There is no great writing, only great rewriting.
– Justice Brandeis
That quote sums up the importance of revision rather nicely. It will be one of the themes for the 2010 SCBWI Missouri retreat on revision, which will be held April 23-25 at the Trout Lodge YMCA. I’ll be one of the presenters. Here’s an excerpt from the brochure:
Authors love to write. We all adore the excitement of a new idea and the thrill of exploring a new character. It’s the agony of editing that we hate.
With the help of editor, Randi Rivers and novelist, Kristin Nitz, you will learn how to face that monster called revision.
You will spend a full weekend analyzing and revising your toughest project. Charlesbridge Editor Randi Rivers will meet one-on-one with you to suggest revisions that will make your manuscript stronger. Both Kristin and Randi will give workshops on how to improve your writing. You will also have time to make changes and meet with Randi a second time to go over your revisions.
Novelist Kristin Nitz will work with you to draft a query letter to an editor and help answer your marketing questions. It will be a weekend full of writing, rewriting, and encouragement.
