Hello Friends,
Hope you are enjoying the holiday season. A few announcements and updates, and then back to overeating in the spirit of Festivus.
1. NEW EDITING SERVICE: Ph.D. Dissertations and MFA Theses
(in addition to regular fiction, nonfiction, script and poetry editing).
Ph.D. Students:
Are you “All But Disgusted” with writing ABD after your name and credentials? Are you struggling to complete your dissertation and fear you will overlook problems your advisor will pounce upon like a puma on its prey (especially if said advisor detests ubiquitous alliteration)?
MFA Students:
Are you panicking now that you are finished workshopping small sections of your book to your fellow MFA in Creative Writing classmates? You actually have to write, edit and finish your thesis on your own and are feeling the sudden urge to overeat and watch an endless stream of YouTube videos?
I will provide an in depth analysis––with an eye towards publication––and line editing, as well as prevent you from having a garden variety nervous breakdown that sadly won’t lead to a bestselling memoir.
Contact: JillDearman@gmail.com
2. HOLIDAY DISCOUNT ON EDITING SERVICES
And for the rest of you non-Schoolies:
I will be offering a HOLIDAY DISCOUNT on my regular editing services. Whether you are working on a short story, novel, nonfiction book, essay, book proposal, screenplay, memoir, play, poetry collection, or experimental legal thriller based on the secret memoirs of a Pomeranian princess…
I offer two options:
Option One) Analysis
Option Two) Analysis plus Line Editing.
Contact: JillDearman@gmail.com
3. NEW YEARS WRITING WORKSHOP – Dates and Deets
2 hours per week. Wed. nights at 6:15 in Brooklyn / Jan 11, 18, 25, Feb 1, 8 & 15.
$275 Please contact:JillDearman@gmail.com. Individual writing coach sessions also available by phone or in person. Watch the Bang the Keys video and check out the vibe before you imbibe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqjCbm2wN8Q
4. NEED WRITING EXERCISES NOW? Download the BANG THE KEYS APP as featured in The Writer Magazine:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bang-the-keys/id412669850?mt=8
The Bang the Keys APP will be available for Androids soon!
And look for free writing exercises in early 2012 in The Writer Magazine.
To order my book, “Bang the Keys” (Penguin):
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bang-the-keys-jill-dearman/1100310722?ean=9781592579143&itm=1&usri=bang+the+keys
5. HOLIDAY CHART READINGS
Wearing my other hat (the one with the funky symbols on it) … I will also be offering very limited astrological chart / and tarot readings at a 10% discount for the holidays. For more: http://www.jilldearman.com/services.html
Contact me at JillDearman@gmail.com.
For more on everything: www.bangthekeys.com
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Top Five Inner Monologues of Paranoid Writers (Plus Fall Wkshp, Editing Special, APP & More)
Greetings and Happy Fall!
Recent studies (CNN via Twitter via some random blogger from Duluth) show that writers are more prone to paranoia than politicians, plumbers or petty thieves. In that spirit, I recently wrote up this piece on writerly paranoia for my weekly Barnes and Noble.com column. (Read when no one is looking.)
http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Unabashedly-Bookish-The-BN/Writerly-Paranoia-The-Top-5-Inner-Monologues/ba-p/1141060?nobounce
NEXT WORKSHOP – Dates and Deets
Bang the Keys six-week writing workshop dates and deets:
Park Slope, Brooklyn. Two hours per week. Wed. nights at 6:15 October 5, 12, 19, 26, Nov 2 & 9. $275. Please contact: JillDearman@gmail.com
Check out the vibe before you imbibe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQjCbm2wN8Q
NEED WRITING EXERCISES NOW? DOWNLOAD THE BANG THE KEYS APP as featured in The Writer Magazine:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bang-the-keys/id412669850?mt=8
AUTUMN EDITING SPECIAL:
In honor of the ongoing recession, I will be offering a discount on my editing services this fall. Whether you are working on a short story, novel, nonfiction book, essay, book proposal, screenplay, memoir, play, book of poetry, or a genre bending cookbook/political thriller, please feel free to contact me to get precise info on a package for you.
I offer two options:
Option One) Analysis
Option Two) Analysis plus Line Editing
Contact info: JillDearman@gmail.com
Bio: Jill Dearman is an editor, writing coach and author of Bang the Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice (Penguin 2009). Her editing clients include authors published by Harper Collins, Norton, Penguin, and numerous other houses; New York Times journalists and award-winning scriptwriters. For more on her editing philosophy, and blurbs from her clients go to: http://www.jilldearman.com/services.html and click on “Editor”. She is also a part-time Professor of Journalism at New York University and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. An award-winning fiction writer, her prose has been published in numerous publications including North Atlantic Review, The Portland Review, Lilith, New York Stories, and Mr. Beller's Neighborhood. As a journalist, she has written for The Writer, New York Daily News, Time Out New York, and other publications. She writes a weekly interview column for Barnes & Noble.com called “Writer to Writer.”
For more: www.bangthekeys.com
Recent studies (CNN via Twitter via some random blogger from Duluth) show that writers are more prone to paranoia than politicians, plumbers or petty thieves. In that spirit, I recently wrote up this piece on writerly paranoia for my weekly Barnes and Noble.com column. (Read when no one is looking.)
http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Unabashedly-Bookish-The-BN/Writerly-Paranoia-The-Top-5-Inner-Monologues/ba-p/1141060?nobounce
NEXT WORKSHOP – Dates and Deets
Bang the Keys six-week writing workshop dates and deets:
Park Slope, Brooklyn. Two hours per week. Wed. nights at 6:15 October 5, 12, 19, 26, Nov 2 & 9. $275. Please contact: JillDearman@gmail.com
Check out the vibe before you imbibe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQjCbm2wN8Q
NEED WRITING EXERCISES NOW? DOWNLOAD THE BANG THE KEYS APP as featured in The Writer Magazine:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bang-the-keys/id412669850?mt=8
AUTUMN EDITING SPECIAL:
In honor of the ongoing recession, I will be offering a discount on my editing services this fall. Whether you are working on a short story, novel, nonfiction book, essay, book proposal, screenplay, memoir, play, book of poetry, or a genre bending cookbook/political thriller, please feel free to contact me to get precise info on a package for you.
I offer two options:
Option One) Analysis
Option Two) Analysis plus Line Editing
Contact info: JillDearman@gmail.com
Bio: Jill Dearman is an editor, writing coach and author of Bang the Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice (Penguin 2009). Her editing clients include authors published by Harper Collins, Norton, Penguin, and numerous other houses; New York Times journalists and award-winning scriptwriters. For more on her editing philosophy, and blurbs from her clients go to: http://www.jilldearman.com/services.html and click on “Editor”. She is also a part-time Professor of Journalism at New York University and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. An award-winning fiction writer, her prose has been published in numerous publications including North Atlantic Review, The Portland Review, Lilith, New York Stories, and Mr. Beller's Neighborhood. As a journalist, she has written for The Writer, New York Daily News, Time Out New York, and other publications. She writes a weekly interview column for Barnes & Noble.com called “Writer to Writer.”
For more: www.bangthekeys.com
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Free Writing Exercises! Plus Next Workshop Starts Next Week ...
Greetings and Happy Spring!
For writers and those who love them … need a couple of writing exercises to get your mojo percolating? If you are a victim of 21st Century infomania, these should help you to stop surfing and start focusing on your prose or script instead of on superficial tripe. (No disrespect to vegetarians or gourmet chefs.) When in doubt, try each of these for 15 minutes. But don’t stop there if you’re on a roll.
Exercise #1
“The Lie”
One character tells a fib that leads to another character telling a bigger lie. Then another character tells a lie in reaction to that lie. Write the scene in dialogue in the form of a playscript. Serve it up two ways:
A) “The Lie – comedy”
B) “The Lie – tragedy”
Exercise #2
“Art Changes Life”
What book or film changed the way your character views the world? How? When? Where? Why? Write a cinematic scene that captures what the experience was like for this character. Use that piece of art to inform the tone of your prose.
For more, download my Bang the Keys writing exercise APP. $2.99 on iTunes, for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. And coming soon for Android phones!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bang-the-keys/id412669850?mt=8
And now, for you scribey Brooklynites…or other New Yorkers who don’t mind a subway ride:
Next Bang the Keys Writing Workshop starts this Monday, March 28.
Park Slope, Bklyn. 6:15 pm. Mon. Mar. 28, Apr. 4, 11, 18, 25 and May 2.
For info: JillDearman@gmail.com / www.bangthekeys.com
For a taste of the vibe check out my book trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQjCbm2wN8Q
Finally, if you are seeking any editing help with your project, give me a holla! Good luck, mateys.
Truly, madly, deeply,
Jill
For writers and those who love them … need a couple of writing exercises to get your mojo percolating? If you are a victim of 21st Century infomania, these should help you to stop surfing and start focusing on your prose or script instead of on superficial tripe. (No disrespect to vegetarians or gourmet chefs.) When in doubt, try each of these for 15 minutes. But don’t stop there if you’re on a roll.
Exercise #1
“The Lie”
One character tells a fib that leads to another character telling a bigger lie. Then another character tells a lie in reaction to that lie. Write the scene in dialogue in the form of a playscript. Serve it up two ways:
A) “The Lie – comedy”
B) “The Lie – tragedy”
Exercise #2
“Art Changes Life”
What book or film changed the way your character views the world? How? When? Where? Why? Write a cinematic scene that captures what the experience was like for this character. Use that piece of art to inform the tone of your prose.
For more, download my Bang the Keys writing exercise APP. $2.99 on iTunes, for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. And coming soon for Android phones!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bang-the-keys/id412669850?mt=8
And now, for you scribey Brooklynites…or other New Yorkers who don’t mind a subway ride:
Next Bang the Keys Writing Workshop starts this Monday, March 28.
Park Slope, Bklyn. 6:15 pm. Mon. Mar. 28, Apr. 4, 11, 18, 25 and May 2.
For info: JillDearman@gmail.com / www.bangthekeys.com
For a taste of the vibe check out my book trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQjCbm2wN8Q
Finally, if you are seeking any editing help with your project, give me a holla! Good luck, mateys.
Truly, madly, deeply,
Jill
Friday, January 28, 2011
1 DAY WRITING WORKSHOPS IN FEB/New Writing Exercise APP
In honor of my favorite holiday, Ground Hog’s Day, I’ll be doing two writing workshops, for writers who don’t want their disappointing writing histories to repeat themselves.
Sat. Feb. 5 from 10-4 in Chelsea, NYC. $180
“Break New Ground”
Ready to break bad writing habits and become a more disciplined scribe and a better craftsman? Turn that high-powered perception on yourself, Dr. Lecter, and face the monsters within. You know – the ones who say, “Do a status update now and write your story later” or “Your script is tight and camera-ready,” when you know it’s still missing some magic. The emphasis will be on mastering your own writerly character flaws, and capturing fresh, thrilling energy on the page. Break the cycle and write with maximum verve and efficiency. If you feel like a hamster on a habitrail, please contact me at JillDearman@gmail.com for more info. Squeak!
Thur. Feb. 10 from 6:30 pm to 9:30pm in Chelsea, NYC /$95
“Meditation for Writers”
It was hard enough in the old millennium just to find time to write,
what with family, work, and other demands. But now with the temptation
of Twitter, Facebook, crackberries and blogs, what's a multi-tasking
scribe to do? This workshop will provide modern as well as classic
meditation techniques to keep your mind on your writing, not on your
text messages! In addition to uncovering new ways to focus and tap into your creativity, this workshop will also provide soulful and practical techniques and support for writers who are prone to depressive or anxious mindsets. (Okay, who isn’t raising their hand?)
Sign up for both by Ground Hog’s Day (Feb. 2) and pay $250 (save 25 clams).
And if you are an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch user, please download my new Bang the Keys Writing Exercise APP on itunes: http://www.jilldearman.com/app.html
For a vibe on Bang the Keys check out the book trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQjCbm2wN8Q
For everything else:
Email: JillDearman@gmail.com
www.bangthekeys.com
Cheers!
--Jill
Sat. Feb. 5 from 10-4 in Chelsea, NYC. $180
“Break New Ground”
Ready to break bad writing habits and become a more disciplined scribe and a better craftsman? Turn that high-powered perception on yourself, Dr. Lecter, and face the monsters within. You know – the ones who say, “Do a status update now and write your story later” or “Your script is tight and camera-ready,” when you know it’s still missing some magic. The emphasis will be on mastering your own writerly character flaws, and capturing fresh, thrilling energy on the page. Break the cycle and write with maximum verve and efficiency. If you feel like a hamster on a habitrail, please contact me at JillDearman@gmail.com for more info. Squeak!
Thur. Feb. 10 from 6:30 pm to 9:30pm in Chelsea, NYC /$95
“Meditation for Writers”
It was hard enough in the old millennium just to find time to write,
what with family, work, and other demands. But now with the temptation
of Twitter, Facebook, crackberries and blogs, what's a multi-tasking
scribe to do? This workshop will provide modern as well as classic
meditation techniques to keep your mind on your writing, not on your
text messages! In addition to uncovering new ways to focus and tap into your creativity, this workshop will also provide soulful and practical techniques and support for writers who are prone to depressive or anxious mindsets. (Okay, who isn’t raising their hand?)
Sign up for both by Ground Hog’s Day (Feb. 2) and pay $250 (save 25 clams).
And if you are an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch user, please download my new Bang the Keys Writing Exercise APP on itunes: http://www.jilldearman.com/app.html
For a vibe on Bang the Keys check out the book trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQjCbm2wN8Q
For everything else:
Email: JillDearman@gmail.com
www.bangthekeys.com
Cheers!
--Jill
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
It's a Happy, APPY New Year for Writers Looking for Exercises On the Go
Greetings and Happy New Year! Some updates for writers and those who love them:
A) NEXT WORKSHOP STARTS JAN. 24
Winter 2011 Bang the Keys Writing Workshop will take place in Park Slope Brooklyn. Six Monday nights at 6:15.
Jan. 24, 31, Feb. 7, 14, 28 and Mar. 7. $275
CONTACT: JILLDEARMAN@GMAIL.COM
To feel the vibe, of the workshop, the book, and the whole she-bang, watch this short vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQjCbm2wN8Q
B) THE BANG THE KEYS WRITING EXERCISE APP IS HERE:
If you are a writer, you have surely said these words before: “I wish I had more time to write.” In fact, you probably said them while simultaneously emailing a pal, Googling to find the complete cast list of “Nashville”, and texting your family about dinner while sitting in the café you escaped to in order to get some “time alone to write.” If this 21st Century portrait fits you, then please, check out my new APP available NOW on itunes:
(No, it’s not a play on ceviche or carpaccio. It’s dozens of writing exercises you can do on your iPhone, iPad or iTouch.) $2.99.
http://www.jilldearman.com/app.html
It’s the perfect complement to my book, Bang the Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice.
C) UPCOMING 1 DAY WORKSHOPS:
In honor of my favorite holiday, Ground Hog’s Day, I’ll be doing two writing workshops, for writers who don’t want their disappointing writing histories to repeat themselves.
Sat. Feb. 5 from 10-4 in Chelsea, NYC. $180
“Break New Ground”
Ready to break bad writing habits and become a more disciplined scribe and a better craftsman? Turn that high-powered perception on yourself, Dr. Lecter, and face the monsters within. You know – the ones who say, “Do a status update now and write your story later” or “Your script is tight and camera-ready,” when you know it’s still missing some magic. The emphasis will be on mastering your own writerly character flaws, and capturing fresh, thrilling energy on the page. Break the cycle and write with maximum verve and efficiency. If you feel like a hamster on a habitrail, please contact me at JillDearman@gmail.com for more info. Squeak!
Thur. Feb. 10 from 6:30 pm to 9:30pm in Chelsea, NYC /$95
“Meditation for Writers”
It was hard enough in the old millennium just to find time to write,
what with family, work, and other demands. But now with the temptation
of Twitter, Facebook, crackberries and blogs, what's a multi-tasking
scribe to do? This workshop will provide modern as well as classic
meditation techniques to keep your mind on your writing, not on your
text messages! In addition to uncovering new ways to focus and tap into your creativity, this workshop will also provide soulful and practical techniques and support for writers who are prone to depressive or anxious mindsets. (Okay, who isn’t raising their hand?)
Sign up for both by Jan. 29 and pay $250 (save 25 clams).
D) EDITING
See my latest Barnes and Noble.com column on self-editing tips for writers.
And consider this:
Winter Editing Special:
In honor of the ongoing recession, I will be offering a discount on my editing services this fall. Whether you are working on a short story, novel, nonfiction book, essay, book proposal, screenplay, memoir, play, book of poetry, or a genre bending cookbook/political thriller, please feel free to contact me to get precise info on a package for you.
E) New Service: Creativity Coaching. As always, I offer writing coach services to individuals. But now I am beginning to work as a Creativity Coach. Are you struggling to find the time and space to express your artistic inclinations? Are you a dabbler – interested in many forms – but unsure which one you wish to focus on? Have you gone through a recent life change and are now experiencing a renewed desire to explore your creative side and see where it leads? Or are you just curious and ready to create more and talk about it less?!
For everything else: www.bangthekeys.com
Thank you!
Jill
A) NEXT WORKSHOP STARTS JAN. 24
Winter 2011 Bang the Keys Writing Workshop will take place in Park Slope Brooklyn. Six Monday nights at 6:15.
Jan. 24, 31, Feb. 7, 14, 28 and Mar. 7. $275
CONTACT: JILLDEARMAN@GMAIL.COM
To feel the vibe, of the workshop, the book, and the whole she-bang, watch this short vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQjCbm2wN8Q
B) THE BANG THE KEYS WRITING EXERCISE APP IS HERE:
If you are a writer, you have surely said these words before: “I wish I had more time to write.” In fact, you probably said them while simultaneously emailing a pal, Googling to find the complete cast list of “Nashville”, and texting your family about dinner while sitting in the café you escaped to in order to get some “time alone to write.” If this 21st Century portrait fits you, then please, check out my new APP available NOW on itunes:
(No, it’s not a play on ceviche or carpaccio. It’s dozens of writing exercises you can do on your iPhone, iPad or iTouch.) $2.99.
http://www.jilldearman.com/app.html
It’s the perfect complement to my book, Bang the Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice.
C) UPCOMING 1 DAY WORKSHOPS:
In honor of my favorite holiday, Ground Hog’s Day, I’ll be doing two writing workshops, for writers who don’t want their disappointing writing histories to repeat themselves.
Sat. Feb. 5 from 10-4 in Chelsea, NYC. $180
“Break New Ground”
Ready to break bad writing habits and become a more disciplined scribe and a better craftsman? Turn that high-powered perception on yourself, Dr. Lecter, and face the monsters within. You know – the ones who say, “Do a status update now and write your story later” or “Your script is tight and camera-ready,” when you know it’s still missing some magic. The emphasis will be on mastering your own writerly character flaws, and capturing fresh, thrilling energy on the page. Break the cycle and write with maximum verve and efficiency. If you feel like a hamster on a habitrail, please contact me at JillDearman@gmail.com for more info. Squeak!
Thur. Feb. 10 from 6:30 pm to 9:30pm in Chelsea, NYC /$95
“Meditation for Writers”
It was hard enough in the old millennium just to find time to write,
what with family, work, and other demands. But now with the temptation
of Twitter, Facebook, crackberries and blogs, what's a multi-tasking
scribe to do? This workshop will provide modern as well as classic
meditation techniques to keep your mind on your writing, not on your
text messages! In addition to uncovering new ways to focus and tap into your creativity, this workshop will also provide soulful and practical techniques and support for writers who are prone to depressive or anxious mindsets. (Okay, who isn’t raising their hand?)
Sign up for both by Jan. 29 and pay $250 (save 25 clams).
D) EDITING
See my latest Barnes and Noble.com column on self-editing tips for writers.
And consider this:
Winter Editing Special:
In honor of the ongoing recession, I will be offering a discount on my editing services this fall. Whether you are working on a short story, novel, nonfiction book, essay, book proposal, screenplay, memoir, play, book of poetry, or a genre bending cookbook/political thriller, please feel free to contact me to get precise info on a package for you.
E) New Service: Creativity Coaching. As always, I offer writing coach services to individuals. But now I am beginning to work as a Creativity Coach. Are you struggling to find the time and space to express your artistic inclinations? Are you a dabbler – interested in many forms – but unsure which one you wish to focus on? Have you gone through a recent life change and are now experiencing a renewed desire to explore your creative side and see where it leads? Or are you just curious and ready to create more and talk about it less?!
For everything else: www.bangthekeys.com
Thank you!
Jill
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Revolted By Revision? Read on ...
Greetings:
Before a true chill sets in (real or existential), let’s bask in these final days of summer. Okay, that’s enough. It’s September and time to get back to work. If you are a writer and have a manuscript that is complete, you may be wondering what to do with it next. The impulse to destroy your creation out of Frankensteinian horror is natural, as is the impulse to send it out into the world, as a murderer might send a clue to the newspapers just to tempt fate. But not every natural impulse is a constructive one. After all, the impulse to do the electric slide at a wedding is natural too; but is it RIGHT?
If you are seeking a measured, middle path for your manuscript, one that will lead you to success not self-annihilation, consider this:
Autumn Editing Special:
In honor of the ongoing recession, I will be offering a discount on my editing services this fall. Whether you are working on a short story, novel, nonfiction book, essay, book proposal, screenplay, memoir, play, book of poetry, or a genre bending cookbook/political thriller, please feel free to contact me to get precise info on a package for you.
I offer two options:
Option One) Analysis
Option Two) Analysis plus Line Editing
If you or someone you know is interested in either option just drop me a line at
JillDearman@gmail.com
Please include a page count (double spaced/12 pt. font/normal margins for prose manuscripts), a brief informal synopsis of the work and the first few pages (cut and pasted into body of an email), I will reply swiftly with a concrete proposal.
Bio: Jill Dearman is an editor, writing coach and author of Bang the Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice (Penguin 2009). Her editing clients include authors published by Harper Collins, Norton, Penguin, and numerous other houses; New York Times journalists and award-winning scriptwriters. For more on her editing philosophy, and blurbs from her clients go to http://www.jilldearman.com/services.html and click on “Editor”. She is also a part-time Professor of Journalism at New York University and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. An award-winning fiction writer, her prose has been published in numerous publications including North Atlantic Review, The Portland Review, Lilith, New York Stories, and Mr. Beller's Neighborhood. As a journalist, she has written for The Writer, New York Daily News, Time Out New York, and other publications. She writes a weekly interview column for Barnes&Noble.com called “Writer to Writer.”
For more: http://www.bangthekeys.com
(And please stay tuned / stay in touch...I'll be doing Bang the Keys workshops in Brooklyn in October/November as well as one day writing workshops later in the year. Email me for info.)
Before a true chill sets in (real or existential), let’s bask in these final days of summer. Okay, that’s enough. It’s September and time to get back to work. If you are a writer and have a manuscript that is complete, you may be wondering what to do with it next. The impulse to destroy your creation out of Frankensteinian horror is natural, as is the impulse to send it out into the world, as a murderer might send a clue to the newspapers just to tempt fate. But not every natural impulse is a constructive one. After all, the impulse to do the electric slide at a wedding is natural too; but is it RIGHT?
If you are seeking a measured, middle path for your manuscript, one that will lead you to success not self-annihilation, consider this:
Autumn Editing Special:
In honor of the ongoing recession, I will be offering a discount on my editing services this fall. Whether you are working on a short story, novel, nonfiction book, essay, book proposal, screenplay, memoir, play, book of poetry, or a genre bending cookbook/political thriller, please feel free to contact me to get precise info on a package for you.
I offer two options:
Option One) Analysis
Option Two) Analysis plus Line Editing
If you or someone you know is interested in either option just drop me a line at
JillDearman@gmail.com
Please include a page count (double spaced/12 pt. font/normal margins for prose manuscripts), a brief informal synopsis of the work and the first few pages (cut and pasted into body of an email), I will reply swiftly with a concrete proposal.
Bio: Jill Dearman is an editor, writing coach and author of Bang the Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice (Penguin 2009). Her editing clients include authors published by Harper Collins, Norton, Penguin, and numerous other houses; New York Times journalists and award-winning scriptwriters. For more on her editing philosophy, and blurbs from her clients go to http://www.jilldearman.com/services.html and click on “Editor”. She is also a part-time Professor of Journalism at New York University and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. An award-winning fiction writer, her prose has been published in numerous publications including North Atlantic Review, The Portland Review, Lilith, New York Stories, and Mr. Beller's Neighborhood. As a journalist, she has written for The Writer, New York Daily News, Time Out New York, and other publications. She writes a weekly interview column for Barnes&Noble.com called “Writer to Writer.”
For more: http://www.bangthekeys.com
(And please stay tuned / stay in touch...I'll be doing Bang the Keys workshops in Brooklyn in October/November as well as one day writing workshops later in the year. Email me for info.)
Monday, June 7, 2010
Fire Up Your Writing As the Heat Rises: Bang the Keys Summer Writing Seminars!
Greetings!
The unofficial summer season has begun and it’s time to enjoy some outdoor play, a sweet vacay and the overall decadent vibe in the air. To writers, however, I must say this: Have fun and block out the sun, but not your commitment to your projects. Lather up with sunscreen, but don’t forget your screenplay! (novel, memoir, stories, essay, play, poems, what have you …) Okay you get the point. Unless you are lucky enough to be able to afford a three month writing retreat (including child care, and a rich, non-smoking subletter for your fab pad), why not sign up to experience a brief, intense infusion of energy into your writing – smack dab in the middle of summer? In addition to some tasty guacamole, a tall glass of pomegranate juice, and a chance to develop supportive relationships with fellow writers, I offer you this:
Bang the Keys Summer Writing Seminars, located in Chelsea, NY.
Tues. July 13 One Night Only /6:30 to 9:30pm $95
“BANG UP YOUR STRUCTURE SKILLS”
Character is destiny, but if your plot is slack you may be destined for disappointment when you submit your work in the real world. Similarly, spontaneity is grand, but not for serious scribes who want to complete a meaningful piece of writing in this lifetime.
Main Plot: You will learn and practice techniques for developing and tightening the structure of your writing, so that your readers/viewers will experience a pleasurable sense of suspense and engagement, not a desire to skim through in search of the good parts.
Subplot: You will fight your inner procrastinator and get a quick and dirty lesson in organizing your work, your life, and the more adolescent “I’ll do it later” voices in your head.Open to writers of all levels and genres. Costumes optional.
Sat. July 17 / All Day 10am to 4pm $185
“BANG ON THROUGH TO THE END OF THE YEAR”
The temperature is rising and New Year’s Rockin’ Eve seems so far away. But you know how much time it takes to develop and refine your ideas, to make your characters (whether fictional, or real) into compelling creations on the page, to build narrative momentum, to revise and polish so that your work stands out from the crowd …Geez! That’s a lot of work. And TIME. Don’t just tone up your calves by running on the beach this summer, tone up your craftsmanship and come up with a plan that will get your project done by the time we ring in the New Year.
In This One Day Seminar You Will:
• Immerse yourself in inventive and eternal narrative techniques
• Reconnect to your writing, and commit or re-commit to the project you care most deeply about.
• Do writing exercises that help you to up the ante in your prose or plays, and push past previous limits in your craftsmanship. Become a better writer. For yourself and for your readers/viewers.
• Create and commit to a “no b.s.” writing schedule and six month writing plan that will take you to the end of the year, so that you can enjoy a fabulous New Year’s party on December 31, not another pity party for you and your unfinished book or script!
Open to writers of all levels and genres.
Location for both: Broadway near 25th Street, Manhattan.
SPECIAL DISCOUNT:
Sign up for both by June 30 and pay only $250 (save $30)
Contact: JillDearman@gmail.com or 212.841.0177
--Have a Finished Draft in need of analysis and polish? Write me for details on a “Recession Special” Editing package.
--Curious about what effect Jupiter and Uranus transiting through Aries this year will have on you? Drop me a note for more deets!
INSTRUCTOR BIO:
Writing Coach and editor Jill Dearman is the author of Bang the Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice (Penguin/2009). She has been teaching her Bang the Keys philosophy of writing to new scribes and published professionals since 2003. She is a part-time Professor of Journalism at New York University and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. An award-winning fiction writer, her prose has been published in numerous publications including North Atlantic Review, The Portland Review, Lilith, New York Stories, and Mr. Beller's Neighborhood. As a journalist, she has written for The
Writer, New York Daily News, Time Out New York, and other
publications. She writes a weekly interview column for Barnes & Noble.com called “Writer to Writer.” She is also a Jungian Astrologist whose books Queer Astrology for Men and Queer Astrology for Women were published by St. Martins. For more:
To Get a Feel for Bang the Keys check out the YouTube video.
Need a quick but miraculous tip for your writing? Read on.
Read the Red Room Article.
Praise for Bang the Keys by Jill Dearman (Penguin/August, 2009). Foreward by John Leland, Staff Reporter, New York Times ...
“Few writing guides prove as thoughtful and intimate as Jill Dearman’s, and fewer still dare to be so insistently sensible and efficacious. Part anthology, part manual, part scourge, Bang the Keys distills the know-how of a gifted writer and teacher.”--Robert Polito, Director of the New School Graduate Writing Program, author, Savage Art: A Biography of Jim Thompson (Vintage), winner of the National Book Critics Award for Biography."
A beloved Renaissance chick with wit and passion enough to warm a biodome, Dearman proselytizes to Struggling Writer Nation with utter pragmatism and inventiveness. Dare to resist her injunctions if you can –– there's no better battle plan for sentence-making anywhere on the horizon."--Michael Atkinson, film critic and author, Hemingway Deadlights (St. Martins).
"I sold my first book on a treatment and the first 50 pages. Shortly thereafter, I discovered that the first 50 pages are the easy part. It was awfully surprising to find that, for me, the big challenge in writing a novel is resistance. I have a busy New York City-type career (I'm a Forensic Pathologist) and then a second busy-ish career as a freelance writer (New York Times Magazine, New York, Gourmet, etc.), and finding the time to work on the novel was always 'difficult'. Or so I let myself believe, as I coasted along, ignoring the looming deadline as I took care of more pressing and immediately gratifying obligations. Working with Jill not only forced me to focus on my book, but it proved the initial push –– or series of pushes –– that got me rolling on it, and not just rolling, but actually excited about my book. Jill's mastered the art of being honest, but gentle. Working with Jill for a few seasons has given me enough momentum to finish the book independently. Jill has whipped my self-confidence into such a state that I'm sure I'll finish strong."
---Jonathan Hayes, novelist, Precious Blood and A Hard Death (Harper Collins).
“This is a book about self-discipline, about finding your calling and learning to listen to that calling … so charming, so beguiling and laugh-out-loud funny you won’t even notice that you’re working your butt off . . . and getting it done! Jill Dearman is a national treasure.”
--Alison Smith author of Name All the Animals (Scribner), winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Memoir.
"If you are as ambivalent about your prose as you are about everything else in your life, place it and yourself in the velvet-gloved iron fist of Jill Dearman. She will be your mother and your whore.”
--Donna Brodie, Executive Director of The Writers Room, New York City, An Urban Writers Colony
"If you are sick of hearing goody-goody writing experts preaching their New Age or Know-it-All gospel, then bang on Jill Dearman's door, but quick. She seductively taps into writers' natural desire to write, which is just as natural to us as drinking, complaining and procrastinating. Then, through skill, experience and intuition, she hypnotizes writers into falling in love with their writing, and wanting to write again, and again. And by the end of the Dearman trip, we've learned how to hypnotize ourselves."
--Nisha Ganatra, Screenwriter and Director of the award-winning film, Chutney Popcorn; director of Cake.
“Bang the Keys overflows with contagious humor and energy. In fact, after a few pages you will likely throw it aside and run to bang your own keys! But my bet is that you will return to it and that it will stay on your shelf for reference.”
--Suzannah Lessard, author Architect of Desire (Dial Press), former staff writer, The New Yorker; teacher of Creative Writing at The New School, Goucher College and other universities.
"Ready to write your book? Jill Dearman is the savvy coach and good friend every writer needs. With warmth, tough-love, and humor she provides the inspiration, information, practical tips, exercises, advice, and motivation to get you started and to sustain your writing practice for a lifetime."
--Deborah Landau, Director, Creative Writing Program, New York University and author of the poetry collection, Orchidelirium (winner of the Anhinga Prize for Poetry).
"Jill Dearman has the nurturing power of a Jewish mother (without the guilt) and uses it to help you believe that there is no more important task than for you to finish that writing project! If you've been procrastinating for years –– and who hasn't been? –– then get your hands on this workshop-in-a-book. Her approach just works."
--Beth Greenfield, Author, Ten Minutes From Home (Random House, 2010), editor at Time Out New York, frequent contributor to The New York Times.
The unofficial summer season has begun and it’s time to enjoy some outdoor play, a sweet vacay and the overall decadent vibe in the air. To writers, however, I must say this: Have fun and block out the sun, but not your commitment to your projects. Lather up with sunscreen, but don’t forget your screenplay! (novel, memoir, stories, essay, play, poems, what have you …) Okay you get the point. Unless you are lucky enough to be able to afford a three month writing retreat (including child care, and a rich, non-smoking subletter for your fab pad), why not sign up to experience a brief, intense infusion of energy into your writing – smack dab in the middle of summer? In addition to some tasty guacamole, a tall glass of pomegranate juice, and a chance to develop supportive relationships with fellow writers, I offer you this:
Bang the Keys Summer Writing Seminars, located in Chelsea, NY.
Tues. July 13 One Night Only /6:30 to 9:30pm $95
“BANG UP YOUR STRUCTURE SKILLS”
Character is destiny, but if your plot is slack you may be destined for disappointment when you submit your work in the real world. Similarly, spontaneity is grand, but not for serious scribes who want to complete a meaningful piece of writing in this lifetime.
Main Plot: You will learn and practice techniques for developing and tightening the structure of your writing, so that your readers/viewers will experience a pleasurable sense of suspense and engagement, not a desire to skim through in search of the good parts.
Subplot: You will fight your inner procrastinator and get a quick and dirty lesson in organizing your work, your life, and the more adolescent “I’ll do it later” voices in your head.Open to writers of all levels and genres. Costumes optional.
Sat. July 17 / All Day 10am to 4pm $185
“BANG ON THROUGH TO THE END OF THE YEAR”
The temperature is rising and New Year’s Rockin’ Eve seems so far away. But you know how much time it takes to develop and refine your ideas, to make your characters (whether fictional, or real) into compelling creations on the page, to build narrative momentum, to revise and polish so that your work stands out from the crowd …Geez! That’s a lot of work. And TIME. Don’t just tone up your calves by running on the beach this summer, tone up your craftsmanship and come up with a plan that will get your project done by the time we ring in the New Year.
In This One Day Seminar You Will:
• Immerse yourself in inventive and eternal narrative techniques
• Reconnect to your writing, and commit or re-commit to the project you care most deeply about.
• Do writing exercises that help you to up the ante in your prose or plays, and push past previous limits in your craftsmanship. Become a better writer. For yourself and for your readers/viewers.
• Create and commit to a “no b.s.” writing schedule and six month writing plan that will take you to the end of the year, so that you can enjoy a fabulous New Year’s party on December 31, not another pity party for you and your unfinished book or script!
Open to writers of all levels and genres.
Location for both: Broadway near 25th Street, Manhattan.
SPECIAL DISCOUNT:
Sign up for both by June 30 and pay only $250 (save $30)
Contact: JillDearman@gmail.com or 212.841.0177
--Have a Finished Draft in need of analysis and polish? Write me for details on a “Recession Special” Editing package.
--Curious about what effect Jupiter and Uranus transiting through Aries this year will have on you? Drop me a note for more deets!
INSTRUCTOR BIO:
Writing Coach and editor Jill Dearman is the author of Bang the Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice (Penguin/2009). She has been teaching her Bang the Keys philosophy of writing to new scribes and published professionals since 2003. She is a part-time Professor of Journalism at New York University and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. An award-winning fiction writer, her prose has been published in numerous publications including North Atlantic Review, The Portland Review, Lilith, New York Stories, and Mr. Beller's Neighborhood. As a journalist, she has written for The
Writer, New York Daily News, Time Out New York, and other
publications. She writes a weekly interview column for Barnes & Noble.com called “Writer to Writer.” She is also a Jungian Astrologist whose books Queer Astrology for Men and Queer Astrology for Women were published by St. Martins. For more:
To Get a Feel for Bang the Keys check out the YouTube video.
Need a quick but miraculous tip for your writing? Read on.
Read the Red Room Article.
Praise for Bang the Keys by Jill Dearman (Penguin/August, 2009). Foreward by John Leland, Staff Reporter, New York Times ...
“Few writing guides prove as thoughtful and intimate as Jill Dearman’s, and fewer still dare to be so insistently sensible and efficacious. Part anthology, part manual, part scourge, Bang the Keys distills the know-how of a gifted writer and teacher.”--Robert Polito, Director of the New School Graduate Writing Program, author, Savage Art: A Biography of Jim Thompson (Vintage), winner of the National Book Critics Award for Biography."
A beloved Renaissance chick with wit and passion enough to warm a biodome, Dearman proselytizes to Struggling Writer Nation with utter pragmatism and inventiveness. Dare to resist her injunctions if you can –– there's no better battle plan for sentence-making anywhere on the horizon."--Michael Atkinson, film critic and author, Hemingway Deadlights (St. Martins).
"I sold my first book on a treatment and the first 50 pages. Shortly thereafter, I discovered that the first 50 pages are the easy part. It was awfully surprising to find that, for me, the big challenge in writing a novel is resistance. I have a busy New York City-type career (I'm a Forensic Pathologist) and then a second busy-ish career as a freelance writer (New York Times Magazine, New York, Gourmet, etc.), and finding the time to work on the novel was always 'difficult'. Or so I let myself believe, as I coasted along, ignoring the looming deadline as I took care of more pressing and immediately gratifying obligations. Working with Jill not only forced me to focus on my book, but it proved the initial push –– or series of pushes –– that got me rolling on it, and not just rolling, but actually excited about my book. Jill's mastered the art of being honest, but gentle. Working with Jill for a few seasons has given me enough momentum to finish the book independently. Jill has whipped my self-confidence into such a state that I'm sure I'll finish strong."
---Jonathan Hayes, novelist, Precious Blood and A Hard Death (Harper Collins).
“This is a book about self-discipline, about finding your calling and learning to listen to that calling … so charming, so beguiling and laugh-out-loud funny you won’t even notice that you’re working your butt off . . . and getting it done! Jill Dearman is a national treasure.”
--Alison Smith author of Name All the Animals (Scribner), winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Memoir.
"If you are as ambivalent about your prose as you are about everything else in your life, place it and yourself in the velvet-gloved iron fist of Jill Dearman. She will be your mother and your whore.”
--Donna Brodie, Executive Director of The Writers Room, New York City, An Urban Writers Colony
"If you are sick of hearing goody-goody writing experts preaching their New Age or Know-it-All gospel, then bang on Jill Dearman's door, but quick. She seductively taps into writers' natural desire to write, which is just as natural to us as drinking, complaining and procrastinating. Then, through skill, experience and intuition, she hypnotizes writers into falling in love with their writing, and wanting to write again, and again. And by the end of the Dearman trip, we've learned how to hypnotize ourselves."
--Nisha Ganatra, Screenwriter and Director of the award-winning film, Chutney Popcorn; director of Cake.
“Bang the Keys overflows with contagious humor and energy. In fact, after a few pages you will likely throw it aside and run to bang your own keys! But my bet is that you will return to it and that it will stay on your shelf for reference.”
--Suzannah Lessard, author Architect of Desire (Dial Press), former staff writer, The New Yorker; teacher of Creative Writing at The New School, Goucher College and other universities.
"Ready to write your book? Jill Dearman is the savvy coach and good friend every writer needs. With warmth, tough-love, and humor she provides the inspiration, information, practical tips, exercises, advice, and motivation to get you started and to sustain your writing practice for a lifetime."
--Deborah Landau, Director, Creative Writing Program, New York University and author of the poetry collection, Orchidelirium (winner of the Anhinga Prize for Poetry).
"Jill Dearman has the nurturing power of a Jewish mother (without the guilt) and uses it to help you believe that there is no more important task than for you to finish that writing project! If you've been procrastinating for years –– and who hasn't been? –– then get your hands on this workshop-in-a-book. Her approach just works."
--Beth Greenfield, Author, Ten Minutes From Home (Random House, 2010), editor at Time Out New York, frequent contributor to The New York Times.
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