August 17 @ 1:00 pm – October 19 @ 4:00 pm EDT
You’ve written a first draft of an essay you’d like to publish. Good! Now the crucial work begins.
[Limited to 12 students]
For Creative Nonfiction & Nonfiction
Live On Zoom | Sundays, August 17 – October 19 (includes a 2-week break) | 1-4 pm Eastern
Revision is essential for writers who hope to publish, but it doesn’t have to be a slog. Revision can be fascinating—even fun—if we treat it as an opportunity to discover possibilities in the work, unearth new layers of meaning, and wrestle an essay into a seamless shape. The elbow grease pays off, but it’s also about respecting our material: We owe it to our hard-won personal stories to craft them into their most gripping, clear-eyed, and impactful forms.
In this 8-week course, each writer will zero in on one essay draft (up to 6,000 words). You’ll submit an early draft, receive substantive feedback from the group, and then follow up with a revised version, which will also be workshopped. To illuminate this process, we’ll read craft essays and examples of artful personal essays. We’ll discuss how to discover an ideal structure, enhance themes, and sharpen scenes and sentences. We’ll also examine sample drafts at various revision stages that went on to be published.
Limited to twelve writers, this course will expand your revision toolkit and move your work toward a form that might catch an editor’s eye.
You may work with an existing first draft or write from scratch early in the course—first drafts are due on a rolling basis. You will receive feedback on your initial 20-page submission and then again on your revised pages, totaling up to 40 pages of feedback from the instructor and the group!
Course Schedule:
Week 1 – Aug 17
Week 2 – Aug 24
Week 3 – Aug 31
Week 4 – Sept 7
— Break: Sept 14
— Break: Sept 21
Week 5 – Sept 28
Week 6 – Oct 5
Week 7 – Oct 12
Week 8 – Oct 19
Over these eight weeks, you will …
- EXPLORE how revision opens up fresh and fascinating possibilities in an essay draft
- LEARN techniques for “re-seeing” drafts-in-progress and targeting areas to sharpen and develop
- HONE your eye for moments in a draft that can be expanded, tightened, or deepened with reflection.
- DEVELOP your essay through a process of substantive (but encouraging!) feedback and rewriting.
For intermediate or advanced writers…
- Who’ve written a first draft and eager to take it to the next level.
- Feeling uncertain about revision, and who want to learn to embrace it
- Comfortable with vigorous workshopping and feedback from fellow writers
Closed captioning is available. ✔
Think you might miss a class? No worries, replays will be available. ✔
ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR
DORIAN FOX is a writer and freelance editor whose essays and articles have appeared in Brevity, The Rumpus, Gay Magazine, Booth, The Pinch, Short Reads, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Los Angeles Review of Books and elsewhere. He lives in Boston and teaches creative writing courses through GrubStreet and Pioneer Valley Writers’ Workshop. Find more about his work at dorianfox.com.
Testimonials from past students:
“It was an excellent experience. I was a teacher of teachers and have observed many classrooms. Dorian Fox is one of the best instructors I’ve encountered over my career.” (Judith Davidson, Developing Your Personal Essay, GrubStreet Spring 2024)
“Dorian was an inspirational, highly approachable teacher, and so respectful of our work.” (Liam Carnahan, Memoir in Progress, GrubStreet Fall 2024)
“Loved Dorian, loved my classmates, loved the structure and content of this class.” (Sharon Schindel, Advanced Revision and Submission Strategies, GrubStreet Summer 2023)
THE FINE PRINT
We understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers.
Before the first class, you may request a refund (less a $25 processing fee).
After class begins, you may request a refund for the remaining value of the course (less a $25 processing fee).
No refunds will be available after the third class.
Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com
