Services : Coaching and Story Consults

Coaching

Many times, authors will have difficulty writing through the middle of their book, developing a solid structure, or even deciding how to tell a story or whether to tell it at all.

The coaching relationship is a supportive one that encourages you to probe deeper. It can help you clarify your story and your goals and get things moving in the right direction. Maybe your real goal is to write a novel, but you&8217;ve only ever written short fiction and can’t imagine penning something of that length. I can help you get started outlining, fleshing out chapters, deciding on a narrative point of view, and a customized writing routine.

We can work through email or phone chats to help you stay motivated, for support and guidance, and to work through the toughest obstacles in your story and writing.

Coaching is tailored to your needs as a writer.

Story Consults

Story consults aim to strengthen your story ideas. Perhaps you have a draft of a novel, but the voice isn’t resonating, the story feels thin or overly complicated, or the ending just isn’t coming together. Maybe you’ve gotten halfway into the book and things seem to be falling apart.

I can consult with you on structuring your story, working through its potential pitfalls and helping you choose which form might best fit the story you want to tell.

Typically, I ask you to send me an outline of your novel, and I will analyze the structure and ask specific questions about your plot and characters. From there, I will provide feedback and suggestions for revisions and further work that may need to be done on the book (a deeper critique, copyediting). I may also request a look at your first three-to-five chapters and critique and edit them for your benefit.

I can also assist with evaluating your marketing materials and help with finding an agent when you are ready.