This programme is for writers who want to write their first full, coherent novel and take responsibility for finishing it – with expert support, but without being placed in a classroom-style programme or left to work things out in isolation.

By that, I mean:

• You’re not following a fixed syllabus or being measured against a pre-set standard.
• Nor are you expected to make every decision alone, without feedback, perspective or reassurance.

Instead, the work is collaborative and focused. You stay in charge of the novel, while having someone alongside you to help you think clearly, make sound decisions, and keep moving. It is like having an experienced second brain to share the cognitive load.

It is a good fit if you:

• have written before but haven’t completed a novel you feel confident calling finished.
• understand the basics of story, genre and character, and know that understanding them isn’t the same as applying them practically across a whole book.
• want to write a novel that readers can genuinely engage with, rather than solely as a private or experimental exercise.
• are willing to make decisions, learn by doing, and keep going through uncertainty.

This programme is not a good fit if you:

• want a course you can dip into casually or complete at your own pace.
• are looking for line-by-line editing of every page.
• want external validation to tell you when your book is ‘good enough’.
• are primarily seeking long-term, multi-project support or broader author career development, rather than focused help to complete one novel.

If you’re unsure whether this is the right programme for you, that uncertainty is often a natural part of the process. The key question is whether you want to be actively responsible for finishing a novel, with thoughtful, human support rather than a prescribed system.

The Storytellers Elite membership is designed for ongoing, community-based support. Writers there may be working on multiple projects at once, developing their craft across different forms and genres, and making progress on their writing as part of their longer-term author goals. It offers flexibility, continuity, and shared learning alongside regular input from me.

This programme is different in scope and focus. It is a one-to-one container designed to enable you to complete one specific novel from beginning to end. Rather than supporting several strands of work at once, everything in the programme is oriented toward helping you stay with a single project, make clear decisions, and see it through to completion.

Both routes involve real work and real progress: they simply support different ways of working. The membership suits writers whose attention is spread across multiple projects or ambitions. This programme suits writers who want to narrow their focus for a defined period and complete one novel with depth and intention.

Many writers who complete this programme will later find that the membership will suit them when their focus widens to future books and broader career questions.

If you’re deciding between the two, the key question is not commitment, but concentration: do you want flexible support across your writing life or focused support to complete one novel right now?

What they can’t do – by their nature – is respond to the specific novel you’re writing as it unfolds.

Writing a full-length novel isn’t a problem of missing information. Most writers who reach this stage already know the basics of structure, character and genre. What stops their progress is the accumulation of decisions: what this story needs next, what to prioritise, and what to ignore.

This programme exists for that moment.

Instead of asking you to absorb more material and apply it on your own, we work directly with your manuscript-in-progress. The focus is on judgement, prioritisation and forward movement: we identify what will make the biggest difference to your book right now.

That doesn’t replace courses. It complements them.

Writers may come to this programme having already learned a great deal about craft. What they’re missing isn’t knowledge, but a focused container, experienced perspective, and sustained support to carry one novel all the way to completion.

During the writing phase, I’ll read selected sections of your manuscript at key points. This typically means the opening chapters, pivotal scenes, and moments when major character decisions or plot turns take place. Focusing on these sections tends to reveal structural issues, character problems and pacing imbalances far more clearly than a continuous line-by-line read.

Once your draft is complete, your entire manuscript receives a full diagnostic read by an external professional. This looks at whether the manuscript works as a complete, coherent novel, covering structure, character roles, pacing, subplot integration, and overall clarity, and provides an objective assessment through fresh eyes.

You and I then work through that feedback together. I help you understand what matters most, how to prioritise the notes, and how to act on them decisively and confidently, rather than feeling overwhelmed or second-guessing every change.

If you’re looking for a service where someone edits every line of prose as you go, that kind of work sits outside the scope of this programme. This programme is designed to help you finish a novel, understand how it works, and revise it with confidence in your own judgement.

You’ll receive feedback that focuses on:

• the strength and clarity of your premise.
• how your main character’s journey is unfolding.
• whether your scenes are doing the right kind of work for the story.
• pacing, tension and momentum across the book.
• how your subplots and secondary characters support (or distract from) the main narrative.

This feedback is always tied to your specific story, not generic rules. We look at what you’re trying to do, what’s currently happening on the page, and what the most effective next decision is.

After the full diagnostic report, we shift our focus to prioritisation and action. I’ll help you identify the changes that will make the biggest difference, and avoid chasing every possible improvement at once.

Continuous line-by-line correction of prose can be valuable at the right stage, but in this programme the emphasis is on developing the judgement to revise your own work with confidence, on this novel and the next one.

If you fall behind or lose momentum, we use that moment productively. We look at what’s actually getting in the way and adjust the plan rather than pushing blindly forward.

If you need to pause for a short, agreed period, that’s possible. What matters is staying connected with the work and with me.

This isn’t an open-ended container. Wobbles don’t disqualify you, because they are normal. Disengaging without communication does.

If you’re willing to stay honest about where you are and keep returning to the work, the programme is designed to support you through uneven stretches as well as productive ones.

You’ll have worked through a full diagnostic report with me, so you understand where the manuscript is strong and where further revision would improve it. Finishing the book and understanding it in this way gives you a manuscript that feels solid and complete, rather than provisional or half-finished. Most importantly, it will feel yours.

At that point, you can decide what comes next. You might want to share it with first readers, revise it further, self-publish, or explore submitting it to agents or publishers.

Just as importantly, you leave knowing how you got there, with the confidence that finishing a novel is something you now know how to do.

It is likely to be a good fit if you want clarity, ownership and forward motion, particularly if you’re ready to commit to one book at a time in order to learn how to finish well.

Writers who will thrive in this programme tend to be motivated, curious and willing to stay with uncertainty long enough to work through it.

Most writers will need to commit to several regular, protected writing times each week, rather than long, uninterrupted stretches. The exact number of hours will vary, but consistency matters far more than volume.

What matters most is showing up regularly and staying engaged with the work. We’ll talk early on about what’s realistic for you and shape our expectations around that.

This isn’t a programme that asks you to put your life on hold. But it does ask you to take your writing seriously for a defined period. You will need to make space for it, protect it and treat it as a priority.