Your instructor

Christopher Mohar teaches fiction, poetry and composition for University of Wisconsin–Madison Continuing Studies. Chris is the recipient of a Carol Houck Smith Fiction Fellowship from the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, and he holds an MFA from the University of Washington, where his creative manuscript received the David Guterson Fiction Thesis Prize. A fiction editor for Devil's Lake magazine, Chris also leads a weekly poetry workshop in a men's correctional institution and has previously been an adult literacy instructor and an after-school tutor. His recent writing appears in The Southwest Review, Word Riot, decomP, nanoism, and Ink Node, and he has received honors in recent contests from Gilmmer Train, Black Lawrence Press, The Cincinnati Review, and Crab Orchard Review. Chris lives in Madison, Wis. where he is currently at work on a novel about meat.

Who this course is for

• Intermediate to advanced writers working on novels, short stories, or creative nonfiction.
• Stalled or out-of-practice writers looking for a jumpstart.

• Anyone who wants to: refine self-editing skills, polish prose towards perfection, and keep writing publication-worthy work in the future.

Feeling stalled? Jumpstart your writing process and get your creativity back on track! In this online writing course you’ll receive one-on-one guidance from a professional mentor, including specific feedback on your work, energizing exercises, and advice to help you get your work moving forward today.

This course is ideal for any serious writer wanting to establish a stronger process for revision and self-editing. You’ll become a more independent, confident, and accomplished writer, and you’ll be able to apply the skills learned in this course to all of your future work, so that your future writing becomes more professional, polished, and worthy of publication.

You’ll begin the course by submitting a work in progress (a story or novel chapter), and you’ll receive personalized feedback through each step of the process, as you work through a series of topics, including:

1. Intro: The Drafting & Re-Writing Process
   
2. Vision/Revision
   
3. Characters in Conflict
   
4. Form-Fitting Your Story: Structure and Sequence
   
5. Beginnings and Endings
   
6. Final Polishing and Reflection

Each lesson culminates in an exercise, so students put techniques directly to practice and receive individualized feedback—prompt, professional, and supportive responses from your instructor, Christopher Mohar.

By the end of the course, you will have revised your work several times. You’ll end up with a stronger version of your story, and skills that will stick with you long after the course. As Willaim C. Knott writes in The Craft of Fiction: “anyone can write… however, only the writers know how to rewrite. It is this ability alone that turns the amateur into a pro.”

Contact

Your contact for more information about Revitalizing Revision is Laura Kahl, 608-262-3982, lkahl@dcs.wisc.edu.

For more information about online learning contact Lori O'Neill at 608-263-6322 or toll-free 877-336-7836 or email LSAonline@dcs.wisc.edu.

Also of interest

Explore other online writing classes.

The same writing staff that bring you these great online classes also provide individualized writing critique services. Learn more by visiting our writing critique services web page.