“I love teaching classes that demystify revision so that writers can feel more at ease with the process and learn new jumping off points for engaging with their own work.” -Stacey Swann
This July, join us for our virtual 2023 Summer Writing Retreat featuring three classes on memoir & personal essay, fiction, and revision plus lots of special events throughout the month, including Saturday Craft Seminars (July 8 and July 29), meet-ups, and dedicated writing time.
Our revision class, taught by author Stacey Swann, will focus on “Revision Demystified: Moving Your Work to Completion.” This class is for writers approaching or in the process of revision and will teach you skills for staying motivated and putting the final touches on your work.
Here’s what Stacey had to share with us:
Scribe: You’ve taught at the Summer Writing Retreat previously, welcome back! Can you tell us why you enjoy this event and spending time with this community of writers?
Stacey Swann: Getting to talk with the same group of writers over the course of a whole month is such a gift. The SWR classes always create a great feeling community which translates to even more meaningful discussions.
Scribe: You’re teaching the Memoir class and are focusing on memory, form, and voice – can you tell us why you wanted to approach memoir from this angle?
SS: For so many writers, revision can feel like a really mysterious process. It’s so rare for us to get to see the writing from authors we love in anything but the final form. I love teaching classes that demystify revision so that writers can feel more at ease with the process and learn new jumping off points for engaging with their own work.
Scribe: How does this topic resonate with your own work and your own development as a writer?
SS: For a long time, I felt really at sea with revision. It was rarely talked about in detail in my MFA workshops, as if it wasn’t a teachable skill. Once I gained confidence in it, though, it became my favorite part of the writing process.
Scribe: How would you finish this sentence: If the students in my class take away one thing from the four weeks, I hope it’s:
SS: Revision isn’t an equation your must solve for your novel; it’s a messy process that involves the same creative spark as beginning a new project. And can be just as fun!
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Thanks, Stacey!
Stacey Swann’s debut novel Olympus, Texas (Doubleday) is an Indie Next Pick, a Good Morning America Book Club selection, and was longlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Swann holds an M.F.A. from Texas State University and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. Her writing has appeared in Texas Highways, LitHub, Electric Literature, NER Digital, Epoch, and other journals. She splits her time between Austin and Lampasas.
Click here to learn more about Stacey Swann’s upcoming revision class during the 2023 Summer Writing Retreat.
