LIMITED OFFER
"Fast Draft" Writing Group

From a pile of notes and ideas to finished first draft
of your book with writing coaching, critique workshops, and professional feedback along the way


 

Maybe you’ve been thinking about writing this book for longer than you’d want to admit…

Maybe you feel inspired to write one or two chapters that you’re happy with, then you get completely stuck and don’t know where to go with the story.

Maybe you’re great at starting the book, but it feels like finishing the book takes forever.

Maybe you have a general understanding of what should be included in each chapter, but coming up with the exact things to write is tough!

Maybe you have books upon books planned in your head that you want to write down, but when it comes time to write, you wonder if you really do have the skills, the support, or the ability to write it to do it justice.

Maybe you worry that you won't express what you’re trying to correctly and (even worse) that if you let someone in to help, they might change the vision to fit some sort of norm instead of the story you’re trying to write and the meanings you’re trying to get across.

And maybe you keep swirling in this vicious circle inside your own dead, worrying that you’re not good enough and letting it stall your motivation.

If this is you, you’re in the right place!

In fact, writers have been asking me for YEARS to put together a writing group to go deep into the craft of great writing, to provide feedback on their writing, and to offer a sounding board for story ideas.

And the good news is that. YES, this is exactly why we have put together our writing groups that will be opening up more availability SOON, and I wanted to get the details over to you because they’re going to fill up quickly, and I wanted you to have the chance to jump in, while there’s still room.

Here's how the "Fast Draft" Writing Group works:

We will have a couple of weeks of planning with you to make sure you feel solid on the book you’re writing, the structure, and the narrative flow.

Then, one of our senior book coaches will lead a series of seminars on the craft of writing, we’ll host co-writing sessions, we’ll workshop each others’ writing, as you continue writing. You’ll also have a mid-point check in with our book coach to make sure your draft is on track.

Once you reach “The End” on your first draft, our editing team will provide you with individual guidance on the first draft of your book with a feedback letter and a one-on-one coaching call to talk about your revision plan for your draft.


Here's a visual:

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.

You might be wondering, "What types of books

do you work with?"

 

We regularly work with nonfiction, memoir, and fiction books. We've published and launched books in Every genre and sub-genre has particularities, which is why we go deep into your book's market and expectations. Here's what some of our authors have seen after publishing their books:


#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!

Enter your text here...

PLUS, FREE BONUSES
(available for a very limited time!)

BONUS #1:  One-on-One High-Level Structure Mapping.  Work one-on-one with our senior book coach on your character arcs, scenes, and plot lines, to make sure it all comes together in a compelling narrative.

  • If you’ve ever wanted an intense planning session with a book coach, this is your chance!

  • You’ll sit with our senior book coach, lay out all your ideas and notes. We’ll help you identify any weak or potentially problematic areas, we’ll highlight the especially strong pieces, and we’ll help to make sure that it’ll all come together in a page-turning story that’ll keep your reader coming back for more.

  • You’ll walk away with a sketch of your structure and the confidence to dive into the “fast draft” process with motivation, focus, and a clear vision for how to approach this first draft of your book.

 (Value $4,900)

BONUS #2: The Ideal Professional Writing Set Up. Create your perfect writing routine so that you can consistently get 5,000 words (or more!) down on paper, every single week.

  • In this bonus, you’ll get to see behind the scenes of my own writing set up, plus our writing coaches’ setups, so you can see exactly how we get writing done, even when we have our own family and clients and life to take care of.

  • You’ll discover how to set firm boundaries around your writing time and space, even when you’re having a hard time finding alone time to work on anything long-term because other people have projects in mind that they want YOU to do—and it’s even harder when those people are now at home with you, all day!

  • Find out how to connect with a writing partner who can give you the accountability and the encouragement to keep writing. It’s not just about having someone who will check-in, occasionally. You need a structured support system, and in this bonus we’ll provide you the exact conversation template we use in our accountability calls, so that we know every accountability call is helpful, productive, and gets the writer unstuck. Accountability doesn’t just happen; it’s created by a specific framework of questions that re-ignite your writing momentum.

(Value $2,900)

BONUS #3: Debut Bestselling Book Launch Campaign. Tap into an eager reader market, generate buzz in your niche, and launch your book with thousands of downloads and sales in the first week. 

  • We consistently launch books of first-time authors whose new books start ranking at #1 in three or more categories, 50+ reviews, and are set up to effortlessly generate an additional 100+ reviews. Want to know how I’ve sold 15,000 copies of my book and gotten 1,400 reviews on Amazon, with reviews still coming in on autopilot every day?

  • This bonus includes exact email templates, social media swipe files, book launch team strategies, effective book promotion sites that are working now, and a full book launch timeline—all ready and loaded for you to copy and use in your next book launch.

  • THIS is our Secret Book Launch Process, refined over years, reserved ONLY for our internal team… until now…

(Value $12,500)

You might be wondering, "What's the cost?"

Considering EVERYTHING you get when you work with our team in the "Fast Draft" writing group...

● A 90-Day plan to get you from notes to a clear structure and a finished first draft on paper, with guidance on the craft of writing, weekly writing support, Q&A sessions, and critique workshops with our team of senior book coaches, Valued at $15,000
● BONUS #1: One-on-One High-Level Structure Mapping, Valued at $4,900

● BONUS #2:  The Ideal Professional Writing Set Up, Valued at $2,900
● BONUS #3: Debut Bestselling Book Launch Campaign, Valued at $12,500

And, frankly, to work directly with our team to write your book isn’t cheap. Normally, when a writer works one-on-one with our team to go from idea to published book, it’s a $40,000 investment.

For the 90-Day "Fast Draft” writing group, we are creating a hybrid environment: you’re working with our team AND you’re working with each other in a writing seminar environment, which means we can bring that investment down significantly to one payment of $4,950. We do also have the flexibility of a payment plan (11 monthly payments of $495) because we hope to help make it as affordable as possible.

And you might want to know, "What's the catch?"

Frankly, 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!) To make sure we're on the same page before we talk about working together, we do require an application and a phone call to make sure that we're a good fit.

Simply submit your $100 application fee that is fully refundable. If you’re not a fit or you change your mind, we’ll send that $100 straight back to you, right when we're on the phone with you. If you are a fit and you are accepted, we’ll credit that $100 application fee toward your balance for the program. It's risk-free and 100% guaranteed.

You’ll fill out the application questions, and you’ll book a call with us so that we can chat. We’ll get to know a bit more about you and your book, and we’ll chat about whether this is a good fit for you.



ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE


Q: What’s the timing and how many hours should I plan to commit?

When we have a spot open up in our writing group, we begin with about a month of high-level structure mapping. In the first month, you’re having a one-on-one session with our book coach to work through your structure, along with best practices for structuring your particular type of book.
 
Then, the following three months, we support you in writing the first draft of your book, and you have access to a full library of topics on the craft of writing.
 
We host co-writing sessions and critique workshops to give you the motivation and the feedback you need to keep writing. We’ll suggest a goal of 5,000 to 10,000 words a week.

Once you write 20,000 words, you’ll “unlock” the ability to have a check-in with our book coach to help make sure you’re on track, that the structure is coming along, and that you do any course-correcting while you’re still early on.


Supported by the writing group community, co-writing sessions, critique workshops, and Q&A sessions, we’ll encourage you to write your full first draft, whether that’s 40,000 words or 100,000 words or more. As soon as you finish your first draft, you’ll be able to “unlock” the full manuscript review and revision plan with our editorial team.


All together, we’re suggesting that you commit to a four-month season during which you can dedicate your mental bandwidth to your book and schedule into your calendar 5 to 10 hours a week of writing time.


Q: I have already __[event/travel/etc]____ planned. Is there flexibility in the timing?


Short answer: yes. We have built in some buffer so that if you already have a commitment during a week or two in that timeframe, it should all still work out, just fine.

And if you’re still writing 6 month after you join? That’s fine! We’ll be ready to do your manuscript review and revision plan with you when you are.

You have a full 12 months to use all of the resources, community, and coaching feedback in the Fast Draft writing group.


Q: Do I need to be available during certain times of the day?

We have a regular rhythm of topics on the craft of writing, co-writing, critique workshops, and Q&A sessions, across a range of timeslots to make opportunities available morning, daytime, and early evening. Plus, everything will be recorded for your convenience, and you’ll be able to submit questions ahead of time, if you can’t make a Q&A session.


Q: What’s the difference between the “90-Day Fast Draft” writing group and just writing my book and having a friend read it?


Many authors would like feedback as they’re writing, so they can be sure that what they’re writing makes sense and is compelling. If you give your writing to a friend and ask for feedback, a) you’ll be lucky if they read it in any sort of timely manner and b) their response will probably be vague and not especially helpful.

Our senior book coach and editorial team will be your sounding board when you’re sketching out the structure of your book, writing your book, and finishing your first draft. We find that when writers have professional feedback along the way, they tend to write much better books the first time around, with less editing needed and less wasted time.

Plus, we’re also going to look at the marketability of your book. Most editors can help you make your book better, for sure. Their big blindspot, though, is they’re not thinking about the first, fundamental question: what’s the MARKET for this book? “Is it good?” Yes. AND, “Will it sell?” Those are two different questions.

When you work with our team of publishing professionals, we review BOTH your writing and the market for your book. We’re thinking about getting the right structure for your book, based on what your readers are looking for in a book like yours. We’re also thinking about the market potential for your book. We put on a wide-angle lens to make sure that, yes, you know exactly what needs to happen next in writing your book, AND, you know exactly what the size of readership is for a book like yours, even before you release your book.


When you’re working with our team, we’re assessing BOTH the structure of your book idea and the marketability of your book idea.

Frankly, very few people in the book world are able to give you this depth and breadth of feedback.


Q: What if I haven’t started anything? Like anything?


I totally get it. 😊 I've been a writing coach for 15 years, typically working with folks from the very beginning of their book idea, and I will tell you that it is actually EASIER to start working with an editor before you get deep into writing. We'll use our time together to talk through your thoughts, any outlines, mind maps, or notes you have, and create a plan for you to get started in the writing process.

PLUS, we'll be able to give you that market analysis, so you'll know ahead of time whether it would be beneficial for sales to include a certain angle or topic, in order to take advantage of what readers are actively looking for.

Bringing a professional book team is absolutely the most efficient and effective way to jumpstart your book writing process—if you're serious about writing this book in the next year.

If you're wondering whether you've got what it takes to write this book, whether this book really has the potential to take off.... Well, this is the best way to answer those questions. Where else can you get access to a professional team that publishes and launches books every single week?

And the good news is that if you like working with our team in setting up the plan, you'll have the option to keep working with us (only if you want to), and your investment in this "Fast Draft" writing group will credit toward future work with our team.


Q: What if I have a completed draft, already?


If you have already written a complete first draft, we might be able to skip straight to a manuscript review and market analysis! Or you could write your next book with us and take your learnings to apply to your first book. We can work something out that’s best for you and your book. I’d recommend you go ahead and apply so we can chat about options for you.


Q: What genres or topics are a best fit for the “Fast Draft” writing group?


The writing group is not geared toward children’s books, poetry, coffee table books, or cookbooks.


For all other types of nonfiction, fiction, or memoir, we very likely have a senior book coach who has years of experience in your type of book. And we’ll let you know whether we’re a good fit for your book or not. If we’re not, we’ll do our best to refer you to one of our trusted partners!


Q: Is it one writing group or more than one?


We’ll all be in one writing group container, and if we have a few folks writing in the same topic or genre, we can create sub-groups for ya’ll to connect and beta read for each other. So, there may be some smaller groups, but everyone will be in one writing group virtual space together because we think it’s valuable to be exposed to other ways of thinking about characters, narratives, and the craft of writing.


Q: Do I have to pick just ONE curriculum (ie, fiction or nonfiction or memoir)?


No, you don’t have to pick! You’ll have access to all of the types of writing curriculum. Some books cross genres. Some people end up staying in the writing container and working on another book in a different genre. Some people just like to learn! You’ll have access to it all.


Q: Is there a guarantee?


If you’re not thrilled with the insights and guidance we provide in your “Fast Draft” writing group experience, we’ll gladly refund 100% of your money. We do ask that you have a phone call with our team, in order to be eligible for your refund, so that we can talk with you about what didn’t work for you.


Q: Does this include editing, design, publishing, and all the things?


No, definitely not. Editing, design, and publishing the book is outside the scope of the writing group. We are going to be fully focused on writing, completing your first draft, and providing that manuscript review and revision plan for you, so that you know what your draft needs before it’s ready for professional editing and publication.


Some of the writers we work with will take their book to a traditional publisher or hybrid publisher or continue working with our Paper Raven Books team. That’s not a decision you have to make, right now, though, and there are no ongoing obligations.


After you finish your first draft, if you’d like to talk with us about working with our team, Paper Raven Books, we’ll set up a follow-up call to discuss those options. Plus your investment in the writing group would 100% count toward any package that you might do with us in the future.

Q: Do you have something I can print out and share with someone else in this decision-making process?

Yes! Download a PDF version of this information here:
PaperRavenBooks.com/writinggroup


Lastly, if you still have any unanswered questions, my recommendation is this:

Simply fill out an application and a call, and we'll be happy to have a frank discussion about whether or not we're a good fit.

Simply submit your $100 application fee that is fully refundable. If you’re not a fit or you change your mind, we’ll send that $100 straight back to you, right when we're on the call with you. If you are a fit and you are accepted, we’ll credit that $100 application fee toward your balance for the program. It's risk-free and 100% guaranteed.

You’ll fill out the application questions, and you’ll book a call with us so that we can chat. We’ll get to know a bit more about you and your book, and we’ll chat about whether this is a good fit for you.

Copyright - Paper Raven Books LLC