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Blog, Rewriting

Getting Notes – Ten Things to Consider

I got an email this morning from one of my students who just received a pile of notes on her work-in-progress and […]

Alan WattJuly 11, 2024
Blog, Memoir, Novel / Fiction, Rewriting, Screenwriting

The Imperative for Dramatic Conflict

A director told me once that if you put two actors together in a scene without directing them or staging the scene, […]

Alan WattMay 14, 2024
Blog, Memoir, Novel / Fiction, Rewriting

Why We Go on Retreat

  For years, my students had been asking me when I was going to take them on a retreat. Frankly, I’d been […]

Alan WattAugust 10, 2023
Blog, Rewriting

Banishing Redundancies

Redundancy is not only a sign of lazy writing; it can also pull us out of the story by interrupting the narrative […]

Alan WattOctober 14, 2022
Blog, Memoir, Novel / Fiction, Rewriting, Screenwriting

Writing Prose

“Prose is architecture, not interior design.” – Ernest Hemingway Our words are in service to our story. When we get too flashy with […]

Alan WattSeptember 11, 2020
Blog, Memoir, Novel / Fiction, Rewriting, Screenwriting

The Courage to be Specific in Writing

Humans are full of paradoxes. We only love to the extent that we hate. We are constantly changing our minds, constantly renegotiating […]

Alan WattFebruary 12, 2020
Blog, Inspiration, Rewriting

Juxtaposition

The rewrite process can sometimes lead us into a rut. Our attempts to make our work as clear and specific as possible […]

Alan WattNovember 13, 2019
Blog, Rewriting

Simplicity

Forward, he cried From the rear And the front ranks died. Pink Floyd (Us and Them)   We can tell a whole […]

Alan WattFebruary 8, 2019
Blog, Rewriting

The Arc of a Scene

“I exhort you also to take part in the great combat, which is the combat of life, and greater than every other […]

Alan WattSeptember 10, 2018
Blog, Dilemma, Rewriting

Staying Connected to the Source

“To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination.” – Albert Einstein The rewrite […]

Alan WattJuly 30, 2018
Blog, Rewriting

Building Sentences

“You become a good writer just as you become a good joiner: by planing down your sentences.”– Anatole France There are no […]

Alan WattJuly 6, 2018
Blog, Rewriting

Our Characters are Malleable

“Nothing changes more constantly than the past; for the past that influences our lives does not consist of what happened, but of […]

Alan WattDecember 26, 2017
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Workshops

  • the 90-day novel®
  • the 90-day memoir®
  • the 90-day screenplay™
  • story day
  • rewrite master class
  • 30-day outline
  • siren tales: a women’s writing workshop
  • Tuscany writing retreat
  • envision: creative goal setting
  • writing challenge
  • solo/couples retreat
  • the 90-day novel®
  • the 90-day memoir®
  • the 90-day screenplay™
  • story day
  • rewrite master class
  • 30-day outline
  • siren tales: a women’s writing workshop
  • Tuscany writing retreat
  • envision: creative goal setting
  • writing challenge
  • solo/couples retreat

Creativity is your birthright. Your sole purpose is to build a body of work.

The written signature of Alan Watt, writing teacher

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alanwatt.com
  • meet Alan
  • writing classes
    • The 30-Day Outline
    • The 90-Day Novel®
    • The 90-Day Memoir®
    • The 90-Day Screenplay™
    • Rewrite Master Class
    • Siren Tales: A Women’s Writing Workshop
    • Story Day
    • Class Information
      • Calendar
      • Classes & Workshops Overview
  • writing retreats
    • Tuscany Retreat
    • Solo Retreats
  • writing coach
  • writing resources
    • Al’s Books
    • Videos
    • Audio
    • Other Free Resources
    • Writing Challenge
  • blog
    • How to Outline a Book
    • How to Write a Memoir
    • How to Write a Novel
    • How to Write a Screenplay
    • Story Structure
    • Character Development
    • The Writing Process
    • Writing Techniques
    • Writing Resources & Tools
    • Book Editing
    • How to Publish a Book
  • contact
  • log In
  • log Out
  • Join Free
  • ⠀