Ready to get your novel out into the world? If so, GrubStreet’s competitive and affordable MFA-level Novel Incubator Program is for you. Over 12 months, writers will revise their novels, study the novel form, and gain a thoughtful introduction to the publishing world. Click here to learn more about the program.

By Katrin Schumann

How long does it really take to write a book? From beginning the first draft to seeing it on bookshelves? It's generally accepted that more books = more success/ happiness. But what does being "productive" really mean, and does it make you happy as a writer? 

I used to think the solution to almost all writerly problems lay in having more time—a comforting thought since I had so very little of that particular commodity. Simple, I thought: when I have more time, I'll do more writing, and I'll be happy and productive.

On some level this is obviously true, but time …

Ready to get your novel out into the world? If so, GrubStreet’s competitive and affordable MFA-level course is for you. Over 12 months, writers will revise their novels, study the novel form, and gain a thoughtful introduction to the publishing world.

Applications for the 2020-2021 Novel Incubator with instructor Michelle Hoover are now open. Click here to apply! Applications are due February 14th, 2020, by 11:59PM EST.

Interested in taking your novel to the next level?

Join us on Thursday, December 12th at 6:00-7:30pm for an informal Q&A session on our Novel Incubator program. Alumni of the program and instructor Michelle Hoover will be there to answer any questions you have about the Novel Incubator program

In the past few years, I've done an enormous amount of editing. I work as a manuscript consultant and help other writers develop their books, and I've (almost completely) rewritten two novels. Here are some of the things I've learned about the editing process:

TOP FALSE ASSUMPTIONS EDITING CLIENTS MAKE

1. An editor will "fix" your manuscript. (An editor can help you fix it.)