Many beginning writers believe that completing the first draft of a novel means completing the novel; experienced writers know that once the first draft is finished is often where the real work begins, and it sometimes it can feel like falling down the rabbit hole.

Which way’s up, and which way’s down? What started off so clear and urgent in your mind seems to have become unimaginably complex, and it can be all but impossible to see through the details of the novel, the tangled lines of its characters and its plot, to the core issues that will make or break the book when it comes to publication.

There is only one shortcut I know of when it comes to this long process, and that is to work with an editor. That’s why, on Saturday, June 11th, I’m offering the second installment of my popular 2015 Indigo Editing class, Advanced Novel Revision.

I’m passionate about this class, and so are many of the people who attended it last year. One attendee, a writing coach herself, said “I can say with confidence it was the most useful writers workshop I have ever attended.”

This class is for you if:

• You’ve got the plot and the characters right, but it still feels like there’s something missing
• There’s an issue you’ve wrestled with in your novel, over and over, and you’re still not sure you’ve got it right
• You’ve revised your novel to address one issue, but now it feels as if you may have created another
• Your beta readers don’t quite see your novel’s characters the way you do
• You feel like your novel is done, and all your friends rave about it, but the manuscript keeps getting rejected from agents and editors
• You’re ready to send your novel off for consideration by agents and editors, but you want to make sure it is as strong as it can be, in terms of its commercial potential, before you do

This class is not for you if:

• You have not yet finished the first draft of your novel
• You are reluctant to revise, worried that you’ll harm the work in the process
• You’re reluctant to talk about your work
• You don’t like to think about how stories work and why

There are still a few slots open for this class, which runs from 1-3pm on Saturday, June 11. For info and registration go to Indigo Editing.