Learn how to revise your manuscript with confidence, recognize when it is truly ready for submission, and navigate the path from polished draft to publication with agents, query letters, and other routes to getting your work into the world.
Each week, participants will focus on a different stage of the revision and publishing process, including structural and line-level revision strategies, identifying common problems in manuscripts, understanding the role of agents and editors, and exploring different paths to publication. The workshop will combine discussion of craft principles, practical publishing guidance, and analysis of participant work in a supportive, workshop-based setting. By the end of the course, participants will have a clearer, more polished manuscript excerpt, a realistic understanding of its readiness for submission, and a practical toolkit for querying agents and navigating publication options with greater confidence. Participants should submit a draft of a short story or novel excerpt up to 3000 words to the first class.
Live video conference: This workshop will be held via our online video conferencing platform, Zoom. You can view brief tutorials on using the platform here. On the start date or the day before, participants will receive an email with login info (please check your spam if you don’t see it).
In this workshop you’ll learn:
- Revision Strategies for Structure & Story Shape (identifying what to cut, expand, and reorder for maximum narrative impact)
- Line-Level Editing & Style Refinement (strengthening voice, clarity, imagery, and rhythm in prose)
- Diagnosing Manuscript Problems (common issues in pacing, character development, stakes, and cohesion—and how to fix them)
- Publication Pathways & Industry Navigation (understanding agents, editors, presses, and different routes to publication)
- Query Letters & Submission Readiness (how to evaluate when a manuscript is ready and how to pitch it effectively to agents and publishers)
Time requirements
- approximately about 3hrs
Materials
- All reading materials will be provided.
Who should take this workshop?
- Any writer who hopes to publish his or her work.
If you need an accommodation for this workshop, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.