BANG THE KEYS COACHING AND WRITING WORKSHOPS

The Bang the Keys Philosophy of Coaching Writers …

can be summed up simply:

Writers must write, consistently and with an eye towards improving their craft in order to feel self-respecting, rather than self-loathing!

The idea is to set goals and deadlines, writing hours and to work through the self-imposed glass ceiling in your work that is driving you crazy! There is no formula, but there is form. Often the meat of the coaching sessions revolve around doing exercises that unleash the crouching tiger/hidden dragon in your work, just when you are feeling the most like a big p…er …wussy!

The Bang the Keys Philosophy of Writing Workshops…

can be summed up simply:

Writers spend too much time in their heads, and the ritual of meeting with a group (led by an iconoclastic, intuitive and effective teacher)often serves to energize scribes who are in need of a little extra craft and unexpected magic.

Still, a bad group is like a bad relationship exponentially multiplied (polygamous Mormons, I’m talkin’ to YOU)! That’s why it is important to choose a workshop based on fab word-of-mouth, your own good vibe about what you have heard and what you observe about the people involved.

What kind of writers have Banged the Keys with Jill?

Check out the endorsements on this site’s “The Book” page, and “Editing” page. Jill Dearman’s workshop and private sessions have attracted writers who are editors at high-end national magazines; well-published authors who have gotten contracts with HarperCollins, Norton, Random House, Simon & Schuster, etc.; “writer’s writers” who have published some short pieces, or had small books published by respected small or University Presses, but haven’t had their break-out moment yet; professional actors, dancers and other performers who are transitioning to writing; as well as new writers, new parents who have recently lost brain cells from lack of sleep, and everyone in between. The only type of writer who would not really groove with Jill’s vibe and the whole Bang the Keys world, is one who is closed off to learning something new and wants pat, boring answers to generic questions about the craft of writing and the business of publishing. If you consider yourself individual, daring and are sick of the same voices in your head and the same tired advice that hasn’t done much to move you, then move your fingers over your keyboard and type a missive to Jill@JillDearman.com

The Workshop, Demystified:

Jill Dearman offers her own brand of Bang the Keys coaching services for individual writers, and workshops in a classroom setting, based on her highly successful four step approach to writing. B for Begin (with your strongest idea), A for Arrange (your material into a concrete form), N for Nurture (your project with love) and G for Go (meet your deadline and let it GO -- out into the world).

As a bon vivant, do you find it hard to say no to cocktails at five and yes to sitting down to write a thousand words? Bang the Keys is just as lively and intoxicating as a drunken brouhaha but without the maudlin regrets. Bang the Keys workshops are all about strengthening your writing practice and pushing past the “so-what” factor in your drafts. Participants will:

• Set a writing goal (with deadline!) and meet it.

• Structure your time so that you actually keep your fabulous life (well most of it) AND get some writing done.

• Develop tools that will help you to independently continue your writing practice.

• Develop methods for writing regularly and productively rather than just when the muse strikes.

• Connect with supportive and dedicated fellow writers

• Say yes to your writing and no to distractions and defeatist thinking…or shut up already!

The workshops are open to writers of all genres. This is not a critiquing workshop. It's about practice and craft, and pushing past your own limitations. Sometimes a little magic is called for, wouldn't you agree?

Individual (and buddy session) Bang the Keys coaching with Jill Dearman also available by phone or in person!

NEXT BANG THE KEYS 6-WEEK WRITING WORKSHOP:
IN BROOKLYN: Wed. 6:30-8:30 pm. March 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14, & 21, 2010. Small group. Big love. Reasonable Rate.
Email Jill@JillDearman.com for more info.

For more information please contact Jill@JillDearman.com or 212.841.0177

Praise for Bang the Keys, the book based on the Workshops

“Few writing guides prove as thoughtful and intimate as Jill Dearman’s, and fewer still dare to be so insistently sensible and efficacious. Part anthology, part manual, part scourge, Bang the Keys distills the know-how of a gifted writer and teacher.”
--Robert Polito, Director of the New School Graduate Writing Program, author, Savage Art: A Biography of Jim Thompson (Vintage), winner of the National Book Critics Award for Biography.

"A beloved Renaissance chick with wit and passion enough to warm a biodome, Dearman proselytizes to Struggling Writer Nation with utter pragmatism and inventiveness. Dare to resist her injunctions if you can –– there's no better battle plan for sentence-making anywhere on the horizon."
--Michael Atkinson, film critic and author, Hemingway Deadlights (St. Martins).

 

"I sold my first book on a treatment and the first 50 pages. Shortly thereafter, I discovered that the first 50 pages are the easy part. It was awfully surprising to find that, for me, the big challenge in writing a novel is resistance. I have a busy New York City-type career (I'm a Forensic Pathologist) and then a second busy-ish career as a freelance writer (New York Times Magazine, New York, Gourmet, etc.), and finding the time to work on the novel was always 'difficult'. Or so I let myself believe, as I coasted along, ignoring the looming deadline as I took care of more pressing and immediately gratifying obligations. Working with Jill not only forced me to focus on my book, but it proved the initial push –– or series of pushes –– that got me rolling on it, and not just rolling, but actually excited about my book. Jill's mastered the art of being honest, but gentle. Working with Jill for a few seasons has given me enough momentum to finish the book independently. Jill has whipped my self-confidence into such a state that I'm sure I'll finish strong. I'm plenty confident now, but heck, even Tiger Woods has a coach, right?"
---Jonathan Hayes, novelist, Precious Blood and A Hard Death (Harper Collins).

 

“This is a book about self-discipline, about finding your calling and learning to listen to that calling … so charming, so beguiling and laugh-out-loud funny you won’t even notice that you’re working your butt off . . . and getting it done! Jill Dearman is a national treasure.”
--Alison Smith author of Name All the Animals (Scribner), winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Memoir.

 

"If you are as ambivalent about your prose as you are about everything else in your life, place it and yourself in the velvet-gloved iron fist of Jill Dearman. She will be your mother and your whore.”
--Donna Brodie, Executive Director of The Writers Room, New York City, An Urban Writers Colony

 

"If you are sick of hearing goody-goody writing experts preaching their New Age or Know-it-All gospel, then bang on Jill Dearman's door, but quick. She seductively taps into writers' natural desire to write, which is just as natural to us as drinking, complaining and procrastinating. Then, through skill, experience and intuition, she hypnotizes writers into falling in love with their writing, and wanting to write again, and again. And by the end of the Dearman trip, we've learned how to hypnotize ourselves."
--Nisha Ganatra, Screenwriter and Director of the award-winning film, Chutney Popcorn; director of Cake.

 

“Bang the Keys overflows with contagious humor and energy. In fact, after a few pages you will likely throw it aside and run to bang your own keys! But my bet is that you will return to it and that it will stay on your shelf for reference.”
--Suzannah Lessard, author Architect of Desire (Dial Press), former staff writer, The New Yorker; teacher of Creative Writing at The New School, Goucher College and other universities.

 

"Ready to write your book? Jill Dearman is the savvy coach and good friend every writer needs. With warmth, tough-love, and humor she provides the inspiration, information, practical tips, exercises, advice, and motivation to get you started and to sustain your writing practice for a lifetime."
--Deborah Landau, Director, Creative Writing Program, New York University and author of the poetry collection, Orchidelirium (winner of the Anhinga Prize for Poetry).

 

"Jill Dearman has the nurturing power of a Jewish mother (without the guilt) and uses it to help you believe that there is no more important task than for you to finish that writing project! If you've been procrastinating for years –– and who hasn't been? –– then get your hands on this workshop-in-a-book. Her approach just works."
--Beth Greenfield, author of the memoir Ten Minutes From Home (Random House)

 

Bang the Keys Writing Coach Column

"The Big Questions"

There is so much to say about developing a writing practice, and none of it is new. That must be why writers drink so much! As I begin this series of columns I thought it best to start small, so as not to send you running for the bar. Everyone has different styles and methods, but essentially every writer is in the same boat. It's hard to find the time to write, and it's hard to stay on track to the end. I asked a few writers I adore to share some of their wisdom for this first column. I hope it helps.

I asked Pete Hamill, one of the greatest New York writers out there, and a fellow New York University School of Journalism teacher; and Julia Glass, a longtime fellow Writers Room member till she moved to New England the following question:

"How do find the discipline to sit down and write when you are just not in the mood, or when the rest of your life feels overwhelming?"

Here's what they had to say:

Jill, your question is a good one, and there is no simple answer because each individual finds his or her way to the routines of work. Some of us work better at night. Some need the morning. Some (like me) use both. I always take a nap, late in the afternoon. That gives me two mornings. If I'm working at the same time on journalism and fiction, I usually divide them: journalism in the morning, fiction after the nap. I also take a daily walk, before the second shift, and always do it alone, with some problem or choice in my head. Usually, thanks to a good rush of blood, I solve the problem.

But it's not a question at my age of finding the discipline. I started building it when I was young. To start with, I had the example of my Irish immigrant parents. My mother gave birth to seven children, and somehow she always had a part-time job. My father had one leg (from a soccer accident) and worked in a factory until he couldn't work anymore. Work, even unhappy work, was a matter of pride to those people (and millions like them). At 16, I went to work in the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a sheet metal worker. I had to rise each morning and go off to do work I didn't care much about, but I always made it to Shop 17. Serving in the US Navy had the same effect. By the time I went to work as a newspaperman, I did know how to work. I didn't know much about anything else, particularly my craft, but I knew how to show up and do my best.

Within the larger discipline, there are sub-disciplines. If I'm writing a novel, I never read the morning papers or watch TV news (unless there's a major calamity unfolding). In the freshness of morning, I want to stay in the world of my novel. So around 2 pm, when I go to lunch, I finally read the papers and watch the news. At night, I keep 3x5 index cards beside the bed, so that if something rises in my aging skull, I can jot down notes. Also before turning out the lights, I read one poem. Anybody from Lord Byron to Billy Collins. I want language to live vividly in me, even when I'm exhausted. I read each poem as if it were a prayer.

--Pete Hamill, award-winning author of numerous books including "Downtown: My Manhattan" and "The Gift" both from Little, Brown.

For good or ill, I have no set writing routine. I may work a few hours one day, all day the next, then become occupied by other tasks for a week or more. This means that I do not write every day (the notion that you must do so in order to succeed as a writer is bunk)--but I do try to find or make time daily for marinating in my fiction. Walking about on my own, whether I'm doing errands or just meandering, is crucial to that process. My characters come to life in my head as I move through the world; this is when I make the most important decisions about their stories. The more I walk--the more I'm alone in my head (no cell phone!)--the more eager I am to get to the keyboard once I get home. That's how I keep the juices flowing."

--Julia Glass, National Book Award Winner for "Three Junes" and author of the 2006 novel, "The Whole World Over". Both books published by Pantheon.

 

I thought it was interesting that both Pete and Julie were fans of the long walk, as am I. If there are more closet walkers sitting at home with the remote control wondering "when I am going to figure out how to bring my story to life?" perhaps it's time to come out and be a walkabout. See you on the streets!

I asked the warm and lovely Craig Lucas, a pioneering playwright and screenwriter, whose work has had a huge impact on my life, this question:

"How do you stick with a project through all the ups and downs?"

"I have to confess I don't quite understand it myself: the work itself is what inspires me to stay committed; I wouldn't think of abandoning a project, once I've begun it, unless it somehow fell apart in my
hands, and that has never happened. Whatever initial impulse compels
me to write, that carries me through whatever time -- the years or
even decades -- and whatever technical or aesthetic challenges one
must face to reach completion."

--Craig Lucas, playwright and screenwriter, "Longtime Companion," "Prelude to a Kiss," "The Dying Gaul," "The Light in the Piazza."

 

I was struck by the poignancy of Craig's words. He has written so elegantly about loss, and his art comes from a deeply personal place. If you are feeling like abandoning your project, or if you feel like the world is ignoring it, perhaps it's time to act like a good parent to your "baby" and stay with it till it's independent and complete. If you aren't dedicated to it, through all the good times and bad, how can you expect anyone else to be?

Bang the Keys!
--JD

Photo by Adam Yaffe

BANG THE KEYS EDITING SERVICES

THE BANG THE KEYS PHILOSOPHY OF EDITING A manuscript is like a fine piece of music. Pitch and tone are essential, as well as the overall impact of the composition. Individual notes are key and must be attended to. A sensitive ear, experience and skill, and a love of the craft are the key elements that YOU should be seeking in an editor. In working on a manuscript I try to take care to read for tone and note what is most compelling in the parts and the whole of the work, as well as what leaves me cold. I try to be your ideal reader, the one who really “gets” you and expects and desires your best story, and your strongest storytelling skills. Whether writing up an in-depth analysis of your work, doing a thorough line edit, or both, I treat your work like a child, whom I have been honored with the gift of Godmothering. Like you, my focus will be on removing the obstacles from your child’s life, and helping that child to grow and thrive in the real world, in keeping with his or her true nature. You are not a generic scribe, your project not just any old piece of work, and I am not a hack editor. Individuality is key, and Bang the Keys is all about individuality. Without that spark of humanness, of uniqueness, how can we expect your work to strike a universal chord in the outer world? If the spirit of these words move you, read on … (Yeah, yeah …but will I turn out to be your project’s fairy godmother? Well … read on for my “blurbage” to see my track record, and then decide!)

Jill Dearman has been teaching editing at New York University School of Journalism since 2001. She developed a style guide for Simon and Schuster, and has worked as a freelance editor for many years. References available upon request. Rates vary depending on the project.

For more information contact: Jill@JillDearman.com.

A SAMPLING OF ENDORSEMENTS FROM CLIENTS BELOW:

FICTION AND NONFICTION:
"Jill Dearman gives writers what they need most: healthy doses of TLC, a pair of kind and sympathetic ears, and when neither of those do the trick, some good, old-fashion street-tough lovin'. Enter Jill's Literary Marvel-land armed with reasons why you weren't able to write last week, fulfill a commitment, meet a deadline and one-by-one she will destroy them, until you are left alone to confront your naked ambition to write. And that's when the magic starts. Draft done, pass it on to her to edit into an authentic piece of literature."
--Joseph Tirella,
The New York Times, Esquire, Rolling Stone

***

NONFICTION:

Jill Dearman saved me! Well, she made my writing a lot better. She possesses a rare combination of intuitive and technical skills. On levels small, sentence by sentence, and large, the overview of what you want to say, Jill applies her fine sensibilities and intelligence. She helped me to see what I could not see—what was missing and what could be added. She also pointed out imprecise images and suggested ways to be more clear. With Jill, it's a conversation, never a demand or an arrogant certainty. Lucky me, to have found such an editor to help refine my essay, the kind of editor who serves the soul of the piece.
--Starr Goode
Winner of The David L. Kubal Memorial Essay Prize; she is also a recipient of The Henri Coulette Memorial Poetry Award from The Academy of American Poets. She has been profiled for her work as a cultural commentator in the LA Weekly, the Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

***

"Jill Dearman doesn't simply chop the fat. She trims it with the greatest of care and leaves behind a lean piece of literary meat. And she's prepared with a list of side dishes to recommend when the meat just isn't filling enough. A better wordsmith's sous-chef I have yet to plan a menu with."
--Harry McEwan has been published in the literary magazine Dovetail. His plays have been produced at Circle Theater in Chicago, The Producer's Club in NYC (workshop with Lea DeLaria). His film scripts have won prizes and been optioned. He is currently working on a book of narrative essays.

FICTION:

"Befuddled, a tad frustrated, and clearly out of my element, I searched for someone who might help me navigate a new writing path. Though I've written my share of social science books and articles, my current dream is to publish, with my wife (and co-author's) help, and now Jill's, a science fiction novel. When I landed on Jill's webpage, the glowing endorsements inspired me to hire her as a writing coach/editor. Now that she's provided me extensive feedback on my 300 page first draft, I'm honored to shine more light on Jill's reputation as a stellar coach/editor. Jill provoked me to think about my story's plot, protagonist, tone, and writing style in fresh ways. She has re-energized me with her engaged, perceptive, detailed, supportive—yet candid style. I smile whenever I think I have Jill in my corner as a coach/editor. Whatever I produce will be much, much better because of Jill's input. She's been wonderful in every way, and she has a great sense of humor, at no extra charge!"
--William Marsiglio
co-author, Families and Friendships (HarperCollins); author: Procreative Man (New York University Press), Men on a Mission (Johns Hopkins University Press) and numerous other published books. He is also a Professor of Sociology at the University of Florida.

***

"Jill Dearman has the ability to provide practical instruction on how to prune what's not essential to a written piece, thus helping to uncover that which is. Jill's natural enthusiasm, selfless support, and the knowledge and respect she has for the individual artistic process, makes her an ideal editor for writers of any level."
--John, McCaffrey's short stories, book reviews, and essays, have appeared in Fiction, KGBBAR.LIT, Smokelong Quarterly, Word Riot, and other literary periodicals. A Pushcart Prize nominee, he was part of Flash Fiction Forward, an anthology published (Summer 2006) by W.W. Norton & Company, which contained stories by noted writers such as Paul Theroux, Ann Hood, Rick Moody, and Dave Eggers.

***

"I originally went to Jill with a handful of half-formed ideas for a potential novel; seven months later I had a workable first draft. She has helped me to break bad habits, try out new ideas I might have otherwise discarded out of hand, and even, on occasion, given me a much-needed kick in the ass when inertia and self-doubt threatened to overcome me. One's worst enemy as a writer is always oneself, and in that struggle one can ask for no better ally."
--Ian Toll
Author of the novel, The Bughouse Caper. Toll has written extensively about film and cultural matters for a variety of print and online publications, and has also worked as a script reader for United Artists, a freelance production assistant and a film archivist.

SCREENPLAYS / PLAYS:

"As a screenwriter, I realized my script had to be near perfect in order to convey as clear and concise a story as possible. Jill Dearman sifted through the detritus left in the wake of my process and helped lift my prose from merely acceptable copy to shoot-ready. Action!"
--Scott Duffy has contributed to numerous film and television projects for VH1, E*MUSIC, FORBES, COMEDY CENTRAL, BET, and several feature films.

 

GHOST WRITER / GHOST EDITOR:

"Jill Dearman brings an incredible amount of brains and sensitivity to the job of ghost writer/ghost editor and in the case of my client and I, an above and beyond dedication to a job well done. She was able to quickly sort through massive amounts of information and organize it into a passionate and compelling story. Jill is an absolute pleasure to work with and her insight into the human mind enables her to adapt and work with many different kinds of personalities."
--Michelle Wolfson, Wolfson Literary Agency

 

Jill Dearman has been a practicing astrologer in New York City for many years. In her highly constructive sessions, she blends a Jungian approach with Kabbalistic insights. A practical mystic, she brings the astrological cycles and meaning of the tarot, and Kabbalah down to earth. Mademoiselle has called her one of the nation's top astrologers. Her books have been published by St. Martins and translated into several languages. She has written about astrology for numerous magazines, and formerly wrote the astrology column for Redbook.

 

Client Endorsements

"Years later, I still reflect on Jill's reading of my highly Arian chart -- in many ways, she provided me with lessons and themes that will instruct me for the rest of my life."
--Karyn Kusama, filmmaker, Jennifer's Body, Girlfight, Aeon Flux.
Photo by Godlis

"Unlike many astrologers, Jill approaches each reading as a window into the elements that comprise a personality, not to "predict" the future. So when she gave a reading for my newborn son, it was fascinating to hear about his potential interests and personality, and i often think about her reading, as it has proven to be amazingly accurate. A great gift for a new parent."
--Laura Staton, co-author, Baby Om: Yoga for Mothers and Babies (Henry Holt).

"Jill brings together her stealth Scorpionic insights with years of experience. You need to get a reading from her to unlock life's mysterie … and more importantly your own. She'll intuitively zoom right in on the issues that matter to you and shed light like few can."
-- Sherene Schostak, co-author, Surviving Saturn's Return (McGraw Hill).

Jill Dearman's "Queer Astrology for Men" is outstanding! It's the ultimate gay man's survival guide for living and loving. I don't know how I dated in L.A. before reading Jill Dearman's book. Dearman's exquisite writing is Beauty, Brains, and Charm on the page. I use it as a reference guide every single time I ready for a date. Buy this book right now. Dearman is relentlessly hip and effortlessly striking."
--David Jay Lasky, The New York Times.

Jill Dearman personifies all the best parts of New York City. She's brilliant and irreverent, soulful and sophisticated, and more down-to-earth than most people you'll ever meet. Her knowledge of pop culture and insight into the cosmic world is quite simply life- altering. She guided me into a new phase of creativity with psychic wisdom and great humor. Jill understands the basic laws of causality and the cosmos with a laid-back intuition that will make you feel safe and very strong. Jill Dearman is a good person, a great reader of people and literature, and a writer of many gifts. It is a blessing to be in her presence.
--Molly Rosen, novelist and former editor at Seventeen, YM.

For more information about setting up a consultation or receiving a written analysis, e-mail Jill@JillDearman.com.
Check out Jill's profile in Time Out New York!

CLICK HERE for a poignant mention of Jill's Queer Astrology books in this haunting documentary about queer youth

 

BANG THE KEYS COMPANY SEMINARS

Writing Seminar for Companies

Writing Guru Jill Dearman will create and deliver a bang up workshop based on her highly successful 4 Step Writing Method, tailored especially to your company's needs.

CHALLENGE: Does your company need a dose of pep, and there's no vitametavegamin available?

SOLUTION: This writing seminar will energize your people into putting the zing back into their prose so that your clients won't be forced to doze.

CHALLENGE: Is your staff full of great ideas but not always able to produce on the page?

SOLUTION: A half or full day workshop of writing coaching, exercises and lessons in the craft of storytelling, prose-polishing and more will make sure that your employees deliver results, before you are reduced to delivering pizzas! (It's a tough economy but thin crust always seems to sell).

I can adapt the basic principles of my simple and effective 4 step writing method into a seminar geared towards re-igniting the embers of creative enthusiasm in your communications crew, while teaching them delicious and nutritious new techniques for understanding the strategies behind storytelling (and story selling!). To balance out the program I will be sure to inspire in them a passion for the elegant craft of line editing with precision and panache, My aim is to infuse these evolving wordsmiths with the sense of play needed to turn their writing pieces into pitch perfect performances that possess the boldness, clarity, and suspense of the most intoxicating seduction. (Worry not: only coffee, not absinthe will be required for the course!) After this extravaganza, they should be able to take the tools and spirit of the seminar and apply themselves willingly and skillfully to their writing assignments. I can then virtually follow up with them shortly after they've been pushed from the workshop nest and allowed to fly free.

I have worked with non-profit and for-profit companies to transform "cut and paste" and "thesaurus search" addicted employees into creative craftsmen with newfound skill sets such as the ability to turn a phrase, communicate the essence of a story or marketing concept, and pare down and punch up a page of prose.

For more information please contact Jill@JillDearman.com or 212.841.0177.