Fiction Coaching

Every work of literature has both a situation and a story. The situation is the context or circumstances, sometimes the plot; the story is the emotional experience that preoccupies the writer: the insight, the wisdom, the thing one has come to say.

—Vivian Gornick

Gornick perfectly sums up my approach to fiction writing. Whether you’re working on a short story or a novel, we’ll first determine the situation and the story. Then we’ll work hard to nail the nuts and bolts of the story before you write your first or next draft.

I also love to take a finished novel and help the writer fine tune the story. For many writers, the actual writing isn't the problem. They can write elegant sentences and perfect paragraphs. But they get stuck because their story has problems. One of my favorite jobs is to untangle story knots and get the writer back on track. I also love to pitch new ideas to inspire the writer to keep going!

For links to my published short stories, please go to my Published Work page.

If you’d like more info about working with me, please fill out the form below.