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Take some time for your writing this spring with a series of virtual Write-Ins hosted by The Writers Grotto. Led by one the Grotto’s many talented and accomplished writers, each of the sessions below provides 60 minutes of space and guidance in which to get your creative energy flowing, generate new material, bring old material up to snuff, and just make contact with the community of writers that is the Grotto, our teachers, and our students.
Write-Ins are held on a variety of days and times to give our students the opportunity to choose a Write-In that works best for their schedule.
Cost: $25/session or $99 for a season pass!
Sessions:
How Literary Talent Gets Discovered Today By Agents, Editors, and Readers Alike
Do you need a big platform or social media fame to land a book deal today? While publishers do use self-publishing success, fan fiction, and newsletters to uncover talent, the focus for authors should remain on growing their craft and community. Jane maps the pathways that actually lead to book contracts, from MFA programs and literary fellowships to journalism, self-publishing, and social media. The data reveals a more varied landscape than conventional wisdom suggests."
About Jane: Jane Friedman has spent almost three decades working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World. Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Today Show, Wired, Fox News, and BBC.
SATURDAY, April 25th | Have you been trying for years to have a panel proposal accepted at one of the major literary or humanities conferences, but haven’t had any luck? Getting a proposal accepted at AWP, CEA, MLA, PCA, or numerous other conferences is a mélange of art, wordsmithing, and savvy pitching. It may not be your ideas that are wrong, but rather your written proposal’s design and delivery. In this half-day workshop you’ll discover:
After completing this workshop, you’ll be armed with the finesse, strategies, and dexterity you need to assemble and pitch a winning panel proposal to a breadth of conferences and conventions. Students should be comfortable navigating and researching on websites and sharing written work with classmates.
FRIDAYs, May 1st - 22nd | Not all prose moves in a straight line.
Many powerful essays and short prose pieces unfold through fragments, rooms, repetitions, and returns—circling memory, revisiting moments, and allowing meaning to accumulate rather than resolve. In this four-week generative class, we’ll study nonlinear prose forms and practice writing that trusts association, intuition, and structural repetition.
This class is designed for writers working in lyrical essays, flash nonfiction, hybrid prose, or short fiction who want to move beyond chronology without losing coherence. Each session introduces a clear structural concept, looks closely at published examples, and then turns to guided writing time.
This is not a workshop class. The emphasis is on making, experimenting, and discovering new ways your material wants to move.
Take some time for your writing this spring with a series of virtual Write-Ins hosted by The Writers Grotto. Led by one the Grotto’s many talented and accomplished writers, each of the sessions below provides 60 minutes of space and guidance in which to get your creative energy flowing, generate new material, bring old material up to snuff, and just make contact with the community of writers that is the Grotto, our teachers, and our students.
Write-Ins are held on a variety of days and times to give our students the opportunity to choose a Write-In that works best for their schedule.
Cost: $25/session or $99 for a season pass!
Sessions:
Take some time for your writing this spring with a series of virtual Write-Ins hosted by The Writers Grotto. Led by one the Grotto’s many talented and accomplished writers, each of the sessions below provides 60 minutes of space and guidance in which to get your creative energy flowing, generate new material, bring old material up to snuff, and just make contact with the community of writers that is the Grotto, our teachers, and our students.
Write-Ins are held on a variety of days and times to give our students the opportunity to choose a Write-In that works best for their schedule.
Cost: $25/session or $99 for a season pass!
Sessions:
SATURDAY, May 9th | As poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz writes, "The true subject of poetry is the loss of the beloved." In this three-hour generative writing class we will write elegies emerging from personal and communal grief, and discuss the pains and pleasures of "re-membering" the gone. We will do this by reading and discussing modern and contemporary poems, examining poetic strategies and craft elements, followed by guided prompts. Works we read will include poems by Lucille Clifton, Victoria Chang, Mary Jo Bang, and Li-Young Lee, among others.
All participants will leave with drafts that they can continue working on after. There will also be room for sharing and peer feedback. This class is great for all levels of writers who seek to find new ways to write into loss and to rediscover a sense of joy while reimagining our beloveds on the page.
SATURDAY, May 9th |Use Scrivener but feel like you could be getting more out of the software? This two-hour workshop covers the basics: index cards, labels, and formatting settings as well as lesser-known tools like bookmarks, keywords, and character templates. I’ll cover tools for every phase of the writing process: generative, revision, and submission. Most importantly, I’ll tailor the tools to your specific writing project. Learn how Scrivener can help you take your manuscript to the next level!
Familiarity with Scrivener is strongly suggested.
Join us for the Writers Grotto's Literary Salon.
Food & drink provided.
Take some time for your writing this spring with a series of virtual Write-Ins hosted by The Writers Grotto. Led by one the Grotto’s many talented and accomplished writers, each of the sessions below provides 60 minutes of space and guidance in which to get your creative energy flowing, generate new material, bring old material up to snuff, and just make contact with the community of writers that is the Grotto, our teachers, and our students.
Write-Ins are held on a variety of days and times to give our students the opportunity to choose a Write-In that works best for their schedule.
Cost: $25/session or $99 for a season pass!
Sessions:
Take some time for your writing this spring with a series of virtual Write-Ins hosted by The Writers Grotto. Led by one the Grotto’s many talented and accomplished writers, each of the sessions below provides 60 minutes of space and guidance in which to get your creative energy flowing, generate new material, bring old material up to snuff, and just make contact with the community of writers that is the Grotto, our teachers, and our students.
Write-Ins are held on a variety of days and times to give our students the opportunity to choose a Write-In that works best for their schedule.
Cost: $25/session or $99 for a season pass!
Sessions:
Take some time for your writing this spring with a series of virtual Write-Ins hosted by The Writers Grotto. Led by one the Grotto’s many talented and accomplished writers, each of the sessions below provides 60 minutes of space and guidance in which to get your creative energy flowing, generate new material, bring old material up to snuff, and just make contact with the community of writers that is the Grotto, our teachers, and our students.
Write-Ins are held on a variety of days and times to give our students the opportunity to choose a Write-In that works best for their schedule.
Cost: $25/session or $99 for a season pass!
Sessions:
Take some time for your writing this spring with a series of virtual Write-Ins hosted by The Writers Grotto. Led by one the Grotto’s many talented and accomplished writers, each of the sessions below provides 60 minutes of space and guidance in which to get your creative energy flowing, generate new material, bring old material up to snuff, and just make contact with the community of writers that is the Grotto, our teachers, and our students.
Write-Ins are held on a variety of days and times to give our students the opportunity to choose a Write-In that works best for their schedule.
Cost: $25/session or $99 for a season pass!
Sessions:
How does memory become story?
In this four-week generative workshop, writers will explore how personal memory becomes narrative across genres including memoir, poetry, creative nonfiction, lyric essay, and autobiographical fiction.
Through close reading of contemporary writers and guided writing exercises, we will examine how memory shifts when it is written. We will explore how writers shape lived experience through voice, image, structure, and reflection.
Participants will experiment with techniques such as writing the self as a character, building narrative from fragments, balancing scene with reflection, and allowing memory to expand into meaning and story.
Each session includes close reading, craft discussion, and generative writing prompts.
By the end of the course students will:
• generate multiple new pieces of writing
• learn techniques for transforming memory into narrative
• practice writing memoir across genres including poetry and prose
• experiment with image, voice, reflection, and structure
• develop strategies for shaping lived experience into compelling story
Take some time for your writing this spring with a series of virtual Write-Ins hosted by The Writers Grotto. Led by one the Grotto’s many talented and accomplished writers, each of the sessions below provides 60 minutes of space and guidance in which to get your creative energy flowing, generate new material, bring old material up to snuff, and just make contact with the community of writers that is the Grotto, our teachers, and our students.
Write-Ins are held on a variety of days and times to give our students the opportunity to choose a Write-In that works best for their schedule.
Cost: $25/session or $99 for a season pass!
Sessions:
Take some time for your writing this spring with a series of virtual Write-Ins hosted by The Writers Grotto. Led by one the Grotto’s many talented and accomplished writers, each of the sessions below provides 60 minutes of space and guidance in which to get your creative energy flowing, generate new material, bring old material up to snuff, and just make contact with the community of writers that is the Grotto, our teachers, and our students.
Write-Ins are held on a variety of days and times to give our students the opportunity to choose a Write-In that works best for their schedule.
Cost: $25/session or $99 for a season pass!
Sessions:
Join us for the Writers Grotto's Literary Salon.
Food & drink provided.
In this one-day intensive, you’ll explore how to make effective use of one of the key elements of craft in all good writing: imagery. Effective imagery goes far beyond flowery description to bring your reader closer to the experience on the page and to evoke thematic resonance. A well-placed image reveals character, mood, context, tone, and setting.
In class, we’ll explore how to draw on intuition and right-brain association to harvest images; we’ll also look at how to choose and shape those images. We’ll look at effective uses of imagery in published pieces, and everyone will have time in class to revise existing work and generate new material. Whether you’re looking to improve a work-in-progress or to start from scratch, this class will give you the tools to make imagery work for you.
Lindsey Crittenden is the author of an award-winning short-fiction collection, The View From Below, and a memoir, The Water Will Hold You (“exquisitely written,” Publishers’ Weekly starred review). Her short stories and essays have appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, Best American Spiritual Writing, Glimmer Train, Cimarron Review, and other publications. She has taught writing for 30 years.
“Me Myself and I: Understanding Memoir" is a two-hour interactive Zoom seminar for those who want to better understand the genre of memoir, the craft elements required to write it well, and the red flags inherent in writing about real humans. In this course we will: Explore the tensions inherent in being author, narrator, and subject all at once; Unpack the subjectivity of truth; Commit to treat all characters fairly; Learn to report from the body; Realize why writing the story you can’t bear to share is your gateway; and Examine your obligations to the others about whom you will be writing.
Outcomes:
1. Heightened understanding of the genre - both what it is and what it isn't
2. Deep understanding of craft tools that will yield better memoir
3. Greater confidence that you know the red flags and can assess whether and how to proceed
TUESDAY, June 23rd | Use Scrivener but feel like you could be getting more out of the software? This two-hour workshop covers the basics: index cards, labels, and formatting settings as well as lesser-known tools like bookmarks, keywords, and character templates. I’ll cover tools for every phase of the writing process: generative, revision, and submission. Most importantly, I’ll tailor the tools to your specific writing project. Learn how Scrivener can help you take your manuscript to the next level!
Familiarity with Scrivener is strongly suggested.
What if you didn’t have to know what the poem was about before you began?
In this generative poetry class, we’ll focus on writing into the unknown and letting the poem take shape through image, rhythm, and attention. Instead of trying to explain or control the work too early, we’ll stay close to what is happening on the page and follow it.
Each session will include short readings, guided prompts, and time to write. We’ll pay attention to how poems begin, how they move, and where they shift. We’ll work with repetition, silence, line, and pressure to see how a poem can hold meaning without needing to spell everything out.
This is not a critique-heavy workshop. Sharing is optional. The focus is on generating new work and building a practice you can return to.
Outcomes
• Write new poems and drafts each week
• Learn ways to begin without getting stuck
• Build momentum and consistency in your writing
• Develop a stronger sense of image, line, and movement
• Gain tools to stay with a poem without overexplaining
Sabina Khan-Ibarra is a Pashtun American writer based in Northern California. Her work has appeared in Anomaly Literary, SWWIM, and Rising Phoenix, and she has been recognized with fellowships from the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing and the Brainard Fellowship. She is Director of Rooted & Written at The Writers Grotto, a tuition-free writing fellowship supporting emerging writers. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and is currently working on a poetry collection and a novel.
What if form isn’t restrictive, but liberating?
In this four-week poetry class, we’ll explore how formal constraints can actually make poems stronger by forcing precision, distillation, and attention to language. Through forms like the pantoum, sonnet, tanka, and ghazal, we’ll study how repetition, brevity, turn, and refrain create emotional pressure, movement, and surprise.
Each week, we’ll read contemporary and classic poems, paying close attention to how form shapes meaning. We’ll then move into short, generative exercises and prompts that allow you to experiment with these forms in your own voice. This is not about perfection or strict adherence, but about discovering what form can unlock in your writing.
This class is generative, with optional sharing and light feedback. Writers of all levels are welcome.
Outcomes
By the end of this class, students will:
• Gain familiarity with four poetic forms: pantoum, sonnet, tanka, and ghazal
• Understand how constraint can create tension, clarity, and emotional depth
• Write new draft poems each week using formal strategies
• Develop stronger attention to line, repetition, image, and compression
• Leave with multiple new pieces and tools for continued revision
Sabina Khan-Ibarra is a Pashtun American poet, writer, and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is Director of Rooted & Written at The Writers Grotto, a tuition-free fellowship supporting writers of color. She teaches at The Writers Groto, Litquake's Elder Project and San Diego Writers Ink. Her work explores language, memory, displacement, and the complexities of being “othered” in America, and has appeared in journals such as Anomaly Literary, Rising Phoenix, and iO Literary. She teaches generative, craft-focused classes that center image, compression, and emotional resonance, helping writers deepen their voice and sharpen their work.
“Me Myself and I: Understanding Memoir" is a two-hour interactive Zoom seminar for those who want to better understand the genre of memoir, the craft elements required to write it well, and the red flags inherent in writing about real humans. In this course we will: Explore the tensions inherent in being author, narrator, and subject all at once; Unpack the subjectivity of truth; Commit to treat all characters fairly; Learn to report from the body; Realize why writing the story you can’t bear to share is your gateway; and Examine your obligations to the others about whom you will be writing.
Outcomes:
1. Heightened understanding of the genre - both what it is and what it isn't
2. Deep understanding of craft tools that will yield better memoir
3. Greater confidence that you know the red flags and can assess whether and how to proceed
TUESDAYS, July 14th - Aug. 4th | Have you been sending good work out to literary journals and contests and racking up nothing but rejections? Your submissions strategy and materials presentation–rather than your work–may be the reason why you're ending up in the rejection pile.
In this month-long workshop, learn how to locate a breadth of suitable markets for your work and incorporate practical tips on formatting submissions that demonstrate polish and serious intent. We'll go beyond journals and consider opportunities such as magazines, call for papers (CFP) lists, and writing contests. This workshop is geared for short story, creative nonfiction, and poetry writers. Novelists who are interested in publishing manuscript excerpts are also welcome.
Join us for the Writers Grotto's Literary Salon.
Food & drink provided.
What makes prose feel alive?
In this four-week class, we’ll focus on writing prose that is vivid, precise, and emotionally resonant. Rather than relying on explanation, we’ll explore how image, detail, voice, and structure can carry meaning.
This class is especially suited for writers who want to move away from over-explaining and toward more powerful, image-driven writing. We’ll look at short fiction and creative nonfiction that uses compression, silence, and strong sensory detail to create impact.
Each week, we’ll study a different craft focus:
• image over explanation
• sentence as movement
• compression and cutting
• voice and emotional restraint
Through close reading, short exercises, and generative prompts, you’ll produce new work and begin to see how to shape prose that feels immediate and necessary.
This is a generative class with optional sharing and light feedback. Writers of fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid forms are all welcome.
⸻
Outcomes
By the end of this class, students will:
• Write new prose pieces each week
• Learn how to replace abstraction with image
• Develop stronger, more intentional sentences
• Practice compression and cutting for clarity and impact
• Build confidence in voice-driven, image-based storytelling
• Leave with multiple drafts that can be revised or expanded
Sabina Khan-Ibarra is a Pashtun American poet, writer, and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is Director of Rooted & Written at The Writers Grotto, a tuition-free fellowship supporting writers of color. She teaches at The Writers Grotto, Litquake’s Elder Project, and San Diego Writers Ink. Her work explores language, memory, displacement, and the complexities of being “othered” in America, and has appeared in journals such as Anomaly Literary, Rising Phoenix, and iO Literary. She teaches generative, craft-focused classes that center image, compression, and emotional resonance, helping writers deepen their voice and sharpen their work.
“Me Myself and I: Understanding Memoir" is a two-hour interactive Zoom seminar for those who want to better understand the genre of memoir, the craft elements required to write it well, and the red flags inherent in writing about real humans. In this course we will: Explore the tensions inherent in being author, narrator, and subject all at once; Unpack the subjectivity of truth; Commit to treat all characters fairly; Learn to report from the body; Realize why writing the story you can’t bear to share is your gateway; and Examine your obligations to the others about whom you will be writing.
Outcomes:
1. Heightened understanding of the genre - both what it is and what it isn't
2. Deep understanding of craft tools that will yield better memoir
3. Greater confidence that you know the red flags and can assess whether and how to proceed
Join us for the Writers Grotto's Literary Salon.
Food & drink provided.
TUESDAYs, Sept. 8th - Nov. 10th* | Ever wonder how your favorite films seem to connect the perfect image with the perfect words? In Visuals in Screenwriting, we'll explore the connection between what's on the screen and what's on the page in classic screenplays, and through writing exercises. We'll discuss how screenwriters form meaning on the page through the use of images and objects. By the end of this course, you'll understand the interplay between a screenwriter's choice of imagery and their choice of words, allowing you to unlock the potential in your own screenplay in-progress!
This course will be a hybrid seminar/workshop where students will read parts of screenplays (TBD) from the films we love, analyzing them for the screenwriter's use imagery, objects, and visual cues, and also generate scenes based on writing exercises and writing prompts. Lastly, there will be a workshop element to the course, where students will be able to workshop a portion of their screenplay in-progress.
*No class on Sept. 29th & Oct. 27th
Sam Moussavi is a writer and educator who's lived in California for the better part of the past 20 years. After completing an MFA in Long Fiction at the University of San Francisco in 2014, Sam published two series of YA novels for EPIC Press (2015-2018) as well as written several screenplays, with one, "Golden State: Pilot", placing fourth in the ScreenCraft Screenwriting Contest in 2024. One title of Sam’s YA titles, Texas Fridays: Dallas, won the South Dakota Teen Choice Book Awards (Drama) in 2018. In addition, Sam is a professor of English Literature and Criminology at CCSF, San Francisco State University, and Sonoma State University, respectively. In addition to teaching and writing, Sam’s writing primarily concerns the connection between California's past and present.
THURSDAYS, Sept. 10th - Nov. 12th* | Micro-Tensions in the Novel: Ever wonder how your favorite writers create and sustain conflict throughout an entire novel? Well this course is for you. In Micro-Tensions in the Novel, we'll explore how writers create moments of tension-moments big, small, and everything in between-and how writers sustain that tension, chapter by chapter, page by page. By the end of this course, you'll understand how writers manipulate these inflection points of tension, and be ready to ramp up the conflict in your own writing!
This course will be a hybrid seminar/workshop where students will read pieces of literature (TBD), analyzing them the author's use of micro-tensions, and also generate content based on writing exercises and writing prompts. Lastly, there will be a workshop element to the course, where students will be able to workshop a portion of their novel-in progress.
*No class on Oct. 1st & 29th
Sam Moussavi is a writer and educator who's lived in California for the better part of the past 20 years. After completing an MFA in Long Fiction at the University of San Francisco in 2014, Sam published two series of YA novels for EPIC Press (2015-2018) as well as written several screenplays, with one, "Golden State: Pilot", placing fourth in the ScreenCraft Screenwriting Contest in 2024. One title of Sam’s YA titles, Texas Fridays: Dallas, won the South Dakota Teen Choice Book Awards (Drama) in 2018. In addition, Sam is a professor of English Literature and Criminology at CCSF, San Francisco State University, and Sonoma State University, respectively. In addition to teaching and writing, Sam’s writing primarily concerns the connection between California's past and present.
Join us for the Writers Grotto's Literary Salon.
Food & drink provided.
Join us for the Writers Grotto's Literary Salon.
Food & drink provided.
Members of The Writers Grotto are invited to meet committee reps and explore volunteering opportunities to deepen their engagement with the orgnaization. We'll have pizza!
An Afternoon with Laura Dave, in conversation with Pia Chatterjee
Saturday April 25, 2026. Noon to 1:30 PM PT
Telegraph Hill Books, 1501 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
Litquake, the Writers Grotto, and Telegraph Hill Arts and Literature present an afternoon with Laura Dave, in conversation with Grotto Member Pia Chatterjee to celebrate her newest book, The First Time I Saw Him.
Laura Dave captured readers’ hearts and set their pulses racing with her #1 New York Times bestseller The Last Thing He Told Me, a novel that heralded Dave as the queen of “genuinely moving” (The New York Times) suspense featuring characters with whom readers can't help but fall in love. In The First Time I Saw Him readers learn what happens to Hannah Hall and her stepdaughter, Bailey.
About the Book:
The riveting and deeply moving sequel picks up right where The Last Thing He Told Me ends —with Hannah catching a glimpse of her missing husband, Owen— propelling readers back into a thrilling drama. As Hannah and Bailey uncover why Owen has reappeared, they are forced to go on the run in a relentless race to keep their past from catching up to them. Hannah risks everything to get Bailey to safety—and to find the one way back to Owen and their long-awaited second chance.
A gripping, fast paced, and emotionally resonant novel about the power of forgiveness, THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM is an exhilarating sequel to Dave’s global blockbuster that provides readers the answers and reunions that they’ve been eagerly awaiting.
About Laura Dave:
Laura Dave is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including The Last Thing He Told Me and its sequel, The First Time I Saw Him, which was recently released by Scribner. Laura's novels have sold more than six million copies and have been translated into over twenty languages. The Last Thing He Told Me is now a series on Apple TV+, and two of her other novels are set to be feature films at Netflix. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their son.
About Pia Chatterjee:
Pia Chatterjee is a writer, essayist and a board member of the San Francisco Writers Grotto. Pia's upmarket suspense, All the Happy Families, is a semifinalist for Avid Reader Press 2025 Books Like Us contest. She has won the Ledge prize for fiction and was a finalist for the BreadLoaf-Rona Jaffe Foundation award. Pia's work has appeared in Zyzzyva, CNN, San Francisco Chronicle, 7X7, Hyphen Magazine, and others. Pia, who has a B.A. from Oxford University and an MFA from UC Riverside, lives in San Francisco with her husband and son.
An in-depth editorial review for poets ready to elevate a small body of work. Submit up to four poems (seven pages total) and receive annotated feedback before a 30-minute discussion focused on craft, image cohesion, and sequencing. We’ll talk through how each poem functions individually (imagery, language, craft, etc) and as part of a packet, thematic threads. You’ll leave with a revision plan and submission strategy tailored to your goals. Flat fee: $50. Feedback provided prior to the session. 30-minute consultation via Zoom.
Sabina Khan-Ibarra is a Pashtun-American Muslim writer and poet based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She co-directs Rooted & Written at The Writers Grotto and leads writing initiatives for BIPOC writers. Her work has appears in SWWIM, Rising Pheonix, Taboos & Transgressions, and others. A semifinalist for the Philip Levine Prize and University of Wisconsin's poetry contest, she teaches at LitQuake and The Writers Grotto. She's currently working on a poetry collection, A New Vocabulary, and a novel, The Poppy Flower.
A short, high-impact consultation for poets who want specific feedback on a single piece.Send one poem (up to two pages) and receive detailed notes prior to a 15-minute meeting. We’ll focus on imagery, sound, emotional center, and revision strategy—clarifying what’s working and where to cut or expand. You’ll leave with actionable next steps, not abstract notes. erfect for poets of all levels. Flat fee: $25. Feedback provided in advance. Session via Zoom.
Sabina Khan-Ibarra is a Pashtun-American Muslim writer and poet based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She co-directs Rooted & Written at The Writers Grotto and leads writing initiatives for BIPOC writers. Her work has appears in SWWIM, Rising Pheonix, Taboos & Transgressions, and others. A semifinalist for the Philip Levine Prize and University of Wisconsin's poetry contest, she teaches at LitQuake and The Writers Grotto. She's currently working on a poetry collection, A New Vocabulary, and a novel, The Poppy Flower.
Editing on consultation on nonfiction book manuscripts.
A dramaturgical script consultant can function in several ways. Depending on the project we function as a literary, historical, or artistic advisor as you are developing your script for the stage or screen.
Consultations can look multiple ways. For example, perhaps you just need 1-2 script meetings to discuss story evolution, character development or consistency in theme. Or perhaps you need someone to comment on what is working, what feels like it is missing, and a list of questions to support development. Or perhaps you want 4 -6 session of coaching, homework, and suggestions for how to strengthen, tighten, clarify in the service of moving your script forward.
Consultation fees are developed in conversation about the project (bespoke), and begin around 150.00- 200.00 an hour.
Doug Henderson offers two levels of developmental editing:
Full Developmental Edit for $12/page. This level provides writers with a comprehensive road map that will help them hone their manuscripts for publication. This includes:
-An initial conversation about the project (via Zoom).
-Extensive page notes, including editing suggestions, margin comments and questions.
-A thorough editorial letter discussing craft and structure elements — such as theme, tension, narrative and character arcs — as well as thoughtful suggestions to strengthen your story.
-A second conversation to discuss next steps.
Read-Through Evaluation for $8/page. This level is good for writers who want broader feedback, including new writers who want early advice, or more experienced writers who seek general input, but don’t need or want detailed editing. This includes:
-An initial conversation about the project.
-Light page notes.
-A thorough editorial letter discussing craft and structure elements — such as theme, tension, narrative and character arcs — as well as thoughtful suggestions to strengthen your story.
-A second conversation to discuss next steps.
Let’s chat about how your ideas fit into a basic story structure that will lead to an engaging narrative. Send me up to 2000 words of idea or story summary prior to meeting consult. Session will take place via Zoom.
Polish your writing with Carly Stern, an award-winning independent journalist. Carly offers one-on-one consultations on all forms of narrative non-fiction, with an emphasis on writing about the self. Her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, the Guardian US and The Washington Post.
Initial bespoke services consultation to determine the fee. Polish your prose with New York Times best-selling author Julia Scheeres.
Initial bespoke services consultation to determine the fee.
Are you struggling to finalize a piece of science writing, whether it's an academic manuscript, article, or marketing blog? Need editorial help to make sure your message is clear and concise without losing accuracy? Jenny can help you improve your scientific content, using her unique combination of scientific and creative expertise.
Jenny Qi has a PhD in Cancer Biology from UC San Francisco and over a decade of experience in science communication spanning a range of industries, including biopharma, tech, and journalism.
This listing is for a 20-minute consultation to determine the scope of the project.
As an award-winning journalist, author, and consultant with decades of experience, I offer expert editorial consulting services at competitive rates. I write reports, policy briefs, articles, op-eds, blogs, and other materials for major national institutions and individual clients. As a veteran reporter, I also help writers develop and tell their stories for articles and book projects. First, we discuss your project and needs and how I can meet them, then I provide you with an estimate and we move forward with a simple straightforward contract. I look forward to talking with you, learning more about your project, and working together. Estimates are based on $100/hour fee. You can check out my work at www.christopherdcook.com.
Industry veteran writer-director-producer provides consulting for documentary and narrative film projects of any length and at any stage, from concept to pitch deck to rough cut to screenplay draft. Production services also available through Bay Area-based The Unscripted Company.
We will build your fictional work in a collaborative process for as long as it takes to create a whole and satisfying story. Thaisa Frank, a Pushcart Fellow, has published a novel and three collection of short stories. Her original approach, developed through teaching, addresses fiction from all cultures.
Initial bespoke services consultation to determine the fee. Laird Harrison, author of the novel Fallen Lake, provides editing and consultation services on all aspects of novel writing.
Initial bespoke services consultation to determine the fee. Laird Harrison will work with you one-on-one to improve your written communication. Laird has experience with both creative and business writing and can assist with all levels of writing.
Full-length poetry collections (45-80 pages in length).
Individual Poems up to 2 pages in length.
Folios consultation, up to 7 pages in length, with no more than 5 poems.
Chapbooks consultation (16-40 pages in length).
Got an idea for a children’s book? As the brilliant Madeleine L'Engle said, "You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grownups, then you write it for children.” In this 30-minute private Zoom consult, Lisa will give feedback on your idea to help you realize your vision and elevate your story to reach multiple audiences in today’s market. And if you don’t know what “multiple audiences” means in the kid-lit genre, that’s okay; she will tell you! Lisa’s YA crossover novel JUST LIKE BEAUTY was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and is in pre-production as a movie. She has decades of experience writing children’s books for major publishers and regularly teaches workshops to kids and adults who want to write for kids. In her free time, she enjoys petting rabbits and eating cake. Curious cats can find out more at www.lisalerner.com
In this three-session package of Creativity Hypnosis, experienced hypnotherapist and writing coach Jenny Bitner will help you delve into the depths of your subconscious mind to awaken your imagination and overcome creative blocks. This can be customized to deal with whatever issues around writing you are experiencing. Start this journey today!
Unleash your writing potential with Jenny Bitner. As a trained hypnotherapist, coach, and writing teacher, she'll help you overcome fear and tap into your creativity. Experience a transformative hypnotic session to release barriers and claim your full potential as a writer. Take the first step today.
Initial bespoke services consultation by email to determine the fee. Katia will draw on her expertise as an award-winning longform journalist to provide written feedback on magazine pitches. Katia has written for The New Yorker, Forbes, Mother Jones, Marie Claire, The Atavist Magazine and many other publications.
Initial bespoke services consultation to determine the fee. Maw is a writing coach and editor for poets. Maw has many years of experience as an educator, author, and editor. She teaches in the MFA Program at the University of San Francisco and is the inaugural poet laureate of El Cerrito, CA. You can learn more about her at mawsheinwin.com.