STORY COACHING

(Developmental Editing)


No matter where you are in your writing career - a beginner or a seasoned pro - Story Coaching, otherwise known as Developmental Editing, is an efficient way to take your craft to a higher level quickly. Each week I will read a specified amount of your work and I will provide solutions for your specific story problems that may include, but not be limited to:

  • The Craft of Writing

    • Each week I will read a submission from you (sent at least 48 hours prior to our meeting). Together, we will look at what is working and what is not, including anything that makes you uncomfortable or that you find difficult to write.

    • I will help you to explore the story fundamentals and skills that will most help you to improve your work, including resources like handouts and cheat sheets.

    • Where appropriate and if needed, we will put our focus on writing “Scene-Types,” on using the 5 Commandments of Storytelling, Narrative Drive, Genre - including the relevant Obligatory Scenes and Conventions - and on other necessary components of great storytelling.

    • I will give you exercises/assignments tailored to your needs and you will have an open forum to ask questions.

  • Work In Progress - (WIP)

    • Each week I will give you ongoing support and coaching about your current project or about a project you want to start. I will ask you lots of questions so we can determine together what kind of story you want to write, assess if that is where your story is going, and, if not, we will discuss the tools that you can use to bring it back to your original vision.

    • If you are unsure, I will help you choose a primary genre to fit the story you want to tell and we will go through the relevant conventions, obligatory scenes, and 15 core scenes that will give your story its spine. This, in turn, will enable you to deliver on the expectations that will keep your readers turning the pages, so they are excited to not only read this book, but also the next.

    • We will work on the 15 core scenes of your chosen genre (based on the 5 Commandments of Storytelling) within the context of your undeveloped, semi-developed, or full script - or I can help you to build an outline from scratch using the 15 core scenes to build the story spine so that you have a plan to work with.

    • I will keep you accountable, as you commit and show up each week to write and deliver

  • Skills Drills:

    • If you don’t want to work on a WIP, or start a project just yet, we can do Skills Drills. This is a very effective, and fun, way to start building your craft so that when you do write, you will already have experience that you can use.

    • You can learn how to choose a Genre, how to write an Outline, what Voice to write in and why, The Archetypes and Hero’s Journey of story: heroes and villains, Style, Conflict, Wants and Needs, Dialogue, working with more than one storyline, incorporating real life experiences into story, how to use your own feelings to dramatize a scene, Value Shifts and propelling a story forward, Theme/Controlling Ideas - and more!

    • What we focus on will largely be determined by what your weaker spots are and/or what you would like to learn. If you are a beginner we can start with Genre and mapping out a story using the 15 core scenes of storytelling and go from there.

Got more questions? Schedule a free 30 minute consultation with me below: