WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

You wrote a book!
Congratulations! This is no small thing!
Getting that first (or second or third) draft done is a huge accomplishment which proves your tenacity and dedication. Now, it’s time to re-affirm your commitment with rewriting and revision which will add depth, connective, cohesion, and resonance to your story, bringing you fame and fortune (okay, maybe not, but at least, hopefully, some happy readers!).
If you’re finding this part of the process a daunting struggle, I can help – through feedback on your work and Zoom conversations to help you stay connected with your work, figure out what’s working and what’s not, observe the book as a holistic storyline, better understand your character goals and journeys, and more!
My insights on narrative arc, character, point-of-view, and other craft and writer-life issues will help you broaden your conceptualization of what you want to say – and figure out how best to say it. You will deepen your understanding of your early draft(s), written “while not knowing what you are doing,” as Jane Smiley wisely says in 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel.
She goes on: “You can’t pick the ideal point of view, the right protagonist, the ideal plot, or the perfect setting; you can only pick ones that offer some benefits and some deficits,” In this three-month program, we will bring a broader awareness to the creative choices you’ve made (often unconsciously) so you can expand and enrich your book with knowledgable intention.
Revision is my favourite part of the writing process; its gift is the opportunity to study what you made, pull out the most significant strands, deepen your voice, and build an unshakeable arc. Let me help you find this gift with your work, grow as a writer, and ultimately create a richer and better book for all your lucky readers!
Need less intensive help or want to try out my critique services? Read about my Baby Steps Critique Session.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Part coaching, part manuscript evaluation, part ongoing substantive edit, this program will guide you into a deeper relationship with revision. Through weekly accountability check-ins and short, curated lessons on writing craft and process, you’ll broaden your knowledge of writing, strengthen your practice, and make clear progress towards finishing your book!
What you get:
6 one-on-one ZOOM calls
A plot outline evaluation
Inline editorial notes on up to 20,000 words of your manuscript
12 Monday morning accountability check-ins and 6 mini-lessons curated specifically for you!
Unlimited email access to pick my brain through the journey!
THE PRACTICALITIES
The program starts three times a year: in September, January, and April. I encourage registration at least two weeks in advance so you have time to complete your plot outline and we can determine our calendar of Zoom dates and manuscript submission deadlines.
The cost for the three-month program is $1395. You can pay in full or month-by-month at $360/month (with a commitment in place for the full term), and I also offer a senior discount of 10% (please contact me for either option).
I only accept three clients each session, so if you want to get going on your novel, click to purchase and choose your start date! I’m excited to help you get closer to fulfilling your writing goals!

photo by Anthony Schellenberg
Interested but need funding? Check out your provincial arts councils, the Access Copyright Professional Development Grant, and the Canada Council for the Arts to see if you might be eligible for grant funding. You could also try a baby steps critique session with me or take a class to start!
Here’s what some of my clients have said
Who Am I?
what makes me such an expert?
MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph.
Certificate in Teaching and Training Adult Learners from Georgian College.
Have taught writers throughout North America, including Mexico, and online.
Currently enrolled in – and halfway finished – the SFU Editors Certificate program.
In-depth coursework in creativity coaching through the Creativity Coaching Association, including Beginning and Advanced Creativity Coaching 16-week courses with Eric Maisel and the 8-week course Building the Coaching Relationship with Creative Clients.
Published in countless anthologies (including Best Canadian Fiction, selected by John Metcalf), newspapers, and magazines (National Geographic Traveler and the Globe and Mail among others), as well as most major Canadian literary journals: Prairie Fire, the Fiddlehead, Grain, The New Quarterly, and others.
Four books traditionally published, including two novels, with agency representation, and a fifth on the way!
Nominated for the Giller Prize, the Journey Prize, and longlisted multiple times for the CBC Literary Awards in both poetry and fiction.
Winner of the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction (for my second novel) and past recipient of multiple arts grants, including the Manitoba Arts Council’s Major Arts Award, a $30,000 grant for artists “whose works shows exceptional quality and accomplishment.”
Baby Steps Critique Session
Are you stuck? If you are stymied by structure, confused about character, bewildered by the balance of show and tell, I can help!
What you get:
- A read-through and in-depth critique of up to 5,000 words (add on additional words for .04 cents / word ).
- I’ll point out strengths, give you questions to consider, and make suggestions for ways to strengthen, focus, or further explore your work
- Notes and in-line editorial comments will be emailed
- Questions and discussion of solutions and your next steps over Zoom
Cost: $280

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