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Redrafting II

25/6/2016

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We had a small group this time but we certainly made the most of it, looking at the minutiae of line-editing and then putting it into practice with a little help from a massive barbarian and his rippling right arm. Check out the link to fully explore the weird, fascinating mind of Hal Duncan.

We looked at ways to improve dialogue, and then everyone in the class took 1000 words of their writing and cut 250 of them. Yikes! Scary stuff, huh? But I recommend this exercise as a way to prove to yourselves just how much you overwrite. No, really, you do. We all do. Go on, try it. Just make sure you've saved the original version first as you might want to put a few of them back in. 
​And of course, as always, the real stars of the day were the wonderful images you gave us; from Singapore in 1949, to modern day Sorento, via a fictional Scottish island. We had sticky handles, stretched bladders and the smell of onions; a ghost reliving her first school disco; a mysterious birthday card written in advance of a dinner party; and a finger tracing the outline of a delicate tattoo.
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​It was a really enjoyable day, as Susan and I discussed later over a glass of Sauvignon. But don't take our drunken word for it. Here's a lovely little review written by attendee, author and blogger B.M. Keeling who I'm happy to announce will be making a guest appearance at our next event to talk about her experiences of self-publishing. She'll be on hand throughout the day to answer any questions you might have, as will fellow Yorkshire-based author Marion Dillon. Marion has two novels published with digital publisher Carina and will be talking about her journey to getting published and answering your questions.


So if that sounds like a worthwhile way of spending a Saturday - and how could it not? - there's still time to join us by signing up here. Go on; I'll even try to convince Susan to make some of her lovely homemade biscuits for you. They're rich and good and fattening but totally adverb free.
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Redrafting I

16/6/2016

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Another brilliant workshop on Saturday. Thanks to everyone who came along. If you missed it, we spent a lot of time looking at the common pitfalls of first drafts and how to combat them; from unarresting openings to overly-explained endings, via that good old favourite - the saggy middle. But it was equally great listening to everyone list the things they liked about their works-in-progress. It's all too easy to forget why you started this whole thing in the first place after months (sometimes years) of rethinking, rewriting and rearranging. Try to hold on to those beacons of light in the darkness, whether its a particularly loved character, a vivid, dynamic scene, or even just a beautiful image. 
​It was also great, from a personal viewpoint, to have the chance to share some of my own work with you. Not something I'd normally do in a writing workshop; it feels a bit like showing off, and that invariably leads to a fall. But both Susan and I wanted you to see the difference between an early draft and a final one.

This Saturday, 18th June 2016, we are continuing the redrafting work but this time looking more at the nitty-gritty process of line-editing. If you'd like to join us, you don't need a whole draft, just a chapter or two to work on in class. We have a couple of places left and full details are available here.


Finally, here's a lovely poultry themed literary cartoon! Visit savagechickens.com for more great cartoons on sticky notes.
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    TheVoiceofRuss

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