📚 Overview
Your first draft is all about getting your ideas and words on the page. After this, the creative process of redrafting and shaping your manuscript into its final version begins.
In this exclusive one-day session, you’ll learn how to approach the revision process, self-edit your novel in stages, and get the most out of working with an editor.
For those who are looking to develop a powerful and effective revision process, join us for this unique opportunity to learn directly from top editors and published authors through presentations, panels, and Q&As. At the end of the day, you’ll have all the tools you need to get your draft into tip top shape.
🎓 What You’ll Learn
✅ Exclusive Access
You'll hear from authors, developmental editors, and seasoned writing instructors who’ll break down the revision process through talks and presentations. Each presentation will be followed by a live Q&A, giving you the chance to ask your questions. You’ll also receive Reedsy’s exclusive self-editing checklist, with tips on catching errors and plot holes in your writing. And because nothing can replace professional editing, you’ll also get post-event guidance on hiring an editor through Reedsy, plus $25 credit toward a collaboration.
⏱️ Schedule
11:00 - 11:45 EST
Editing Your Messy First Draft
It’s okay for your first draft to be messy, because it is just that: a first draft. Now begins the work of shaping your ideas, narrative, and character arcs through multiple revisions. With Rebecca Heyman’s guidance, you’ll learn how to approach your first draft and methodically develop it through the next phase of the editing process.
12:00 - 12:45 EST
Revision, the Structural Way!
New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt shows you how to strengthen the structural bones of your story in the editing process. She'll cover character arcs, wants and needs, reveals, and reversals — all while sharing her top tips and techniques for finding the right narrative balance.
13:15 - 14:00 EST
How I Finished My Novel
In this panel talk, three published authors discuss their revision processes, how to approach editing in multiple stages, as well as tactics for pushing past the finish line and reaching ‘The End.' With Kirthana Ramisetti (Dava Shastri’s Last Day), Gina Chung (Sea Change), and Beth Morgan (A Touch of Jen).
14:15 - 15:00 EST
Revision Tips & Applying Professional Feedback
Revision happens in several stages: some is done by yourself, and some with the help of a professional editor. In this session, Sarah LaPolla shares her best self-editing tips and advice for approaching common editorial feedback in revisions.
Speakers
Caroline Leavitt
NYT Bestselling Author and Editor
Caroline Leavitt is a New York Times bestselling author, a developmental editor at Reedsy, a book critic for People Magazine and the Boston Globe, a columnist for Psychology Today, and the founder of A Mighty Blaze, a book initiative that interviews authors and booksellers. She’s been longlisted for the 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize. Her 13th novel, Days of Wonder, is now available on all good bookstores.
Rebecca Heyman
Editor
Rebecca Faith Heyman holds a BA/MA in English and American Literature from New York University, and has been editing since 2009. Rebecca offers support to authors pursuing both traditional publishing (Greta Kelly, Emily Belden, Sarah Prager) and self-publishing (Louise Bay, Elise Kova, Annie Mollova). She is the creator of First Line Frenzy™, a community learning project for writers that has grown into a global phenomenon. Rebecca is known for her ability to bring clarity, humor, and keen discernment to every phase of the writing process.
Sarah LaPolla
Editor, Writer, and Former Literary Agent
Sarah LaPolla is an editor, writer, and former literary agent with almost two decades of publishing industry experience. Beginning at Curtis Brown, Ltd., and later with Bradford Literary Agency, Sarah has represented acclaimed authors whose works have become New York Times bestsellers, Edgar-nominated, and internationally awarded. Sarah received her MFA in Creative Writing from The New School and her BA in Creative Writing from Ithaca College. In 2020, she started Next Chapter Editorial where she focuses on developmental editing and manuscript assessments for YA and Adult fiction and has offered online workshops and critiques through Inked Voices, Catapult, Writer’s Digest, and Manuscript Academy.
Beth Morgan
Author
Beth Morgan is a novelist and screenwriter. She is the author of the novel A Touch of Jen, a New York Times Editors’ Choice and a Rumpus best book of the year. Her short fiction has been published in The Iowa Review, The Baffler, and The Kenyon Review online. She currently leads in-person writing workshops at Sackett Street Writers in Brooklyn.
Kirthana Ramisetti
Author
Kirthana Ramisetti is the author of three novels: The Other Lata, Advika and the Hollywood Wives and Dava Shastri's Last Day, a Good Morning America Book Club selection optioned by Max. Besides co-founding the newsletter Ministry of Pop Culture, her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Elle, Salon and more. She lives in New York City.
Gina Chung
Author
Gina Chung is a Korean American writer from New Jersey currently living in New York City. She is the author of the novel Sea Change, which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and a New York Times Most Anticipated Book, and the short story collection Green Frog, which was a Good Morning America Book Buzz Pick. A recipient of the Pushcart Prize, she is a 2021-2022 Center for Fiction/Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellow and holds an MFA in fiction from The New School. She is a faculty member of the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program at Lasell University.
