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Literary agent Dan Conaway, Writer’s House, said this about the coaching I do on my blog and in my book, Mastering the Craft of Compelling Storytelling:

• “Learn the critical art of ruthless and rigorous self-editing from a man who understands it better than most. His practical, sensible advice really can help you become a better writer.”

In these lively days of self-publishing, thorough, painstaking self-editing has become more necessary than ever, especially if you cannot afford to hire an editor. In this workshop, I approach self-editing from both sides of the coin, as an author and an editor. The workshop can sharpen and strengthen both fiction and memoir narratives.

Topics and foci include:

Wordcraft: beginning with a discussion of “writing for effect” and the writer’s goal in creating a narrative, we dig into the words you use, identifying and correcting weak, wasteful, and wrong words or usage that weaken and slow a narrative.

Technique: dealing with common flaws in manuscripts, including

• demystifying showing versus telling, and when to do both
• the need for transitions
• the need for setting the scene
• getting rid of the flab of overwriting
• identifying the two types of filters that distance the reader from the story experience;
• conclusion words that cheat the reader out of seeing the story accurately
• the good and the bad of adverbs
• avoiding dialogue techniques that cry “amateur”
• using dialogue “beats” to enhance storytelling
• delivering the “sound” of dialogue
• the key issue of motivation, the causality that must underlie what happens in the story and creates credibility in the reader’s mind

Packed with examples and exercises, writers will learn:

• how to identify and correct weak language
• how to spot and strengthen weak technique
• how to create and maintain a crisp narrative flow and pace