Advanced Revision and Submission Strategies: Fiction

Class Description

Revision means exactly that: Re. Visioning. In this class, we'll dive deep into the process of taking apart a draft: figuring out what exactly is at the heart of your story; how to deepen characters and tighten narrative; how to distinguish between necessary and unnecessary detail. Just finished a story you're proud of, but not sure you got the ending right? In love with your characters, but don't know, exactly, what your story is about? Terrified to cut a pretty sentence, or rewrite a scene, or add a new ending, for fear the whole story might fall to pieces? This is the class for you.

In Advanced Revision and Submission Strategies, each writer will submit to workshop two or three times (depending on class enrollment). Your first submission will be a first draft, and your second will be a revision of that story, after you've gotten feedback from the workshop. Along the way, we will do in-class revision exercises, discuss various aspects of craft based on model short stories, and demystify the process of submitting your work for publication. Authors whose writing we may discuss include V. S. Naipaul, Yiyun Li, Alice Munro, John Cheever, Carmen Maria Machado, and Edward P. Jones. It is recommended that you have some workshop experience prior to applying for this course.

Important dates:

The payment deadline for admitted students is Monday, May 30th.

This application deadline has now passed. Late applications will not be reviewed, but we encourage you to explore our many similiar short fiction classes coming up this term: Writing Fiction from Real Life (AM), Writing Fiction from Real Life (PM), Developing Your Short Fiction, and Short Fiction & Nonfiction: From Theme to Scene.

To apply, please click the red "SEE DIRECTIONS TO APPLY" button in the top right corner of this page. This application will ask you to detail your workshop experience. It will also ask you to upload a 5-10 page writing sample. Please make sure this writing sample is in Microsoft Word, double-spaced, and in 12-point font. For tracking purposes, your name should appear in the file name (e.g. Smith.Memoir Title.Submission). Decisions will be emailed to applicants approx. 1 week after the deadline. You can also track the status of your application in your Grubstreet profile. Please make sure your application is complete before you finally click "APPLY." If you have any technical difficulties filling out this application, please email [email protected]. You will receive a confirmation email once our system has received your submission.

Class Format

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.