes, to hook readers, as well as determine which scenes are the right scenes for your story.

When: Saturday, August 23, 2014
Time: 1:00 - 5:00 pm
Where: FoxTale Book Shoppe
105 East Main Street, #138
Woodstock, GA 30188
770-516-9989
Cost: $80, includes Janice's craft book, Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure.

Register at the FoxTale Book Shoppe website. Walk-ins welcome (space permitting)

Writing Workshop: Build Your Story World at the Turner Cassity Literary Festival

For those in the Douglasville, Georgia area, I'm doing a worldbuilding workshop at the Turner Cassity Literary Festival on July 12th. There are events and gatherings all weekend where guests can mix and mingle with the presenters, so it should be a lot of fun. 

The Turner Cassity Literary Festival provides aspiring writers in West Georgia an opportunity to develop their writing skills and prepare their works for publication under the guidance of expert and experienced authors. There's a full weekend of Workshops, Critiques, Readings, and a special performance of the winning verse play! They also honor the poet Turner Cassity whose work and dedication to literary excellence in Georgia inspires their endeavors.

Teen Writing Workshop With Janice Hardy

If you're a teen writer living in the North Georgia/Cumming area, then join me for a free story-building workshop at the Forsyth County Public Library, June 28th.

Learn tips on how to create characters, develop a plot, and turn your idea into a story worth reading. This is a hands-on workshop, so come prepared to write and brainstorm. Work solo or in teams.

See you there!

Date: Saturday, June 28, 2014
Time: 1:30 - 3:00 pm






Presented By: Forsyth County Public Library
5010 Post Road
Cumming, GA 30040
(770) 781-9840

Register here for this free workshop!