The Self-editing Intensive—with Tiffany Yates Martin—

My favorite kind of comments I hear from authors after we work together are that the editing process was like a master class for them in craft, or that they understand storytelling on a level they never did, or that the tools they learned during the edit have changed the way they write and their confidence and skill in their writing.

Editing and revision are complex, challenging parts of craft—often among the most difficult, in fact. Yet the craft of writing is often taught as if the bulk of it is drafting the story. That’s why the complex necessary process of deepening, developing, and honing it can initially feel opaque and overwhelming to authors.

Anyone can put paint on a canvas and create a painting, but mastery comes in the detail work, the painstaking brushstrokes that give it texture and depth and dimension and impact.

Editing is where that magic happens in story.

It takes knowledge and skill and practice, and this course was designed to offer authors all those things, through the lens of my experience over decades working with thousands of manuscripts, many of which have gone on to become bestsellers and award winners. And I wanted to give authors the experience of practical, hands-on experience and practice every step of the way, so that you’re not just learning and growing these core skills with a single manuscript, but for your entire writing career.

Since I stay heavily booked and I’m often closed to new clients or with a months-long waiting list, I also wanted to have the opportunity to work with more authors—not only to help them hone their story into the best version of itself, but to give them the tools to be able to do it on their own.

Plan on a total average weekly commitment to the class and assigned out-of-class work of a minimum 3-4 hours (Expanded and Intensive levels), but that may vary week to week and does not include your own additional revision time. The more time you’re able to dedicate to the exercises, homework, your pages, and putting the coursework and concepts into action in your story, the more quickly your editing and revision will progress.

The class is designed to help authors learn to edit and revise a finished manuscript, so yes, it’s most useful and strongly preferred that you have at least a completed first draft. (If you’ve finished more than 75% of a manuscript, contact me and we can discuss whether the class is appropriate for you: tiffany@foxprinteditorial.com.)

The course is designed around working on a single manuscript, and each author will focus on one story throughout the class.

The course is oriented around principles of commercial Western fiction and is suited to fiction writers of any genre. Memoirists may find the core storytelling principles applicable to their genre, though the course focuses on fiction. This class is not suitable for authors of children’s books, picture books, poetry, or essayists.

While live edits in class will be read aloud and students may offer their observations about another writer’s submission during the discussion, they will be led and primarily conducted by me, and outside class reading and critique of one another’s work is not part of the course.

A key part of the class involves hands-on discussion and live editing of each author’s story and pages. These sessions will follow my usual approach: positive, constructive, and respectful, but also candid and direct.

Because authors often learn even more from analyzing other people’s work than from having their own analyzed, live edits will be primarily conducted by me but will follow a specific guided approach for group feedback/participation: We’re not critiquing the writing or offering prescriptive suggestions, simply reflecting back to the writer our reactions to the story and various aspects of craft.

This process is invaluable in allowing an author to see how well their intentions may be coming across on the page, based on readers’ (subjective) perspectives, and learn to determine what feedback resonates for them and is applicable to their intentions for their story. It’s extremely useful to help authors gain feedback on how well they’ve put their vision on the page, but perhaps even more important, it teaches every writer analytical skills they’ll use for their own work, as well as how to sort, process and utilize feedback. This is part of the key skill of editing your own work: knowing how to procure the kind of useful, actionable feedback you need to reflect your story back to you (and overcome blind spots), and how to know what feedback works for your story/you and what doesn’t.

The real value of these in-class edits and analyses is seeing other people’s work edited and discussed—even more than your own. You’ll have objectivity with your fellow classmates’ writing that it’s difficult to attain with your own, which allows you to hone your objective analytical editorial eye. Once you learn to spot what’s working and what’s not in someone else’s WIP, it’s much easier to begin to see those issues in yours.

For that reason, in-class discussion and live edits of your work are not optional at the Intensive and Expanded levels. Sharing your story in its unfinished state is a vulnerable, intimidating thing to do, but it’s also the most effective way to learn to see what’s working well in an author’s pages and what may not be as strong or effective as it could be. And creating a safe environment means everyone allows themselves to be open and courageous enough to share their work in progress. (If this isn’t something you’re comfortable with, you might consider the self-directed Core Level version of this course.)

All classes are recorded and students will have access to the recordings, usually within 24 hours. You’ll have access to the recordings for a year after the class ends. You will also receive downloadable transcripts of the classes and PDFs of the slides that are yours to keep forever.

This class is designed for you to take what you need out of it. All assignments and exercises are optional, and if you don’t wish or don’t have time to revise your pages for the private consultations with me, you can use that time for any other questions/areas you’d like to discuss.

This class will assume a solid understanding of and familiarity with storytelling and writing craft principles and operate at an intermediate/advanced level. (If you’re unsure whether it’s the right class for you, feel free to contact me directly at tiffany@foxprinteditorial.com to discuss.)

Getting feedback isn’t the same as learning to assess your own stories—and it doesn’t guide you in how to revise. Many stories go through multiple editorial passes, both by the author and with outside feedback—but if your story still isn’t working the way you want it to, this class will help you figure out why and how to address problem areas.

No, the course is open to any author with a completed manuscript, but it does assume an intermediate or advanced level of experience.

Because this is an intimate small-group workshop-based class, enrollment is limited to no more than 12 students, open to any author on a first-come, first-served basis. Once enrollment reaches maximum capacity you may request to be added to a waitlist (also first-come, first-served), and to be notified when future sessions are announced.

Half the tuition is due on registration to hold your spot (this class is limited to no more than 12 students) and the balance the week before class begins. Payment is available by credit card, however.

I’m offering one full scholarship to help a writer for whom the course might not otherwise be within reach. You can apply here.

If your plans change, you can cancel at any time up until one week before the first day of the class for a full refund. After that there will be a 50% cancellation penalty until class 2, and no refund after that.

No. I’m confident in the value of this course, and that writers will gain knowledge and skills to improve their stories and their own editing ability. The reason I’m specific and clear about what the class entails and will require of authors is so that you can make an informed decision about whether it’s right for you before you register.

The class is held via Zoom meeting, so a computer (with audio and video capabilities) and an internet connection are all that’s required. The private discussion group will be hosted by me on WhatsApp; it’s free to download and use on any device: https://www.whatsapp.com/download