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Getting Past the First Draft: A Revision Intensive, with Rachel Lyon

$170.00

Revision can feel like the hardest part of writing: the heady rush of a first draft gives way to the question of what, actually, to do next. This hands-on half-day workshop is a chance to work through that question in good and encouraging company: to look at our works-in-progress with fresh eyes, find what really matters, cut what doesn't, and shape each piece into its best self. Whether you're getting a pile of early notes into shape, working through a messy middle, or polishing an almost-final draft, we'll revise at every scale. We’ll discuss refining at the level of the sentence, as well as restructuring on a large scale, to rethink the way a whole piece fits together. We'll spend the afternoon talking through each writer's project in an informal, low-pressure way, then dig into the real questions together: What is the beating heart of this piece? Where does it most want to begin? How can we work toward its most satisfying or transcending ending? What can be cut and what’s still missing? Students will have time to write and try things out right there in the room, while I meet with you separately, for brief one-on-one discussions, to talk through where your work might want to go next.

This workshop will be held in-person and online.

Saturday, January 16, 2026; 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST

Revision can feel like the hardest part of writing: the heady rush of a first draft gives way to the question of what, actually, to do next. This hands-on half-day workshop is a chance to work through that question in good and encouraging company: to look at our works-in-progress with fresh eyes, find what really matters, cut what doesn't, and shape each piece into its best self. Whether you're getting a pile of early notes into shape, working through a messy middle, or polishing an almost-final draft, we'll revise at every scale. We’ll discuss refining at the level of the sentence, as well as restructuring on a large scale, to rethink the way a whole piece fits together. We'll spend the afternoon talking through each writer's project in an informal, low-pressure way, then dig into the real questions together: What is the beating heart of this piece? Where does it most want to begin? How can we work toward its most satisfying or transcending ending? What can be cut and what’s still missing? Students will have time to write and try things out right there in the room, while I meet with you separately, for brief one-on-one discussions, to talk through where your work might want to go next.

This workshop will be held in-person and online.

Saturday, January 16, 2026; 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST

Meet the Instructor

Rachel Lyon is the author of Self-Portrait with Boy, a finalist for the Center for Fiction's 2018 First Novel Prize, and Fruit of the Dead, an Oprah Magazine best book of 2024 which the NY Times called “superb” and “refreshing.” Rachel’s short stories have appeared in One Story, The Rumpus, Electric Literature, and other publications; she has taught creative writing most recently at Bennington College and the American University of Paris, where she was the 2024 Paris Writer in Residence. Originally from Brooklyn, NY, she lives with her family in Western Massachusetts.