As a book coach, Heather constantly sees writers make predictable (and 100% avoidable) mistakes. And, sadly, these mistakes often prevent writers from creating publishable manuscripts. They wind up with a novel that lacks depth, clarity, and oomph. They write 300 or 500 pages—and waste years of their lives—creating a manuscript that goes nowhere.
In Heather’s experience, writers have one or more of these core issues in their manuscripts:
They’re not clear on the point they are trying to make with their novel.
They forget to create a character arc for their protagonist (and tie it to the plot).
They lack a clear cause-and-effect trajectory in their novel.
Their characters don’t make meaning of the situations that arise throughout the novel.
These problems generally result in 1) negative feedback from beta readers/editors/publishing houses, and 2) a subsequent fortune spent on developmental editing. All the while, many writers still don’t understand what they did wrong or how to fix the problem before it wrecks their next novel.
This often prevents great stories from ever finding their way into the world. Heather’s signature Build-A-Book Method breaks writing/editing down into simple, actionable steps that will ensure writers build a solid foundation for their novels.
Why? So writers will confidently finish their work and readers will remember, rave about, and recommend their novels.
The Mini Build-A-Book Workshop includes the following 5 topics (with workbooks):
How to find the point of your novel.
How to work backwards from story idea to protagonist character arc.
How to master the simple elements of an engaging character arc.
How to create a flexible blueprint for your novel that ensures a cause-and-effect trajectory in your plot.
How to understand and master the age-old “show don’t tell” story writing advice. (Hint: it’s not what you think!)