I came to Lauren faltering, even with the finish line in sight. Her keen eye, light touch, and deeply compassionate nature allowed me just the right support to move through the stuck place and finish my draft. Lauren was undaunted by the challenging material in my story. She helped me see what I did well, and hand-selected lessons so I could improve the weaker parts of my text. My manuscript and I are both better now, thanks to Lauren’s skillful coaching.
-Jessica Waite
[Jessica’s memoir, The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards, was acquired in 7 days by Atria, an imprint of Simon & Schuster! Congrats, Jessica!]
I feel like I have learned more from Lauren’s one-on-one mentorship than I learned in a two-year creative writing program.
This has been an amazing process and I have grown as a writer in ways I didn’t know I could. I would highly recommend this program to any writer working through novel revisions, regardless of what stage you are at in your writing career.
-Dr, Sandra Jeppeson
You wrote a book! Congratulations! It’s huge!
Completing a draft is a huge accomplishment! It proves your tenacity and dedication. Now it’s time to re-affirm your commitment. Through investigative, thorough, and smart revision you can add depth, connectivity, cohesion, and resonance to your story, bringing you fame and fortune (okay, maybe not, but hopefully some happy, hooked readers!).
If this part of the process seems daunting, I can help!
This intensive program is designed for you to submerge in the revision process with me as your support, advisor, cheerleader, and sounding board. Through analysis of your story structure, direct feedback of 20,000 words of your manuscript, seven hours of ZOOM conversations, accountability check-ins, curated lessons on writing craft and process, and my open email inbox whenever questions arise, you will deepen your understanding of your book, learn what’s working and what isn’t (and why!), and broaden your relationship both to your writing and yourself as a writer in ways you never have before.
My insights on narrative arc, character, point-of-view, writing process, and more are hard-won: I hold an MFA in Creative Writing, recently completed ANOTHER rewrite of my third novel (and sent it off to my agent, yah!) while my new book, a short story collection, was recommended by the Globe & Mail this spring.
I work hard and I work deep and I love helping other writers do the same. Should you accept the challenge, you will take a deep, diagnostic look at a draft that you probably wrote (because we all do) “while not knowing what you are doing,” as Jane Smiley wisely says in 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel.
In this three-month program, we will investigate the creative choices you’ve made (often unconsciously) so you can expand and enrich your story with knowledgeable intention.
Revision is my favourite part of the writing process because it gives me the opportunity to study what I made, enhance the most significant strands, extract those that aren’t working, deepen my voice and theme, and build an unshakeable, expertly woven arc.
Let me help you do this! On this journey, you’ll grow as a writer (guaranteed!) and ultimately create a richer and better book.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Part coaching, part manuscript evaluation, part class on writing craft, this program will guide you into a deeper relationship with revision. Through weekly accountability check-ins and curated lessons, you’ll broaden your knowledge of story and how it works, strengthen your practice, and make clear progress towards finishing your book!
What you get:
* An evaluation of your synopsis or plot outline
* 7 one-on-one ZOOM calls
* Editorial notes on 20-22,000 words of your manuscript
* 12 Monday morning accountability check-ins
* 6 lessons curated specifically for your needs!
* Unlimited email access to pick my brain through the journey!
I have learned more about writing and about myself as a writer in these three months than I have in years of taking online courses. Lauren’s insight and suggestions are thoughtful and helpful, and having her give direct feedback on my actual words has given me a far deeper understanding of the craft of writing and where my own shortcomings were hiding.
I’m coming away from this with a renewed faith in myself and my work, and a bolstered enthusiasm for writing in general!
-Laura-Lee Pernsky
WHAT’S THE SCHEDULE?
This program is intense! You need time and energy and, of course, a completed (or very nearly completed) draft of a novel, memoir or short story collection to work with. Here’s the calendar (minus the weekly accountability check-ins and curated lessons):
Week 1: Submit synopsis; first ZOOM to develop an action plan for what to submit (hint: not your best writing!).
Week 2: 1st sub deadline (4,000 words)
Week 3: ZOOM to discuss my feedback
Week 4: 2nd submission
Week 5: ZOOM about notes and process
Week 6: 3rd submission
Week 7: ZOOM
Week 8: 4th submission
Week 9: ZOOM
Week 10: 5th submission
Week 11: ZOOM
Week 12: Reflection assignment; ZOOM to establish your next goals
THE PRACTICALITIES
The program runs three times a year. The dates for 2023 are:
January 16 – April 7, 2023
April 10 -June 30, 2023
September 11 – December 4, 2023
Application deadlines are: Dec 12, March 15, and Aug 20.
The cost for the three-month program is $3295. You can pay in full or month-by-month at $1098/month (with a commitment in place for the full term), and I also offer a senior’s discount of 10%.
I only accept two clients each session, so if you want to submerge into your revision process, hit the orange button to take a look at the application form. Unsure? Shoot me a note through my contact page.
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.
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.
Extensive experience teaching writers and holding positions as Writer-in-Residence and teaching in-person/online.
A member of Editors Canada, and currently completing 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.
Two novels, a collection of short stories, and two poetry collections traditionally published — and stay tuned for an announcement about my third novel.
Represented by Samantha Haywood, Transatlantic Agency
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); longlisted for CBC Canada Reads for my first. 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.”
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