The Messy Middle:
A Novel Revision Workshop
Summer Session
Tuesday Nights (5:30-7:30 pm)
June 22 - July 27, 2021
Follow-up Session
Monday Nights (6:00-8:00 pm)
July 12 & July 19, 2021
Taught by Lita Kurth
For adults and mature teens (16+)
(Memoir writers are also welcome though most examples will come from fiction.)
You should have completed enough of a first draft to benefit from revision exercises.
I devised this course partly to keep myself on track with my current novel! I know how much structure and group support help!
We will keep this course small (7 at the most) and hands-on so we can get to know one another (in fact, there will be several students from my previous courses, so I can guarantee they will be wonderful colleagues.) I’ll customize the last weeks around issues current students are struggling with the most or most interested in.
Each week will include the following:
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A technical aspect of revision: creating tension, transitioning between chapters, etc.
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A psychological aspect of revision with insights from established authors about how they addressed an obstacle
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Examples of techniques from books by established authors
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Two revision exercises done or begun in class
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Optional but encouraged sharing of/about work done in class
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A recommended book/article/website related to revision
If of interest, we can look at the hideous work of preparing for submitting to agents and publishers, e.g., pitches, a one-page synopsis, a three-page synopsis, comparisons to other published works, etc.
Those who have completed the Messy Middle course are invited to sign up for The Messy Middle Follow Up, to reinvigorate your work.
Meet Your Instructor
Lita Kurth has taught at Santa Clara University and De Anza College as well as in private workshops for many years. A co-founder of San Jose’s Flash Fiction Forum, she holds three Master’s degrees, including an MFA. She is a recipient of the Diana Woods Memorial Award and a two-time Pushcart nominee (creative nonfiction and fiction). Sample publications include Lunchticket, Redux, Raven Chronicles, Main Street Rag, Tikkun, Chicago Literati, NewVerseNews, and ellipsis…literature and art, Compose, and more.