I was so excited about traveling to Lake Mary, Florida this fall to teach an extended version of my talk, Revisions: Polishing Your Work for Publication. I took about a hundred attendees through some of the most common errors and challenges that creative works face including basic punctuation and grammar rules as well as developmental issues such as unnatural dialogue, loose ends, and more. We were supposed to end by applying everything I shared to a sample page of writing so participants could practice editing using my checklist of 15 things you must review your manuscript for before publishing or submitting it, but unfortunately we ran out of time.
I met a lot of interesting people and had a lovely time. So did my audience members. Here’s what a few folks had to say:
I stepped into Ally’s workshop, thinking I would be there for 15 minutes. Her discussion captivated me and I stayed until I needed to prepare to pass out door prizes. She is an excellent speaker, very personable, and extremely intelligent.—Janet Marie Bill, Conference Director
After three days of non-stop classes, this was HANDS DOWN the most useful session I attended. This class was worth the money I paid for the entire conference.—Bruce Kubec, Longwood, FL
I wish this class could have lasted all day!—Joseph Matthews, Orlando, FL
A succinct, informative, and enlightening “revision boot camp.”—Thom Slayter, Boynton Beach, FL
Thanks so much to Mary Lois Sanders and Chrissy Jackson for inviting me to speak to their fantastic community of Florida writers. Check out the Florida Writers Association for more details.
Founder of The Writer’s Ally, Ally E. Machate is a bestselling book collaborator, award-winning editor, and expert publishing consultant who loves using her insider knowledge and experience with the publishing industry to lead serious authors toward success. She and her team live to help make great books happen, whether that means showing a writer how to improve a manuscript, get an agent, or self-publish; or coaching an author on growing her platform to sell more books. Since 1999, she has supported hundreds of authors on their publishing journey and takes pride in serving as their books’ best ally.
