I offer four tiers of support. The expanded descriptions of each will help you decide which is right for your project. If you are still not sure, or need help not offered below (such as line-edits or full manuscript consultations), feel free to email me.
This is a one-time consultation for writers beginning a new project or reviving a stuck one.
I will send you a worksheet in advance of our meeting, which we will then discuss during it. This is not only for me to familiarize myself with your work; it is designed to help you understand the nature of your project.
Our conversation will be tailored to wherever you are in your process. If you have nothing, we will brainstorm. If you have some material, I will help you clarify: What is this really? Who is it for? Where is it sticky?
Different genre conventions and publishing avenues require different approaches to the writing process. You can save yourself years of wandering around in the dark with a little advance planning.
After our call I will send you written feedback on both the contents of your worksheet and our discussion. I will include (what I see as) the most critical concrete next steps for your project.
This is good for:
writers just beginning
writers wondering how to begin
writers tired of the baleful cries of the moribund manuscript in their documents folder
Schedule here.
This option is either a next step for Compass clients, or for writers who have a little something drafted and a good idea of what they want it to be.
On our first call we will discuss what you are writing, how much material you have, your goals, and the bumps you’ve encountered along the road. Sometimes the hardest thing is to identify what, exactly, feels lifeless or troublesome about a piece of writing. On this call we will try to articulate the problems clearly, together.
Between calls you will send me up to thirty double-spaced pages. This can be a draft or an outline. I will respond in writing with my big-picture notes on the pages and my developed thoughts about whatever came up in our call.
During our second call we will talk through my feedback and discuss next steps. I will provide a list of reading recommendations customized to your project: craft essays, comparable titles, and/or relevant publishing tips.
This is a great option for:
writers who want to take a step back and look at structure
writers preparing a short piece for award contests, MFA admissions, or publication
writers who find themselves lost in the weeds of a piece and in need of re-orientation
writers who want to understand whether their approach is working before they proceed.
Schedule here.
Boy howdy, strap in. Over the course of two months, you will considerably advance a project. This is for writers who want both feedback and accountability, and are ready to work.
We will meet every 2 weeks for 2 months. During our first meeting we will establish your goals and the scope of the piece. Then we will set a strategy for subsequent meetings. These can be accountability check-ins, craft lectures on specific subjects, professionalization talks, discussions about assigned readings, or a mix. We will also set your submission deadlines.
I will provide written feedback on up to 80 pages, according to a schedule we co-create. For some writers this means 20 pages every 2 weeks. For others this means an outline, a full draft of an early chapter, and then a structural revision. For still others this means 40 pages of their best pages all at once, and then another 40 later on. Together we will decide what makes the most sense for your project and pacing.
Throughout our two months together, I will provide reading recommendations customized to your project: craft essays, comparable titles, and/or relevant publishing tips.
At the end of two months, you will have made concrete (accelerated) progress on a project. Perhaps more importantly, you will have claimed real space for writing in your life, building habits that will serve and sustain you throughout it.
This is great for:
writers working on a nonfiction book proposal
writers with manuscript-length projects
writers up against deadlines
writers considering an MFA, who want a taste of the workshop experience
Schedule here.
Hey there. Does your project need a friend? This is for those who could use a steady, encouraging presence in their writing life. Perhaps you did the Maps sessions or the Accelerator, feel oriented and motivated, and are looking to carry something over the finish line. Perhaps writing is a huge part of your life, but you're not finding the professional support you need in peer-to-peer groups. Perhaps your muse responds best to collaborative brainstorming.
We will meet biweekly to check in. If you have specific problems, I can use this time to address them in mini craft talks. We can bounce ideas around together. We untangle your emotional writing blocks. I can send you curated resources (craft essays, publishing tips, comparative titles) relevant to whatever comes up that week.
On our off-weeks, between meetings, we will set deadlines according to your goals and pacing. These submission dates are for you, but you will send the pages to me for accountability, and to provide shared reference material for our discussions.
Think of this set meeting as a creative re-fuel. The road is long! Don't let your tank go empty!
This is great for:
writers who crave deadlines
writers looking to finish projects
writers looking to deepen their technical craft
those dedicated to keeping writing near the center of their life
Schedule here.
