Plotting Through Backstory

Coming Soon

After I graduated with my master’s in English (creative writing emphasis), I dove headfirst into my writing, spending the bulk of my day with my current manuscript. In the afternoons, I’d switch gears to teach piano and guitar lessons or tutor K-12 students in writing and reading skills.

It took seven and a half years of working this way to sell my first book. Even with the advanced degree. The reason I was able to keep at it was primarily because I had some incredible financial support from my family.

Hahahahaha. That’s not the way it works. Even after you sell a book, you deal with every bit as much rejection. Snagging an agent can be every bit as hard. Which means a writer needs to go back to the drawing board. Get a fresh take on their work. Re-learn the things they thought they already knew. I certainly have. More than once.

Pre-publication, I was under the assumption that selling my first book would mean I was “in” the industry. Things would be different afterward.

Most writers do not have 20-plus years to figure things out. That’s where I come in.

I never would have made it myself without the luxury of time. As a story junkie, I want to use my experience to help other writers. No story should go untold because the writer’s getting lost in the weeds. Let me help you maintain your perspective, stay on track, and keep your sanity along the way.

I want to help writers get where they need to be—on bookstore shelves.

The first planned course explores plotting through backstory. I love this method of drafting, because it ensures a book isn’t just a page-turner full of action but emotionally satisfying as well.