the rewrite master class
This workshop is currently full. Schedule an interview with Alan to discuss your future participation.
The Rewrite Master Class is a Live-on-Zoom workshop with Alan Watt for novelists and memoirists seeking to complete their work for publication.
“The challenge of the rewrite lies in preserving the wildness of your first draft while distilling your ideas to their nature.”
the process of revision
The Rewrite Master Class is an ongoing workshop that takes you on a deep dive into the material you created in The 90-Day Novel and The 90-Day Memoir. This workshop is not a mere examination of your prose — it teaches you a process of uncovering hidden patterns that allow you to create a dynamic and compelling narrative.
My goal as a teacher is to help you stay connected to your original impulse by asking the right questions. In the rewrite, it is often tempting to sterilize the complexity or contradictions in your work in order to make it “understandable” — but too often I’ve witnessed the dismemberment of fully alive first drafts. The Rewrite Master Class is an opportunity to deepen your relationship to your material by gaining a clearer sense of what you set out to express.
The 90-Day Novel and The 90-Day Memoir processes were primarily designed as a right brain exercise to guide you to the completion of a first draft without going back and editing. The rewrite process involves moving back and forth between the left and right brain — where you are editing and refining prose, while simultaneously generating new material and clarifying your theme.
The rewrite process is not a science, but an art, where the goal is to shed everything that doesn’t belong in order for the truth to emerge.
workshop details
Class Size: Limited to 16 writers
Class Length: This is an ongoing workshop. Once you are in the workshop, you are welcome and encouraged to stay until you complete your rewrite. When a writer leaves, their spot is offered to the next writer on the waiting list.
Class Days and Times:
Group 1 – Tuesdays at 9:45 a.m. (Pacific Time)
Group 2 – Thursdays at 12:00 p.m. (Pacific Time)
Where: Zoom
Price: $1,650/12-week session
about the workshop
live on Zoom
We meet once a week in a LIVE Zoom call. The workshop consists of four cohort groups with four writers in each group. Writers share their material with their fellow cohorts, and each week, one writer from each cohort reads their work in class. I will offer notes and open it up to discussion between members of the cohort.
watch the class anytime
You are not required to take the workshop live. Many writers have day jobs or commitments during class hours, or sometimes life just gets in the way, therefore all of our sessions are recorded and are available for three weeks, respectively.
daily letters
Every morning a daily letter lands in your inbox. The letters were developed over the course of several years, and are a guide through the process of creating a compelling narrative. Writers often comment on the synchronicity of the letters — on how they seem to meet you right where you are. While the letters focus on craft, they are also a response to the seemingly uncanny uniformity of experience shared by the many writers who have taken the journey before you.
why writers love the rewrite master class
“Al Watt is a master teacher, with a brilliant, intuitive understanding of story.”
“Al teaches you to live in your scenes and set aside the hypercritical surveillance that can plague the rewrite process. This is a great class!”
“I owe so much to Al Watt. It was in his workshop where my debut young adult novel, The Education of Margot Sanchez, came to life. He created such a safe and welcoming space that I was able to overcome my fears of failure and write freely. I still continue to incorporate what I’ve learned in his workshops in my daily practice.”
“Al Watt’s Rewrite workshop is the ultimate gift to writers—an incubator for the stories you want to bring to the page from a place of emotional truth and from your heart. I wish I’d known about Al when I wrote my first novel. His mastery of story fills in the missing pieces and he guides you to your best work.”
“I bought the book and took the advanced course twice. I really value the weekly submission process and the way the course and the book fuse the wildness of the writer’s imagination with the rigor of the traditional three-act structure. Alan Watt is definitely a skilled book whisperer.”
“The 90-Day Rewrite gave me all the tools I needed to refine my first draft while staying true to the heart of my story. Al’s highly effective techniques stay with you as a writer and give you the confidence to finish your work and prepare it for publication.”
“With its superb organization and fresh approach, Al’s approach to the rewrite process is unlike any other. This practical program, broken down by weeks and containing useful information and inspiring techniques, succeeds because, quite simply, Al teaches you exactly how not to fail.”
“Al helps writers accomplish the miracle of getting that novel down on paper. Do yourself a favor and give yourself a gift you will always treasure. Only you can write that book — and Al can make it happen.”
“The Rewrite Master Class is truly a life-changing experience. It is like no other writing class I have been in. It is the perfect blend of instruction and the necessary space to bring your project to the next stage. Al provides an incredible amount of supportive yet constructive feedback, and you also learn so much from your fellow writers in the class. Like many writers, I often feel overwhelmed by self doubt and question my ability to write a novel. Attending the live classes over Zoom and reading Al’s daily letters have provided a helpful counterbalance to this. Time and time again I am reminded that completing this project is not only possible but that I have the tools to do it.”
“The Bronte cohort, a group of four writers from different countries, was brought together by luck, serendipity, and Alan’s impeccable intuition during the Rewrite Master Class of 2023. We have formed a powerful bond that has fueled our creativity and productivity in astonishing ways as we navigated this marvelous class. Sure, we have our individual stories, unique styles, and distinct goals. But it is Alan’s inimitable teaching style, along with our Bronte chemistry, that has allowed for exploration, fearlessness, and even silliness within the comfort of unwavering support. Alan marries the brilliance of his insight to the generosity of his heart so that each member can feel safe, encouraged, and enriched. Even on those days when we feel we have no business writing in the first place. His belief in all of us is palpable, and he is the one person who can get us writing every day.”
schedule an interview
Talk with Alan Watt about your work. Serious inquiries only, please.
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