[LAUNCHING IN 2020]
Our most celebrated writers are often lauded for creating worlds that feel real and characters we fall in love with.
As such, fiction writing can feel more like an emotive exercise than an analytical one. After all, we hear about JK Rowling crying at the very thought of killing off Mr. Weasley, not making a pros and cons list of how this might hurt or help her narrative arc.
While the drafting process should be heady and emotional, self-revision--that is, editing one's own work--requires that we step back and switch our brains from creative to analytical mode, which can pose a challenge for many writers. To use a common expression, these writers have spent so much time in the forest that they can't see it for the trees. (Especially the nice, big leafy one close to the cave they've decided to become hermits in. Don't knock their hermitage either: it's cozy, and they have a woodchuck as a roommate.)
Woodland fantasies aside, this is where I come in.
Hi, I'm Jessica Hatch, a freelance editor and fiction writer who once created a seven-tab Excel spreadsheet to take notes on her own novel. I'm here to help you CRACK THE EDITING CODE. As you go through video lectures, checklists, and hard-hitting questions, you'll learn to think like your most Type A self in order to see your manuscript as literary agents and other critical readers do: objectively, with an eye for what's working, what's not, and how to fix it all.
When you enroll, you'll get:
TWO (count 'em!) editing checklists to help you ask yourself the hard-hitting questions and move forward with revision.
A DOWNLOADABLE, CUSTOMIZABLE SPREADSHEET to help you quantify the seemingly unquantifiable elements of your manuscript.
NINE VIDEO-BASED MODULES to make you a Type A expert on how narrative theory applies to YOUR novel.
Plus, a WORKSHEET for each module so that you can make self-revision a breeze.
About Me
Jessica Hatch is the professional freelance editor behind Hatch Editorial Services. She has had been published in Fast Company, Babes Who Hustle, Time‘s Money.com, and LearnVest.
Jessica worked her way through the slush pile at New York-based literary agencies like Writers House and learned what attracts readers to a book at St. Martin’s Press. She now puts that experience to good use, providing editorial and publicity clients on six habitable continents with practical revisions and marketable advice. These clients have gone on to win prizes like the Lambda Literary Award (Huntress, A.E. Radley) and achieve acclaim like NPR’s yearly Best Books list (Antisocial Media, Siva Vaidhyanathan).
You've Got Questions
How long do I have access to the course? Will it expire?
You have lifetime access! After enrolling, you can revisit the course as many times as you’d like for as long as you need. You can even come back to it down the line, when you finish your next novel.
How much time does the course take?
I've designed it to be at your own pace. You can do it all in one go or complete a module per day. Each training module takes less than a half hour to watch, though implementing my editing advice will certainly take longer. As I mention in my welcome video, if having a lot of information thrown your way tends to be overwhelming, you can even take it one module at a time, returning to the course after you've taken that editing task off your plate.
Will there be homework, grades, or an annoying discussion board?
Okay, I guess calling discussion boards "annoying" made that a leading question. At any rate, the answer is "no"! This course's aim is to help you improve your writing practice. You're likely balancing your writing life with the rest of your responsibilities. The last thing you need to do is add more deadlines on top of your existing to-do list.
How is this content delivered?
I know that everyone has different learning styles, which is why I’ve got you covered! The content is presented in two ways to cater to your learning needs. You can watch my training videos or you can download the slides. Then, download the related worksheets to make these lessons personal to your own novel.
Why should I join now?
Dear reader, now is always the best time. The sooner you enroll, the sooner you can become a better self-editor. The sooner that happens, the stronger your writing practice can be. This course is the push you need to take yourself and your writing career seriously. Your future self will thank you!