Some of you may have noticed that things have been pretty quiet here at iggi&gabi. Don’t worry, the radio silence doesn’t mean I’m gone completely! Actually, it’s because of some sooper-seekrit but sooper-exciting things that I’m working on that I haven’t had as much time to post as I would like. I can’t give all the details right now (in part because I don’t know all of them yet) but I can give you a taste of what’s to come.
Author Interviews and Guest Posts: I’m working with some publicists to start getting interviews and guest posts from published authors. I think it would be so helpful for aspiring authors (myself included!) to see how published authors do what they do and be able to pick their brains a bit. I’m really excited about this and as soon as I know more details, you all will be the first to know. Are there any specific topics you want to hear authors talk about? Let me know and I’ll try to make it happen!
WIP Revisions: That’s right, after letting my manuscript “breathe” for a few months, I have jumped into revisions. I have set a steep goal for myself (a chapter a day) and it’s consuming mountains of time. I’m slightly terrified because no matter how much I shape or polish, it still doesn’t feel done. Every time I get to the end, I turn around and go straight back to the beginning and start rewriting. Again. Is there such a thing as over-revising? Please help! Do you have words of wisdom to share about revision? Any advice on how to tackle this monster? Most importantly, how do you know when it’s done?
DIY MFA: This is the most exciting of all! I’ve decided that because DIY MFA 1&2 were so successful, I’m going to expand this project beyond this blog. I’m working on restructuring and reorganizing the program and giving DIY MFA a home of its very own. Rather than having DIY MFA happen in short spurts once or twice a year, I want to create a community where writers can engage with DIY MFA year-round. What kind of features do you want to see in DIY MFA? Articles? Videos? More downloads like the workbook? Let me know how DIY MFA can best help you!
Call me Gabi (pronounced gah-BEE). I'm a writer, freelance teacher, and a lover of books and words. I'm also the instigator of DIY MFA. iggi's my sidekick, but he thinks he's the brains behind this operation.
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Comments on this post
Looking forward to all the new things you have in store! I hear you on the revision front. I’m about to dive into that myself and while I’m excited to be in a new stage of my manuscript, it feels daunting! Let’s push through our revisions together, k? 😉
13. July - 2:50 pmYou got a deal! Maybe it’s time for another weekend write-a-thon, what do you think?
13. July - 2:54 pmHi Gabi! I really enjoyed the weekly themes and exercises. I like a reason to write that doesn’t involve pulling out my WIP and pounding on it for two hours… rather using the exercise and exposition as inspiration and going from my assignment to my actual WIP. I also would have liked to read more of the work of my fellow “classmates”.
I love the idea of expanding it into a writer’s commune. I don’t have very many writerly people that I really talk writing with all day. Most people are already published and past my point of progress. I like the idea of being around a lot of people who are going through the same process.
Looking forward to what you’ve got going on soon!
13. July - 5:09 pmI’d be happy to do an interview, if you’d like! And if not, no problem.
13. July - 5:41 pmI’m excited about the changes you’re making and can’t wait to see them!
About revision, my advice is do not go back over the same chapters. Do as much as you can on a chapter, then when you feel that sense of frustrated ‘not right’ then move to the next chapter.
Inevitably, ideas will bubble up later for previous chapters. Make note of them or go back and make changes, but do keep an overall forward momentum.
I know how we write and revise is a very personal thing, so take my advice with a grain of salt and trust your instincts, as Justine recently reminded us!
13. July - 10:06 pmthis author interviews are gonna be cool!!! I’d be happy if there was some details on how do you start writing, I mean to make a plan, and how do you arrange things, because my biggest problem is in my WIP (my first novel ever) is that I write something in a chapter, and then I forget it and a few chapters later I write it again but in a whole another way… :S
18. July - 12:02 pm