Diving into Your Draft

A 4-week coaching package for first drafts that are looking for new direction

So, you finished your first draft. Beautiful.

This is a mighty moment. It takes a lot of determination, vision and work to get to the end of a first draft. Take a moment to feel that. You did it.

Now you’re starting to wonder how to take your story to the next level. You may be tempted to go line by line to correct the grammar and make the sentences perfect. We get that, we’ve done it, but actually, this is the ideal time to climb way up on the diving board so that you can see it all unfolded in front of you, and then dive back in.

In these four coaching sessions, we’ll work together to ask what your particular work needs to move forward. Depending on your approach, we might look at story structure and theme, voice, arcs, consistency, suspense, dialogue, balance, characters (even memoirs have “characters”), setting, word choices and more. There are so many ways to make progress.

We’ll also look inside of you, to ask where you were holding back in the first draft, and what you want to bring more of when you dive back in. And, we’ll find fun, new ways to let your story tell us how it wants to be strengthened. 

By the end, you’ll have a plan and a lot of momentum to move towards your beautiful second draft.

    • You’ve finished a first draft of a novel or memoir and you don’t know what to do next. You want to improve it… but how? 

    • You’re feeling alone in the huge task of writing a manuscript, and want someone to bounce ideas off, nerd out with, and help you reconnect to the joy that got this started in the first place. 

    • You are looking for an alternative to a formal manuscript evaluation, something more budget-friendly, and based around questions, collaboration and conversation.

    • You’re ready to make changes in your story, to make it the best it can be, on your own terms.

    • You’re looking for a coach to wave a magic wand to make the process of revision effortless. Instead, this will give you a committed and sensitive ally to help you find your path, and who will stay with you through the hard parts.

    • You want someone to read your entire draft. We’ll work from excerpts, and depending on your project maybe a synopsis.

    • Your only goal is to get this published. We believe that while publishing can be a rewarding phase of the creative process, our work is to help you create your most powerful work in the moment, regardless of what comes later. We’re not experts in the publishing industry.

    • You haven’t finished your first draft. You might want to consider our other coaching packages.

    • A no-pressure call with the coach before you commit, to get a feel for how they work and what the road ahead may look like.

    • Four weekly, 60-minute, one-on-one sessions with your coach via zoom or phone.

    • Weekly opportunities to send work to your coach to discuss in your session — up to 10,000 words total. You can send these in all at the start, or spread them out; your coach will help you figure out the best approach.

    • Two months of our Morning Coffee Sessions program.

Coaches:

Kim (she/her) will be your guide for fiction or poetry.

Cost:

This package costs $975 total, which can be broken up into three monthly payments of $325. Tax will be added for Canadians in your local provincial rate. See our financial policies.

Four times a year, we give out bursaries for our programs to people with financial barriers. Check out our upcoming dates.

If you don’t have a credit card, let us know and we’ll gladly find a way to make it work.

Want to know more about what coaching is like?

If you haven’t seen it yet, watch our 3-minute video on what coaching can provide. If you still have questions, read our coaching FAQ.

Ready to take a deep breath and dive in?

Sophia (she/her) will be your guide for non-fiction or memoir.

Questions?

If you have questions that aren’t covered on our FAQ page or you just need a guide to help you find the right Firefly program, drop us a line. We’ll be happy to help you find just the right thing.

Credit where credit is due

The photo we’re using to promote this page was taken by Amy Lister and shared via Unsplash.