The Craft Your Story Blueprint is one-on-one book coaching designed to help you get spark of your story out of your head and onto the page, building off the incredible strategies from Blueprint for a Book: Build Your Novel from the Inside Out by Jennie Nash.

 

Over 6 weeks, we will build a solid foundation for your book by working through your goals for this story as well as character development, worldbuilding, and plot structure. This includes:

• 30-minute pre-coaching call to discuss your goals

• digital guide to a strategic framework for getting clear on the story you want to tell

• 3 rounds of writing deadlines with editorial feedback

• 3 45-minute video calls to hone your story ideas and prose

• 30-minute post-coaching call to ensure you feel confident in your next steps
   

You will come away with clarity on your story line, a solid understanding of your characters, and a strategic blueprint with customized action steps for writing forward.

Working one-on-one with a book coach on a monthly basis is like having a personal editor, writing instructor, industry guide, and project manager all in one. I help you delve into your story ideas and find the throughline that will make it come to life. I brainstorm with you when you get stuck. I note the writing errors or structural issues, and customize action steps to help you resolve them. And I draw on my years of industry experience to help you navigate the tricky world of book publishing.

 

Book coaching begins with a 3-month package with the option to add on additional months as needed and includes:

• 30-minute kick-off video call to explore your goals and challenges

• 3 monthly deadlines to submit up to 20 writing pages (5000 words)

• Detailed on-page editorial feedback

• Editorial letter with customized action steps

• 3 60-minute video calls to clarify any remaining questions, discuss next steps, and determine the next month’s focus

 

This is a custom experience dependent on your specific needs so benefits vary. Most writers come away with a cohesive writing vision and stronger manuscript, clarity on the structural integrity of their work, a better understanding of the publishing industry and the publishing path they wish to pursue, and more confidence in their work and their writing abilities.

Just because you’ve finished your first (or even third or fifth) draft doesn’t mean you’re ready to submit to an agent or editor. A Manuscript Evaluation can give you the direction you need to ensure your draft is structurally sound by addressing the most significant issues: Does the story start in the right place? Is there narrative drive? Is the protagonist authentic and is there a clear motivation, conflict and transformative arc? Do the subplots and secondary characters serve the story? Is the narrative too long and where should you cut? You never get a second chance with an agent or editor, and the Manuscript Evaluation can help you detect and resolve your story problems so you have the best chance of seeing your story in print.

 

Designed to be completed in 4 weeks, the Manuscript Evaluation includes:

• 30-minute kick-off call to discuss your story goals and challenges

• Editorial assessment of entire manuscript (up to 80,000 words; $150 charge per additional 5000 words)

• Editorial letter addressing 3-5 most significant structural issues and outlining clear action steps to address each

• In-line manuscript feedback on the first 50 pages

• 60-minute video call to review editorial feedback and address any questions

 

You will come away with a better understanding of your manuscript’s structural integrity and a solid revision plan with clearly defined action steps.

 

*Note this is NOT a developmental edit, which is a detailed editorial review of ALL structural and content issues, including in-line feedback on entire manuscript. A DE is a more time-consuming and expensive process, but many writers find they can get the answers they need from a Manuscript Evaluation at a fraction of the cost of a developmental edit.

Four of the most common manuscript issues are directly related to character development, which is even more important in women’s fiction where the protag’s personal growth journey is the defining element. That’s why I created a digital mini workbook for women's fiction writers as a companion guide to Jennie Nash's Blueprint for a Book. You'll learn a simple strategy for gaining clarity on your protagonist’s arc of transformation and how this aligns with your Blueprint story point. We’ll also explore your protag’s external want(s), internal need(s), and misguided belief(s), and how all of these are key to delivering a satisfying story to your reader. 

You’ll receive digital materials you can complete at your own pace then submit for review when you’re ready. We’ll then schedule a time to meet about your feedback and any questions.

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• Mini Blueprint editorial analysis with in-line feedback and editorial letter highlighting significant structural issues and action steps

• Build Her Up Character Development digital mini workbook for you to complete, and an editorial analysis of this work

• 60-minute video call to review editorial feedback and discuss your next action steps

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You’ll come away with clarity on your protagonist and how their character and journey will drive the plot of your story and a Mini Blueprint with customized action steps for writing forward. 

A Mini Manuscript assessment will show you if you’re making those early mistakes that will immediately turn off an agent such as starting your story in the wrong place, having no narrative drive, or not giving the reader a reason to care.

 

Designed to be completed in 2 weeks, a Mini Manuscript Assessment includes:

• In-line editorial feedback on the first 5000 words of your manuscript

• 1- to 2-page editorial letter addressing your strengths, your most significant challenge areas, and action steps 

• 45-minute video call where we’ll discuss the evaluation and your action steps.

 

You’ll come away with an understanding of your most significant structural issues in the opening pages as well as experiencing a preview of book coaching to see if it’s right for you.