In addition to support in getting the writing done in these four phases (Phase 1: Sketch, Phase 2: Draft, Phase 3: Review, and Phase 4: Revise), we have developed specific curricula for fiction, nonfiction, and memoir books, since each type of writing has its own unique considerations.

All together, the goal is to write a full manuscript with 4 months of committed writing, with the support of a group of dedicated book coaches and supportive fellow writers, moving through this flow:

PHASE 1: SKETCH

   Structure

• We’ll show you how to develop a high-level structure when you have trouble with outlines. This is especially important if you find that you can write a few chapters and then your brain just stops and you’re nowhere near done. You’ll have this high-level plan to refer back to and keep you moving forward.

• Envision a powerful end to your book, with enough room to make adjustments, and enough confidence that you know how it all ties together, so that you spend more time writing and less time figuring things out as you go.

• Find out how to have a solid “narrative arc” that is not too formulaic. Sure, it would be easy to set up the same old three-part structure, but you want to create a new and exciting reading experience.

• Discover the process for keeping track of multiple throughlines inside of one, cohesive structure. If you’re like most writers, when you’re about halfway through writing and you reread, the ideas start to feel disconnected. With our structural guidance, you’ll be able to track three or more throughlines and see where they re-connect, so you can keep the reader engaged and turning the pages all the way to the end.

   Research 

• Even when you know the main trajectory of your book, organizing all your ideas and keeping them all in the same spot—when (in reality) writing happens whenever you can fit it in—is a challenge! We’ll explore methods of research and organization so that you can more easily do the research that will lend your book the credibility it needs, especially if you’re including historical facts, scientific concepts, mythology, philosophy, or similar, all of which require extensive research and systems.

• Particularly when you are writing about a topic where you are not an expert, you have no personal connections or experiences that would help you generate answers, we’ll show you where and how you can research a topic to new interesting angles into your book.

• Explore reliable ways to take your notes, scribbles, and anecdotes, and actually put them into book form, when it’s partly a matter of being efficient with time and partly a matter of just being daunted by the task!

Specialized Topics for Fiction:

• We’ll show you what we call a “revision roadmap” that helps you decide on the events that will sufficiently drive your characters toward the conclusion of their individual character arcs.
• Find out what “plothole plugging” is and why you need this micro-system in places as soon as you start writing, so you can note all the nitty-gritty details that you don’t want to lose track of—what you already said, what you altered, and what you’re saving for later—to ensure you avoid accidentally creating a plot hole.
• Discover the importance of weaving subplots together into a great ending—and even leaves openings for the story to continue!
• Add in research to bring life to your characters and setting, whether you’re writing in a historical, contemporary, or alternative reality context.

Specialized Topics for Nonfiction:

• Explore how to give shape to your initial thoughts until they are fully formed foundational concepts capable of anchoring your book.
• Understand two aspects of structure, “skeletal structure” and “thematic structure,” so that your book rests on the sturdy bones of logic, fleshed out in the form of a meaningful journey for the reader. Together, these two aspects of structure will ensure that your book leaves a lasting impression.
• Master the method of distilling and clarifying the impact of each aspect of your structure so that you can create powerful, memorable nonfiction writing.
• Learn a systematic way to research in multiple passes, as you’re sketching, so that you know your book is credible, contributing to the discourse on your chosen topic, and helping your reader truly understand the value of your message.

Specialized Topics for Memoir:

• Discern the elements of fiction and nonfiction that you can then weave together to create an engrossing reading experience while communicating powerful truths through your writing.
• Understand the six core types of memoir and which one best fits your writing style and intention.
• Try out some memoir-specific structures, like “episodic structures” and “chronological structures,” and see how flashbacks can be a critical tool in storytelling without losing the impact of your message.
• Explore research methods that help you to re-surface sensory details so that you can bring your memories to life in the mind’s eye of your reader.

PHASE 2: DRAFT

   Writing Sections and Chapters

• Practice moving from a high-level outline into writing sections and chapters without losing the motivation to write the book.
• Discover how to continue writing, week-after-week. Even when you have done all the research and collected all the details and you know exactly what you want the book to look like, you might have no clue how to start. We’ll show you how to start and KEEP your writing momentum.
• Find out how to take a skeleton of a concept and iteratively layer on descriptive detail that keeps the reader engaged and expands the reader’s experience without being overly wordy.
• Add dimension to your writing so that even when the first go feels “flat” or non-dimensional, you’ll know exactly how to go back to the page and add depth.
• When the biggest challenge with writing your book is fear (that it isn't good enough, that I may not be able to write it, that finishing will be too hard), discover the most effective ways to get out of your head and just write the dang book!

Specialized Topics for Fiction: 

• Discover the key elements to creating a character that your reader loves (or loves to hate) by going back in time to really see and feel and show what your characters have gone through, PLUS how that backstory can show up powerfully in the pages of your book.
• Flesh out your characters’ motivations, voice, and reactions, including facial expressions and body reactions to certain situations, and without resorting to “he thought” or “she thought” every time.
• Strengthen your narrator’s voice. You already know that without a clear, solid narrative voice, your reader will feel lost, and once you more fully develop that voice, you’ll notice that the tone, the rhythm, and the story start to easily fall into place.

Specialized Topics for Nonfiction: 

• Find out how the power of research questions that surface during your first draft can help you to continue pressing more deeply into the nuances of your ideas, as you’re writing.
• Expand your ability to give your ideas meaning and impact with stories, drawing on research about the relationship between storytelling and the brain to see how well-crafted stories literally change how we think about an idea going forward.
• Explore voice and style, those distinctive and difficult-to-define aspects of every good book, and give some suggestions for how to develop and work with your own.

Specialized Topics for Memoir: 

• See how you can convert the five parts of a plot that are often used in fiction so you can create a powerful personal narrative arc that’s easier to draft than writing out your entire life’s story.
• Practice writing a “healing draft” that is different from a “working draft,” which can give you the space to balance reliving memories and then distilling the impression you want to leave the reader with on the page.
• Develop your writing voice as both an “omniscient” narrator and a “reflective” narrator in your own life story. 

PHASE 3: REVIEW

   Self-Editing and Self-Stifling

• Quickly identify when you’ve accidentally engaged your “editor brain,” pausing every sentence to rework it over again, even though you know it will probably change in further edits, and develop the ability to shift back into writing mode.

• Discover tried-and-true methods for reviewing your own work so that you can make the most significant changes first and feel satisfied with the overall narrative structure before you get into re-working paragraphs and sentences.

• Find out the mental tricks that seasoned book editors use to toggle between being “zoomed out” for high-level changes and then deciding “zoom in” to do the more detailed editing—without becoming frustrated and discouraged in the process!

• Understand when and how to effectively use transitions to guide the reader’s experience through the narrative arc without getting lost.

• How to use the best free self-editing apps available to help you quickly identify issues around repetition, clarity, word choice, and grammar issues in your manuscript.

• Make those nit-picky decisions (the ones you know are just a nuisance, like whether to double-space the manuscript!) and how to prepare the document for professional editing before publication.

PHASE 4: REVISE   

Peer and Professional Feedback

• Get personalized feedback on your writing throughout the process via critique workshops, peer beta readers, and a full manuscript review process with one of our senior book coaches.
• Specific suggestions for structuring or restructuring your book, how many chapters should there generally be, how long should chapters generally be, whether you need to add more detail or delete sections, or any other high-level, relevant changes to the pacing and flow of your book.
• Feedback on whether your story is interesting enough that the reader wants to keep turning pages and is it cohesive so that the reader is following the threads, from beginning to end.
• Evaluation of your chapters to make sure they read smoothly, that you haven’t repeated yourself, that any of the rambling, unconnected sections are identified, and how it can all come together in a final, well-structured, FINISHED book.
• Insights into what it'll take for you to tighten and polish until the editing process is “done,” even if you still think of ways to make it better and constantly feel like it’s just not quite ready.
• Discover a tried-and-true "order of operations" for which changes and edits should be done first in a way that gets you excited to continue to work and make the book better (instead of feeling overwhelmed by an unorganized pile of suggestions).

We’re committed to helping you write a great book because THIS book could become a perennial bestseller, your readers’ go-to book recommendation, and the platform for your long-term success as an author.

#1s in their books' most relevant and competitive categories and 100s of reviews after the launch.

With a little time and continued marketing in those best categories, 1,400+ reviews and counting.

And that type of credibility lends itself to awards and guest appearances
that sets the book up for the virtuous cycle of long-term marketing goodness.

THIS is what happens when your book is set up for success from the beginning!

We don't offer this level of personalized support and guidance to just anyone. We need to know that you're serious and committed to writing and publishing your book. We've met plenty of folks who say they want to write a book and turn out to be all talk and no action.  (But, I have a feeling that because you're here, that's not you!)

I want to make a Case Study Success Story out of you, when you publish your book! As long as you're okay with me featuring you and your book, we'd be honored to support you on your author journey.