What you get:
Detailed evaluation of your work by Birgitte Necessary, with focus on story structure, character analysis, scene structure, voice, theme, line edits, and any other aspect of writing that you specifically request.

What you give:
If you are in a workshop with other writers (recommended) you are required to offer a brief critique of their submissions. Don’t worry if you feel like you’re just learning, and would have nothing constructive to say. If you read fiction, you know what you like. You can speak to that aspect of anyone’s writing. “I like your character because….”

If we are working one-on-one, you give me your pledge that no matter how frustrated you get, (and you will get frustrated) you’ll never trash talk your own writing or story. (You can call your main character bad names though, if you want.) Oh, and I guess I have to take my own advice on that one. Sigh.

Rates:
Novels: $250 for 10,000-12,000 words submitted over a 10-week period, approximately 2,000 words every two weeks. Submitting less words (1,000 every week, for instance) is not as productive for either of us because I need a certain amount of material to get a feel for the  flow of your story.

Short Stories: $300 for no more than 10,000 words, (Shorts usually max out at 5,000-7,000 words, but I know you’ll have to write more to write less.) submitted over a 10-week period approximately 2,000 words every two weeks.

Short-Shorts: These are the hardest form of fiction to write. Every single word has to do double and triple duty to carry the story. Short shorties max out at about 1,000 words, but you will be writing a lot more before I slash them all down. (I mean before I edit them). I charge an upfront fee of $100, (for the first 1000 words submitted) and then $25 for every additional 500 words. The timeline for short shorties can vary, and I’m not strict about the every 2 week submission rule like I am above.

If you are under deadline, let me know and we can negotiate an alternate schedule.

If you consistently go over the maximum number of words, or need to structure special or additional critiques, we can incorporate fees from the ala carte menu.

A la Carte Rates:
Per page rate: $10 (includes line editing)
Per hour rate: $50 (for phone consultations regarding plot, story structure, brainstorming, character analysis, story marketing.

**Note: All work MUST be submitted according to industry submission standards. That means 12 pt font (Times New Roman only), double spaced (no extra returns between paragraphs), first line of each paragraph indented, 1” margins all around. If you submit work in any other format, I will not read it until it is in compliance with these industry standards. If your aim is to get published, you might as well learn proper submission formatting.

Why hire me? Find out here.

Okay, I’m facing my fear of the blank page, and writing. Sort of. Rather, I’m outlining. It’s a prelim to writing. You know, planning to write. Planning is great. No actual writing need happen, which is perfect if you’re me and scared that your actual writing will read like so much steamy crap on a summer day.

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Can I call myself a writer if I’m not writing?

Stagnation. Writer’s block. Too much work. Too little money. Too many whiny kids. The transmission in the car falls out.

All of it keeps me from writing.

So, if I’m not writing, can I call myself a writer? For too many months this question has haunted me. Writing friends ask, “How’s your novel going?”

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After reading that title, you likely had some kind of answer. Most would probably reply with the genre they write. A fantasy writer, a fiction writer, an outliner, a pantser. When folks ask me that question, I say “I write fantasy for teens.”

But deep down, it’s more than that.
Earlier this year at the 2010 RWA Conference, I had an eye-opening experience. I sat in on a session about theme with English professor and literary critic Sarah Frantz, and romance author Suzanne Brockmann.

They utterly blew me away with their thoughts on theme (that’s a whole different post), but one thing that really resonated with me was when the author said she had a career theme.

A career theme? Whoa. What was that?

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When friends invited me (and hubby) boating on Apache Lake in Roosevelt, Arizona, my No. 1 goal was to kick back and relax. I certainly didn’t set out to write a scene for my novel.

But that’s not what Mother Nature had in mind.

And, let’s face it … a writer is always on the clock, right? Observing … watching … thinking … It’s not like you can turn the writerly instincts off.

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I’ve read almost a 100 books on how to write a novel the easy way. Or at least, they claim to give me all the steps I need to just “do it.”

Well, I’ve been “doing” for 5 years now and have gotten my fits all tangled up with my starts.

But I just had my 48^th birthday, and after drinking a second glass of REALLY expensive wine ($16.99 at Safeway) I remembered that at one time I’d made a promise to myself that for my 50^th birthday I was going to rent a motor home and drive across the U.S. signing copies of my first novel at all the Border’s and Barnes and Nobles I could find.

That novel would be the one I’m still working on.  Okay, confession time, this is the 3^rd novel I’ve started. The other two are in pieces, stuffed in the back of the kid’s backpack cabinet under stacks of crumbled construction paper and (I think) an old lunch box that I’m too scared to open.

So what is this post about?

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With apologies to Jimmy. If he needs me to deal with copyright stuff I will. Hey Jimmy, call me, babe!

Here we go!

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When I was 21, something quite amazing happened. But back then, I didn’t quite fashion myself as a novelist, so I didn’t even recognize it or understand what a miraculous gift I was throwing away.

I’m talking about conversation. When an old man in my apartment building shared with me, “You know … I was on the Titanic,” I nodded politely, talked about the weather and went along my way. I’m still kicking myself today for not trusting my instinct to turn back.

Because it’s those rare encounters – gifts, really – that the novelist should cling to: Other people’s stories are your ticket to great fiction. And more.

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I’ll be the first to admit that I had never even heard the term “Enneagram” when I started writing my novel. And I admit that when I queried a bookstore clerk about it, I stupidly asked if they had any books on anagrams (You know, words or phrases that can be created by rearranging the same group of letters. I knew that! Really, I didn’t mean to say anagram!).

The Enneagram Personality System is essentially a model for understanding the human personality. I learned about it when writing coach, Gloria Kempton, mentioned in one of her writing workshops that I attended. 

Gloria indicated that it could be a good tool for creating believable characters.

And she was right!

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Step right up!

No, I’m not talking about the carnival’s Skee Ball game. I’m talking about stepping right up and right out of your comfort zone when it comes to the assignments you take on as a freelance writer.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from nearly a decade of freelance writing, it’s that you don’t have to be an expert on every topic to which you’re assigned a brochure, newsletter or article.

I also learned that by letting go of that fear and insecurity, you just might land yourself some interesting and lucrative assignments. Here’s how:

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