A green image of arms and books has text on top of it reading "Plotting, Planning & Publishing: From Square One to 'The End' October 2022 sessions now enrolling!"
 

Maybe you’re a neophyte novelist. Maybe you’ve got five completed manuscripts gathering dust on your hard drive.

Maybe you wrote regularly but then got married, had babies, became one or more humans’ caregivers, took on a difficult or involved project at work, and/or had one of many other life experiences that make regular writing inaccessible. Maybe you know what you want your story to do, but those pesky words on the page JUST WON’T COOPERATE.

Jessica Hatch headshot. Credit: Toni Smailigic, 2021.

Plotting, Planning & Publishing is a four-part series for all these writers—namely, those stuck at or mystified by one or more parts of the writing process. Its aim is to clear the air, calm the room, and create lightbulb moments for things that previously seemed arcane (How do I write a query letter? How do I get my words to do what I want them to? What, in a novel, is the forest and what are the trees?).

Join professional editor Jessica Hatch as, across four 90-minute Zoom sessions, she draws on her experiences in New York trade publishing and the freelance sector to offer up humble but concise advice to make writing, well, simpler.

Attendees will get to ask questions and will receive related worksheets (yay, homework!) designed to challenge and amplify their writing and self-editing practice.

Interested in attending all four sessions? Bundle your enrollment for 25% off!

Prewriting for a Successful First Draft

October 5, 2022 @ 6:30 p.m.
$25

Find the story you were born to tell, then learn some dynamic research and prewriting strategies to help you tell that story.

  1. Create a successful outline for your book, one that raises the stakes and engages the reader effectively.

  2. Learn the difference between "plotting" and "pantsing."

  3. Use a three-step thought exercise to develop a compelling outline focused on three-dimensional storytelling.

  4. Plan a writing schedule that works for you.

Building a Productive Writing Practice

October 12, 2022 @ 6:30 p.m.
$25

Warm up your creative mind, and get tips for a writing practice you can be proud of.

  1. Add free writing to your regular writing practice.

  2. Explore scheduling and anti-distraction resources.

  3. Discover cures for the common writer’s block.

  4. Try out Jessica's Madlib Literary Device Challenge.

  5. Review three pages of US writers’ residency listings… plus, learn about budget-friendly alternatives to them!

Editorial Secrets to Make Your First Draft Shine

October 19, 2022 @ 6:30 p.m.
$25

Sometimes, it's hard to see the forest for the trees—especially if it's a forest you're really passionate about. This lesson is all about opening up that inner editing eye to take your completed manuscript from rough draft to polished prose.

  1. Learn which are the Top 5 editorial mistakes Jessica sees… and how to fix them.

  2. Keep your cool with management tools for your own revisionary to-do list.

  3. Download two editing checklists:

    • #1: Questions to Help Identify Problem Areas in Your Manuscript

    • #2: Your Individualized Plan of Attack for Revision

I’ve Written a Book… NOW WHAT?!

October 26, 2022 @ 6:30 p.m.
$25

Drawing on her experience in trade publishing and the freelance sector, Ms. Hatch will discuss traditional and self-publishing options for writers that have a draft ready to shop around.

  1. Brush up on your traditional and self-publishing options.

  2. Dissect the anatomy of a query letter.

  3. Travel down a traditional publishing timeline.

  4. Crunch the numbers with a sample budgeting worksheet for self-published authors.