Coaching & Editing Services
To help writers reach their goals at all stages of the writing process, Westport Writers’ Workshop instructors and editors are available for private, one-on-one manuscript consultations and/or coaching, by prior arrangement through the office. We offer a variety of services, ranging from hour-by-hour coaching to partial and full manuscript, and query letter critiques. Our rate for coaching and editing services is $130 per hour. The rate applies to the time the instructor spends reading, editing, preparing, and/or meeting with the writer. Fill out the form to the right so we can better assist in what you're looking for.
Coaching
Our coaching services are designed to help the writer feeling stuck in between projects, unsure about where to start, or who may simply need an hour or two to talk through issues with a current project. Writers who choose coaching may need developmental editing guidance served best by a thorough discussion of their work. The goal of our coaching services is to help writers reach their writing goals at any stage of the process from outlining to developing a plan, revising, and submitting.
Includes query letter evaluation and two hours of consultation with instructor of your choice.
Along with an opening sentence that grabs the agent’s attention, writer will be guided towards choosing comparison titles, pulling out the most marketable elements, and highlighting the right readership.
Critique
Manuscript Consultation
We offer personalized one-on-one manuscript consultations - from first chapters, to basic, partial and full manuscript reviews.
Whether you need to polish a completed manuscript for submission or are uncertain how to proceed at an earlier stage, instructors will review a portion of your manuscript and discuss with you how best to move forward. Feedback may be micro and/or macro as needed and may include line edits and an editorial letter that addresses the manuscript's strengths and weaknesses, including plot and character development, use of setting, repetition and basic grammar.
Work one-one-one with Libby Waterford, self-published author of over a dozen novels, novellas, and anthologies. You'll learn what steps to take toward self-publishing your project, from where to find editors and cover designers to how to upload your completed manuscript to retailers and distributors. Wherever you are on your self-publishing path, Libby can help you advance to the next stage.
Guidance
Work one-one-one with Jessica Grunenberg, our social media for writers expert.
You'll learn how to implement marketing strategies that will not only gain followers but create an engaging online community. We'll guide you in creating engaging digital content for all social media platforms, through Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Whether at an early stage of drafting or nearing completion, the way you structure your work can elevate both your creativity and professional presentation. Much more than conforming to standard manuscript format, you will learn how to use Scrivener to analyze your plot; structure scenes and chapters; develop character and setting profiles; use reference material and research; and the myriad of tricks and tools that will up-level your writing practice and WIP––making it absolutely submission ready.
Structuring with Scrivener
Paths to Publication
Paths to Publication includes a 60-minute Zoom call, plus detailed feedback on 10 manuscript pages and a query letter. Schedule a call with instructor and award-winning author Christine Pakkala to talk about how to get your project published. She will describe the process of searching for an agent, relay information about The Big Five publishers, independent publishers, hybrid publishers, on demand publishers, and self publishers, and help you craft a plan to get published.
College Essay Tutoring
The college essay can feel like a particularly daunting writing assignment. Students are told to be themselves but to edit carefully, to be quirky but thoughtful, to tell a story only they can tell and yet to sum up what are often very common experiences--learning from mistakes, growing up, and overcoming obstacles. Using prompts, free-writes, and sample essays, students will plan, draft, and revise personal statements or supplemental essays that are both authentic and clear.