Writing Confidant
Ongoing writing support for the time-starved professional who don't like online courses and homework, and hate Zoom calls even more.
The real problem
Every editor, publishing agent, and writer/author YouTuber out there assumes you're writing because you want to have a career in selling your books. This puts a lot of pressure on you, especially if you're a debut author.
The first book must be a resounding success or you're a failure.
What absolute nonsense. Which baker makes the perfect cake on their first try? Which pianist plays moving music the very first time their fingers touch piano keys? Which bodybuilder benchpresses 200 pounds the very first time they try lifting weights?
So why are you making yourself miserable with all the pressure?
Maybe you just want to write the one story that's been on your mind for the last 10 years. Yes, maybe you want other people to buy it and read it. Or, maybe it's just for you and your family to read.
Maybe your story doesn't want to be a 3 book epic saga. Maybe it just wants to be a 30000 word novella.
Publication is not the only end goal. But I can help you if you want that too.
"Don't write everyday, and you call yourself a writer? Pfft."
Do not let anyone tell you what you are or are not.
Maybe you can record a voice memo about some plot idea during lunch break.
Maybe you typed a cool dialogue exchange between your characters on your phone notes while waiting in a line at the grocery store.
Maybe you can only write for 15 minutes after you put your children to bed.
Maybe Saturday mornings are the only time you have for yourself.
It all counts.
TL;DR (too long, didn't read)
My only criteria is that you're committed to making progress. This could be:
- Writing 100 words per week (it sounds paltry, but if you haven't done anything for the past 5 years, then 100 words is a massive leap of progress).
- Sorting through your notes, coming up with an outline and plan that you can realistically follow, and write the first paragraph.
- Fixing a plot hole, and tying up loose ends.
For USD 1800, we will make progress on your story for 12 weeks, in whatever form that progress means for you.
Fill in a questionnaire to begin.
What's included
- I go through your story notes and give you an initial assessment. Not for commercial publication, but as it stands as a story. The notes could be a few ideas that still need fleshing out, an outline, or even a few written chapters.
- We work out a writing plan you can realistically follow.
- Flexible, realistic weekly word count targets (if you want it. Maybe you don't need the added pressure.). Not ideally you would be able to write 1000 words per week, but realistically you can only manage 100 words per week. There is no shame. Life happens. We work with your schedule.
- Every week, you can submit any written material for feedback. 20000 word limit per submission, but if you can write that much per week, why are you hiring me? If you're submitting pure AI-generated text, let me know so I can calibrate expectations.
- Unlimited email support, response within 48 hours. This means you don't have to consolidate questions just for a coaching call. If you have a question, just send me an email.
- I cannot help with erotica nor with extreme violence and gore. Romance and romance-adjacent genres (such as romantasy) are ok, but you're on your own with the steamy scenes.
You can always change focus at any time. Want to crank up the challenge to 3000 words per week? No problem. Drop the current story and work on a new one? Let's do this.
Fill in a questionnaire to begin
Why email-only? Why no Zoom coaching calls?
You are already feeling squeezed for time in your daily life. The reason you're here is because you still want to write your story despite all that. Do you really want to add the headache of scheduling yet another Zoom meeting on your calendar?
Email provides asynchronous support to you, on your time, working with your current life.
A Zoom call can also pressure you to try to squeeze all your questions into that one call. And it adds other pressures. Do you look ok? Do you sound ok? Email removes all that performance anxiety.
Email also forces you to think about what you are really asking. You're writing a story. Writing an email forces you to have clarity of thought, which translates into quality of writing in your story.
No homework, no lessons
Imagine taking a 3 month calculus course, just so you can learn how to find the derivative of the function f(x) = 2x. (The answer is 2, by the way).
If one of your characters doesn't work in the story, I help you clarify the problem and fix it. I don't make you wade through material on general character development. I give you just enough information so you can move on.
If a story arc is weak, I help you strengthen it. I don't dump story structure on you and let you figure it out. I tell you the Midpoint Cataclysm is weak, give you pointers on how to fix it, and let you come up with a suitable solution for discussion.
You're an adult with adult responsibilities. A day job. A family. You do not need homework on top of that.
Privacy and Discretion
No one else needs to know you're getting help on your writing. Your lawyer colleagues do not need to know you're writing a sci-fi thriller. Your fellow authors do not need to know you have me in confidence for brainstorming and accountability.
There will be no public testimonials without your consent.
Attention on your story
I cannot guarantee success of any kind on your story, be it commercial success or whether your wife loves it.
But I promise I will stay with you every step of the way till you write the last word of your story, if you let me.
If you're working to publish it as a book, I will stay with you to guide you on book covers, self-publishing, audiobook narration (human or AI).
Honest opinion and assessment
If a chapter is dull, I'll say so and give reasons.
There is a tale about an emperor who wanted the finest clothes, and two conmen gave him thin air, claiming the clothes were so fine they were ethereal. The emperor's advisors didn't want to offend the emperor, so they said the clothes look wonderful on the emperor. Even the emperor couldn't see the "clothes", but he didn't want to look stupid, so he pretended the "clothes" were exquisite.
When the emperor went on a public parade, a child in the crowd laughed at him, that the emperor wasn't wearing any clothes.
Editors, beta readers, and especially family members and friends can soften what they say about your story.
The question is, are you an emperor who wants to be validated, or an emperor who wants the truth?
Maths and software development background
I have an applied mathematics degree, and I've worked in the software development industry for over twenty years. I think in systems and structure.
You can't just start typing code and hope the software works as expected. (Well, with AI then sure. But you're not the one writing the code in that case)
This means we work together to come up with a plan for your writing schedule, an outline for your story, so you know what to do next.
One does not simply walk into Mordor.
If you're planning to go from Italy (land of pasta) to France (land of baguettes), then randomly picking a direction and hoping for the best is a plan. Not a very good one, but still a plan. You might end up in Greece (land of souvlaki). If you had planned to go to Greece, then that's a choice, not happenstance.
Does that mean you need a complete plan before starting? No.
We come up with the simplest of plans that is enough to get you started. A simple outline of Inciting Incident (what breaks your protagonist's normal life), Midpoint Cataclysm (what changes the shape of your story, AND/OR a change in your protagonist), and Final Impact (what does the end look like) is enough.
Tolerance and Open-mindedness
I live and grew up in multi-lingual, multi-racial, and multi-cultural Singapore. My native languages are English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. I have various fluency levels in Russian, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Greek, Swedish, and Polish. The point is not to brag about being a polyglot, but that in the course of learning those languages, I was open-minded to different cultures, food, history, and society in the languages and the countries.
Which means I'm tolerant of your culture and lifestyle, and whatever culture and lifestyle your characters are going through.
Adaptability to story changes
In the past, I had run tabletop role playing games as a game master.
There was once I had my players figure out how to get across the sea to reach an island. Instead of trying to hire a boat at the pier, or even steal a boat, they went wandering into an unexplored alley. I had to create a tavern on the spot called The Sleeping Mermaid. They went in, and to keep the game moving, I created two brothers who were also sailors. And my players hired them to get across the sea.
There was another time when I merged the prehistoric times and the modern world into a fantasy setting. My players escaped from dinosaurs to walk into an office building (I didn't say it was an office building). One of my players was a rogue, and he swiped something off an office desk. Then he asked me what he stole. I had to describe a hand-sized globe without saying it's a globe, saying it's a ball with blues and greens and whites, and attached to a half-circular metal with a metal base.
The point is, even if your story needs an abrupt change, I can help you navigate it.
Maybe in your bedtime story, your knight defeats the troll and continues to cross the bridge. But your 6-year-old daughter has different ideas, and now your knight and the princess are having tea with the troll.
A note on AI
I use AI-assisted tools as part of my work. The tools I use do not train on your material, nor do they rewrite your material. The tools follow my rules and logic based on my story framework.
It's like a blood sample report; the tools only report on what's in the blood, they do not change the blood.
Investment
USD 1800 for a 12-week engagement period. There is no auto-renewal, so you do not have to worry about forgotten subscription payments. If you would like to continue working with me, simply purchase another engagement period.
Here's what you get:
- Initial assessment of current story material (notes, outline, or a few chapters)
- A realistic writing plan for you
- Flexible, realistic weekly word count target
- Submission of written material every week. 20000 word limit per submission. If pure AI-generated, let me know so I can calibrate expectations.
- Unlimited email support, response within 48 hours.
You can change focus at any point. Change weekly targets. Work on a new story. You're in charge of what you want to achieve. I help you get there.
To work with me, start by filling out a short questionnaire to see if I'm the right person to help you.