So, Is It Done? Navigating the Revision Process

Novelist Janet Burroway (Raw Silk, Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft) offers advice here to the novice writer about a critical period in the writing process: the re-evaluation, revision, and polishing of a manuscript toward a final draft. Also featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Robert Olen Butler, along with Ron Carlson, Rosellen Brown, John McNally, Elizabeth Stuckey-French, and others, So, Is It Done? takes viewers through the five-stage process, beginning with a cooling-off period (allowing the writer to revisit the work through fresh eyes), followed by revision in the areas of character, dialogue, setting, and plot. Striking a balance between encouraging new writers and adhering to professional standards, Burroway is a fine teacher, whose appreciation of the inspiration and labor that contribute to a successful and saleable work is apparent. DVD extras include bonus interviews, a digital anthology of stories by featured writers, and writing exercises and workshop suggestions. The major drawback here is the rather hefty price tag for a how-to program (although this is also being sold to individuals online at www.erpmedia.net for $42.95). Still, this will make a valuable addition to creative writing collections and is highly recommended. [Note: also newly available at the same price is Submit: The Unofficial All-Genre Multimedia Guide to Submitting Short Prose.] Aud: H, C, P. (M.E. Snodgrass)