In The Art of Revision, Peter Ho Davies respectfully suggests a counter to the famous advice for revision, “kill your darlings”—perhaps, he says, we should instead think of the various ways we can “save our darlings.” In this 5-week class, we will take Davies’s advice and consider a less murderous approach to revision. What might we discover if we listened more carefully to our darlings? Are they perhaps misunderstood, misplaced, underrealized? What if we were more patient with the material that our instinct says to cut? What might this approach teach us about who we are as writers? Each week, participants will be given a revision prompt and/or strategy, a reading, and one or two workshop submissions from their peers. To inform our discussions, we will read early and late drafts of published writing alongside theories and tips on revision from seasoned writers. Feedback and workshop guidelines will be provided, but the class may choose collectively to change these guidelines if necessary. Class time will include workshop as well as discussion of readings and craft. Each participant will receive written feedback from the instructor and the other participants. Writers should have a short piece they consider done (or close to done), which can be an excerpted or self-contained draft of any genre.
Save Your Darlings: A Generative Approach to Revision Workshop w Alissa Hattman | August 3 - 31
A Statement of Our Values
The Attic Institute of Arts and Letters opposes the legitimation of bigotry, hate, and misinformation in today's cultural and political environment. As a studio for writers, we do not tolerate harassment or discrimination of any kind. We condemn all acts of racism, sexism, ableism, classism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and Islamophobia. We embrace and celebrate our shared pursuit of literature and language as essential to crossing the boundaries of difference. To that end, we seek to maintain a creative environment in which every employee, faculty member, and student feels safe, respected, and comfortable. We accept the workshop as a place to question ourselves and to empathize with diverse identities. We understand that to know the world is to write a better world. Therefore, we reaffirm our commitment to literary pursuits and shared understanding by affirming social justice, diversity, and open inquiry.