How to revise Your Novel Course

Instructor Verona Lorgsval at Port Olni

I used to hate revising/editing. Several of my complete novels are collecting dust in virtual drawers because of that.

Then, the course How to revise Your Novel started. And something major changed.

One step at a time, we identify the weaknesses of our story. All aspects of it are scrutinized and noted down.

Nothing is changed at this point. Only at the very end, do we make the changes needed, and we make them in one go. So, instead of dragging your red pen through page after page and dying of boredom, there's always something different to do and a different perspective to consider.

It's my first time using this method, so I take longer than a week for each task. I'm not worried though. Motivation and the will to soldier on are crucial.

As you can see below, the course is 22 weeks long. It's a big commitment and it's totally worth it.

In case you'd like to attend, this course will start at Milk Wood soon.

Syllabus for How to Revise Your Novel

Instructor: Verona Lorgsval in Second Life

                 Victoria Lynn Osborne in Real Life

Week 1. Despair: The Novel you got. Here we will be printing out your novel. And doing the first read through and tracking down your novel.

Week 2. Promises Promises, Finding your biggest first draft wrecks.

Week 3. The Hunt for the slippery Scene. An Interlude.

Week 4. Promises Promises the plot you got.

Week 5. Conflict and What Matters.

Week 6. Sharpening Your Characters Bringing Fictional Folk Into Focus.

Week 7. How to Triage Your World.

Week 8. Wrapping up Triage Final Details of Target, Promises, Story and Theme.

Week 9. How Manuscript Surgery Works.

Week 10. Theme and Story Take Two.

Week 11. Plots and Subplots.

Week 12. Committing to your Characters.

Week 13. Tracking and Completing Conflicts.

Week 14. Simple Time Dealing with Time Crises and Modifying In-scene Story Structure.

Week 15. Complex Time: Time Between Time.

Week 16. Becoming Consistent.

Week 17. How to Cut the Manuscript.

Week 18. Cosmetic Surgery I. Line Editing with Style, Grace, and Commas.

Week 19. How to Improve Dialogue, Description, Action, and Flow.

Week 20. Beginnings, Ending, Pace and Step-by-step.

Week 21. How to Survive and Thrive with your Type-In.

Week 22. Surgical Review: Streamlining the In-Depth Revision Process.