Anjali Andrea Alban
Author and Editor
A feedback forum for writers of all genres
Register now for Spring 2020
4 Sundays per session | 2:00-5:00 p.m.
March 15, April 19,
May 17 & June 7
Polish your manuscript in a safe space built on respect, clarity, and honesty. The focus is on rendering quintessential characters, vivid settings, page-turning plots, and snappy dialog. Anjali guides the group through a powerful revision process. Writers cultivate self-editing mastery. The mission of this university-level workshop is to inspire and deepen craft.
Book Passage * 51 Tamal Vista Blvd. * Corte Madera, CA
A thousand thanks for the incredibly useful critique of my novel. I’ve taken all of your suggestions to heart, and am revising and writing like mad. You must have injected a magic ingredient into the works, because a member of my critique group said the characters had deepened and the story is even more interesting.
—Beth Franks, author of Hattie Claybourne
Anjali is editor and mentor “extraordinaire.” We connect on many levels, and I trust her implicitly. She not only offers the appropriate criticism, but also gives me hope and encouragement. Anjali understands my characters and perceives my long term goals as a writer and illustrator. She has given me vital guidance through this process.
—Christine Nizibian, author of The Enchanted Bookcase series
Polish your manuscript
in 18 easy steps.
The art of fiction is crafted in the revision.
Anjali Alban shows writers how to apply techniques of the editing trade to their own children’s manuscript. Want a pitch and picture-perfect manuscript to catch an agent or publisher's eye?
Email anjalialban@gmail.com for information about Anjali's editing and mentoring fees, and the streamlined process she uses to enhance your creativity and self-editing mastery. Ask for a FREE copy of Anjali's RE-Vision Guide.
Praise and Reflections about
Anjali's Mentorship
"I love, love, love the Writer's Tribe™ and wanted to thank you for your wonderful, insightful comments. The class is exactly what I needed, and I am excited to be refocused on my novel, as well as to work with a tribe of highly talented, fellow writers."
—Megan Pickett, author of JULIUS AND NERO
To anyone seeking guidance in refining and editing their writing, I highly recommend Anjali Alban. Working with her on my children’s book project is stimulating and rewarding. Her thoughtful questions inspire fresh and improved approaches to my story. Her suggestions are always supportive and display a deep understanding of the writing process. Anjali is clear and meticulous in her editing. At the end of each meeting, I feel I've had a one-on-one writer’s workshop, and my creativity has been nurtured and expanded. Her skill in teaching the craft of writing is exceptional!
—Pamela Myers, author of THE LOST ELVES
Like a full moon in a dark sky, you light the way for struggling writers. With your gift for wordsmithing and selfless kindness, you illuminate our individual paths. Thank you for holding my hand and leading me through this process of writing and launching my book. —Jacquie Faber, author of A PURRFECT HOME FOR KITTERS
I am so grateful for all you have done on this journey—without you and the Tribe my writing would not have been good enough to publish. I have learned so much from you and gained a wonderful friend and advocate in the process. I also have a new community of friends and supporters, a true gift. —Kara Navolio, author of EVERYBODY CAN DANCE
Favorite quotes about RE-Vision
“Finish the story, print it out, then put it in a drawer and write other things. When you’re ready, pick it up and read it, as if you’ve never read it before. If there are things you aren’t satisfied with as a reader, go in and fix them as a writer: that’s revision.”
—Neil Gaiman
“By the time I am nearing the end of a story, the first part will have been reread and altered and corrected at least one hundred and fifty times. I am suspicious of both facility and speed. Good writing is essentially rewriting. I am positive of this.”
—Roald Dahl
“I got a scribbled comment that changed the way I rewrote my fiction once and forever. Jotted below the machine-generated signature of the editor was this mot: ‘Not bad, but PUFFY. You need to revise for length. Formula: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft – 10%. Good luck.’
—Stephen King, On Writing
“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very.’ Your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”
—Mark Twain
“Anyone taking a writing class knows that the secret of good writing is to cut it back, pare it down, winnow, chop, hack, prune, and trim, remove every superfluous word, compress, compress, compress …
—Nick Hornby
Interviewer: How much rewriting do you do?
Hemingway: It depends. I rewrote the ending of Farewell to Arms, the last page of it, 39 times before I was satisfied.
Interviewer: Was there some technical problem there? What was it that had stumped you?
Hemingway: Getting the words right.
—Ernest Hemingway
Write your own “quote” about revision and email it to me. I will post it in the Writer’s Tribe™ Facebook Group.
