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WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT NOVEL METAMORPHOSIS I found many books useful, but I found your Novel Metamorphosis absolutely the best for a workshop. For the first time in 18 years of doing The Manuscript Workshop in Vermont, I offered one this year for novels - for those who had a first draft or more that needed revision. The most interesting session was the one where we dealt with the Shrunken Manuscript, and we were all really impressed about how much we learned from this hands on activity. -Barbara Seuling, Director The Manuscript Workshop in Vermont www.barbaraseuling.com Darcy Pattison's shrunken manuscript technique for analyzing the overall flow and pacing of my novel was the single most helpful tip I have ever picked up at a workshop. Highly recommended! -Carole Estby Dagg www.caroleestbydagg.com The Year We Were Famous, Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011. Would you walk over four thousand miles to save your family's home? My initial reaction after finishing a first draft is to ask myself Now What? That question is answered and then some in Darcy's novel revision retreats (I've done two so far). The large group sessions where Darcy discusses things like character, plot, setting and word choice help you wrap your brain around where your novel needs work. The break-out sessions with your critique group help you apply Darcy's revision principles to your specific story. In the end, you walk away with a clear picture of how to take your novel apart and put it back together in a way that will make it a much stronger story. Hanging out with Darcy and other writers (at a retreat) who are in your shoes is a big bonus too! -Christina Mandelski The Sweetest Thing, Egmont USA, 2011 www.christinamandelski.com A debut middle-grade novel and a cleverly framed story of self-determination and family relationships. Fresh, funny, unexpected and, at times, just a little dark. I revised a manuscript for an editor at Scholastic before it was accepted. His offer letter said, The ability to have such insight about one's own work is as rare as the talent to generate a fun and meaningful story. Darcy Pattison taught me how to look at my own work with a powerful set of tools for considering voice, structure, action, sensory detail, and more. It always feels magical to make a story better, but it's not magic. It's a matter of understanding and using the tools we writers have. Darcy built the toolbox for us with her blog, her workshops, and her book, Novel Metamorphosis. We still have to do the heavy lifting, but we're not doing it alone. -Martha Brockenbrough Devine Inspiration, Arthur Levine/Scholastic, 2012 http: //marthabrockenbrough.com Darcy Pattison's shrunken manuscript technique pushed me to see my book in its entirety - what was working and what needed to change. On the micro level, I appreciated Darcy's emphasis on imagery and the senses - particularly taste, touch, and smell - which bring to a story texture and depth. -Caroline Starr Rose May B., Schwartz and Wade/Random House Children's Books, 2012 www.carolinestarrrose.com I've used the techniques that Darcy lays forth in Novel Metamorphosis, and my guess is you will copy, dogear, highlight, flag, and write all over this book. And while you're marking up this text, your own novel will emerge cleaner, sharper, and more publishable. -Kristin O'Donnell Tubb, author of middle-grade historical novel, Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different (Delacorte 2008), which was accepted by the first editor who read it after Tubb revised it at Darcy Pattison's workshop. Class of 2k8. www.kristintubb.com

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Published in nine languages, children's book author and writing teacher DARCY PATTISON has been published with Harcourt, Philomel/Penguin, Harpercollins, Arbordale, and Mims House. Her books received recognition for excellence with starred reviews in Kirkus, BCCB and PW. Twice her books have been honored as National Science Teacher's Association Outstanding Science Trade books. The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman (Harcourt) received an Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature Honor Book award, was named a Notable Book in Language Arts, and has been reprinted in a Houghton Mifflin textbook.

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