The old writerly advice is to write drunk and revise sober. But what if we could make revision itself intoxicating? If the point of revision is to improve a composition, then the work just becomes a mess of problems to be solved, triggering insecurity and perfectionism, making inertia set in. This session will cover techniques for approaching revision in a spirit of play, curiosity, and experimentation instead. By letting go of our attachment to results, we can actually start to see a story grow in organic and original directions. Revision becomes an opportunity to learn from a story, not just fix it.

Anne Elliott is the author of The Artstars: Stories (Indiana University Press) and The Beginning of the End of the Beginning (Ploughshares Solos).

Her short fiction can be found in Story, A Public Space, Crab Orchard Review, Witness, Hobart, Bellevue Literary Review, Fifth Wednesday Journal, and elsewhere. Elliott is a veteran of the New York spoken word circuit, with stage credits including The Whitney Museum, Lincoln Center, PS122, and Woodstock '94.

Her fiction has been awarded support from The Story Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, The Normal School, Table 4 Writer's Foundation, and The Bridport Prize. She holds an MFA in fiction writing from Warren Wilson College, and lives in Portland, Maine. Learn more at http://www.anneelliottstories.com.

The Joy (Really!) of Revision with Anne Elliott