Forget trying to write a book
when you can't see
the forest for the trees
What you really need to know is
HOW STORIES GROW IN THE FIRST PLACE
THE STORY INCUBATOR
Accelerate your book’s development with three revelatory months of story and scene coaching. This is the on-ramp to an edit-ready draft.NURTURE
YOUR NOVEL
DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING
Whether this is your first book or you’re a seasoned author, sweep readers into your story world with an irresistible story and compelling characters. AN IRRESISTIBLE
STORY
LINE EDITING
Give your book the professional polish it deserves. Line editing stretches your writing skills and elevates your prose so readers will keep turning pages. PROFESSIONAL
POLISH
THE PLOT ACCELERATOR
Don’t spin your wheels on a story that isn’t all there yet. Write a stronger story with the process that’s been called a “developmental edit in a bottle.”ACCELERATE
YOUR CREATIVITY
Transforming Aspiring authors
into emerging novelists
Specializing in Fiction from Emerging Novelists
What if you finally understood what's going on under the hood of your novel manuscript?
No more stumbling through rough drafts, then paying an editor to help you find the story inside. You'll write a better book from the start, from concept and story to the words on the page.
As your story coach, I'll help you connect theory with practice. As your editor, I'll show the narrative techniques that make your writing connect with readers. You'll pick up strategies and knowledge you'll use the rest of your writing career.
This is your writing, but smarter. Your book, but better.
"(Lisa's) the real deal. Simply awesome. In the last six months, I have learned so much. And more than that, the voice inside my head has changed her tune. Now I hear, 'You're going to do this.'"—Emile Horne
"After completing the Plot Accelerator course with Lisa ... I've just hit 30K words after making a lot of cuts and reducing it to 15K. Now I’m back to where I started with a much stronger story. Nothing is lost in the process. The scenes that will never be read have enhanced my own understanding of the protagonist's situation. Originally intended to be a novella, Collisville is now writing itself. Here's to words that grow organically! Stories shouldn't be forced. Motivation drives the characters. Characters drive the action! Action and reaction IS the story."—J. C. Thomas
Empower Yourself As An Author
This is the power of a little help from a coach. (More success stories here.)
Do you know why your story will keep readers turning pages—
or are you only guessing?
Clarity
Updated: Best books on writing for writers
Do you get sucked into spending more time reading about writing fiction than actually doing it? I’ve just updated my short list of the best books on writing, so you can level up and take the techniques back to your manuscript. One of my favorite ways to help writers is recommending books that will help Read more about Updated: Best books on writing for writers[…]
Words and phrases to revise or delete
It’s all too easy to overstuff your writing when you’re striving for a natural, unstrained tone. We lean on filler words in conversation to soften our speech and build connections, but these words don’t convey enough information to be effective in writing. The internet is peppered with lists of “words to cut from your writing.” Read more about Words and phrases to revise or delete[…]
Tangled up in Track Changes?
If you’ve never used Microsoft Word’s Track Changes feature before, the idea of getting your manuscript back from an editor filled with all sorts of lines and squiggles you have to do something to in order to keep your novel from plummeting precipitously through a fiery ring of digital destruction and disappearing into the black Read more about Tangled up in Track Changes?[…]
Top 10 reasons to join a writing community
Writing is a supposedly solitary endeavor, but successful authors know that a supporting writing community is worth its weight in gold. Like-minded colleagues keep you aloft during the long, parched weeks of revision. They’re friendly allies when you need an outside eye on your story or writing. They’re seasoned repositories of first-hand publishing and marketing Read more about Top 10 reasons to join a writing community[…]
How much money do novelists make?
So how much money can you make writing novels, anyway? For traditionally published author income, short of a few blockbuster outliers, the total is probably neither as substantial nor as reliable as you might assume. On the flip side, the income potential of self-publishing has evolved dramatically in entirely different ways over the past handful Read more about How much money do novelists make?[…]
The Conscious Writer: Taking back your creative power
When a manuscript isn’t firing on all cylinders, there are so many ways to shift responsibility: Characters that run away with a life of their own. Plotting systems that strip nuance and meaning. Agents who press for writing to market. It’s not my fault, writers think; the characters (or this dumb outline, or my annoying Read more about The Conscious Writer: Taking back your creative power[…]
Publishing options: Which one is right for you?
Today’s publishing options have changed since you first dreamed about getting your book into print. Most authors arrive on my editorial doorstep declaring their intentions of finding literary representation, with the caveat that “I’m open to self-publishing, I guess, if nothing else comes along.” Please don’t handicap yourself with such an indecisive start. Waffling over publishing options Read more about Publishing options: Which one is right for you?[…]
Prewriting: 6 parts of the writing process that aren’t writing
This article is about the parts of writing a novel that don’t involve writing. It’s not about the business side of being an author. It’s not about book design and production. It’s also not about book marketing or promotion. This article is about the process of getting your story onto the page, and a lot Read more about Prewriting: 6 parts of the writing process that aren’t writing[…]
How to Begin Writing Memoir
Many authors are first called to writing by the lure of memoir. Exploring the interior of one’s own life is heady stuff. And in a world held at arm’s length by Covid-19, bestselling memoirs (Wild, Becoming, Educated …) have captured the imaginations of readers eager to bridge gaps and slip into someone else’s shoes. New Read more about How to Begin Writing Memoir[…]
Productivity for Fiction Writers: Inching along
Stories demand so much from us. Taking apart the engine of a story and putting it together—that’s hard work, my friends. Much as your brain tugs at the knots of your story while you’re in the shower, or at the kitchen sink, or in the car, I too worry and fret over your stories. That Read more about Productivity for Fiction Writers: Inching along[…]