Six months of online writing support

When you sign up for six months of online writing support, we become your personal writing mentor, someone who understands the technical and emotional challenges you are facing.

While working on a big project like a novel or a memoir, having someone to talk to about the inevitable questions and challenges can mean the difference between success and failure.

Sarah Armstrong mentored me with my first manuscript, Blood Mandala: a Biography of a Family. She is a sensitive and insightful reader, bringing great clarity of thought to the complex task of beginning work on the next draft. With Sarah’s help I got the manuscript to a standard with which I was happy, and when I completed my next manuscript, Darkness on the Edge of Town [Harper Collins], she was my first port of call. I have always respected Sarah’s honesty, her ability to see the big picture, and her willingness to support me in finding a writing path which is truly my own. Jessie Cole

How does it work?

Email us your ideas for your project and what you hope to achieve over the six months. We’ll then have a one-hour chat – either by phone, Skype or in person – to talk about your goals and how we can help you achieve them. Together we will work out what kind of feedback and writing support will be most useful to you.

Perhaps you want to start by sorting out the structure of your piece. Perhaps you know the plot is not yet working and you want to try out a few possible approaches. Perhaps you have just started and you simply want someone to travel alongside you as you write your manuscript, someone who will ask the kinds of questions that prompt you to dig deeper into more interesting territory. Perhaps you want someone to offer feedback on issues such as character, point of view, voice and structure.

You will send us 2000 words of your writing each week (or if you like, a bigger chunk less often) and we will send you feedback.

Alan’s mentoring skills have given me the confidence to be creative and trust my own writing process… as well as offering insight into potential links and themes emerging in my work…. The weekly discipline is a challenge … but also a framework to help get the words out. Pauline Turnbull

A writer is someone who writes, yeah? I used to write just on Fridays. It was scary. Now after six months online with Al, I write even when I’m asleep. Seriously. Al’s been holding my hand, and I hang out for Wednesdays when he emails his feedback. I think I’m addicted to his enthusiasm, encouragement, and empathy. I’ve almost finished the second draft of my memoir. Jenni Savigny

At the end of the mentorship we’ll debrief about what you’ve achieved over our time together and discuss where you hope to take the project. If you need to pause the process during the six months, we’ll resume when you’re ready and adjust the finish date accordingly.

A conversation about writing

Our weekly email interaction is also a chance to discuss the kind of questions most writers face when working on a big project: How soon should I work on the structure of my piece? What do I want the reader to come away with? Is my narrator reliable? Is this the right voice for my piece? How can I focus the piece?

Thanks so much Alan! Your feedback has given me the confidence to go on. I really enjoyed the past 8 weeks. I loved inventing new scenes and characters … and find myself wanting to know what will happen [next]!! Jennifer Morton