Writing Confidant

I'm Vincent, and I help busy professionals finish writing their novel, discreetly and on their own terms.

No one else needs to know

No one else needs to know you're getting help on your writing. Your colleagues at the firm don't need to know you're writing a sci-fi thriller. The hospital doesn't need to know about the mystery novel. Other writers you know don't need to know you have a confidant for brainstorming and accountability. Your teacher friends don't need to know you're writing a romance novel.

Your name, profession, and story material stay confidential, and that continues even when our work together ends.

You can work with me under a pen name. I will see your billing name when you pay, and it goes no further.

There will be no public testimonials without your consent.

If you use AI

I work with writers who use AI to any degree, from research and outlining to fully generated drafts.

I can help you get more from your tools: researching, outlining, finding plot holes and loose ends, and making the text sound like you. I can also help you differentiate between AI-generated from AI-assisted text under Amazon KDP's definitions.

If the material you send are AI-generated, tell me. AI has its own writing habits, and knowing how your work was written lets me separate those from your style and give you more accurate feedback.

How I use AI

I use AI tools in my own work. They check your material against my story framework and report what they find. They never write or rewrite your text.

It's like a blood sample report; the lab only reports on what's in the blood, they do not change the blood.

I read your material myself, and together with the report from my AI tools, I make judgement calls and recommendations.

Your material is processed by Anthropic's Claude and Mistral's Vibe under settings that exclude it from model training. Your material is deleted when we finish, or on request.

If you're aiming for traditional publishing

Agents, publishers and some editors have strict AI policies. Read their terms. I will tell you exactly how AI was used on my side so you can answer honestly.

If you would prefer I work without AI tools, say so. Understand that your work can still be cast under suspicion of AI use, even if I state that I didn't use AI while working with you. If you do not want to take the chance of such suspicion, I suggest you look for another person to help you.

With a plan, you work towards a visible goal. With no plan, you leave your story up to Fate.

I have an applied mathematics degree, and I've worked in the software development industry for over twenty years (telecommunications, education, cybersecurity, AI). I think in systems and structure. I have self-published a novel and a corresponding audiobook for it.

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)

One does not simply walk into Mordor.

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.

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.

And we can always change the plan. As they say,

No plan survives first contact with the enemy.

Email-only communication

You do not have to think whether to schedule the limited number of Zoom calls to ask me questions. Because there are no Zoom calls. You do not have to figure out when in your calendar you're free, because there are no Zoom calls.

If you have questions, just email me. There is no limit to the number of emails you can send me. I respond within 48 hours, which is the real limit.

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 of that performance anxiety.

Email also forces you to think about what you are really asking. You're writing a story. Writing an email demands that you have clarity of thought, which translates into quality of writing in your story.

Attention on you and your story

I cannot guarantee success of any kind on your story, be it commercial success or whether your wife loves it.

But I will stay with you every step of the way till you write the last word of your story, if you allow me.

If you're working to publish it as a book, I will stay with you to guide you on book covers, self-publishing, or audiobook narration (human or AI).

You may only have a few scribbled notes or a paragraph that barely qualifies as an outline. You may have only come up with the story idea 5 days ago, or had been working on your story for 5 years. This may be the first story you are serious in bringing into existence, or you may have written several novels already.

Regardless, I bring the same level of care and attention to you and your story, from the level where you are.

No groups, no courses, no homework

You do not have to join any social media group, nor any chat server, nor any online community.

There are no courses/cohorts that start only at certain times of the year.

You will not be asked to do homework. You're an adult with adult responsibilities. A day job. A family. Hobbies. You do not need homework on top of that.

If you have questions, you email me directly.

Honest opinion and assessment

If a chapter is dull, I'll say so and give you 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 though the emperor couldn't see the "clothes", 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, saying 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?

Progress requires commitment

My criteria is that you're committed to making progress. Just like a fitness coach cannot force the client to do the exercises and follow the meal plan, I cannot force you to do the writing and follow the agreed plan. You still have to do the work.

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.

I will help you make progress on your story, in whatever form that progress means for you.

You own your story

I do not write your story. I can offer options on getting out of tight spots, brainstorm with you on story ideas, or even give sentence phrasing suggestions.

But your story is still your own. I help you find the words to bring it into existence.

If you're writing a story to work through grief and trauma, I can lend a sympathetic ear insofar as to help your story be what you want it to be. But I'm a writing coach, not a therapist.

Publication is optional

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 can put a lot of pressure on you.

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 skinny teenager 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.

Genres and taste

My specialty is in fantasy (traditional, urban, or otherwise) and science fiction, but I can help you with tight plots in mystery, fast pace in thrillers, or chilling moments in horror. I can also help in romance and romance-adjacent genres (such as romantasy), since the story structure follows predictable patterns (the "meet cute" and the "black moment"), but you're on your own with the steamy scenes.

I cannot help you with erotica or stories with gross violence. I do not know enough about those genres to be able to give constructive feedback.

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 opened myself to different cultures, food, history of those languages and of 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, 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 other ideas, and now your knight and the princess are having tea with the troll.

What you get

USD 3000 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 (if you want. We can drop this if you don't want added pressure.)
• Submission of written material every week. 10000 word limit per submission. No roll-over of limits, but it's your choice which day of the week is the submission day. If pure AI-generated text is submitted, let me know so I can give better feedback on your writing style rather than the AI's writing style.
• Unlimited email support, response within 48 hours (even on weekends).

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.

The process:

• You fill in the questionnaire.
• We come up with a simple writing plan you're comfortable with.
• I send the invoice, you pay, and THEN the 12-week starts.

If you do not like the writing plan, you can walk away. No payment needed. Keep the writing plan.

I only send the invoice on your agreement to the writing plan.

FAQ

Q: I only have an idea, or a draft that stalled years ago. Is that enough?
A: Yes, that's enough. If you want to see what you can do with your story without committing to a dedicated writing plan yet, you can let me have a Private Read on your story.

Q: Do I have to want to publish?
A: No, you don't have to publish. And if you change your mind later on, I can help you on decisions about book covers, making sense of editor and beta reader feedback, how to create an audiobook version (human or AI).

Q: Do I have to use AI?
A: No, you don't have to use AI.

Q: What actually happens in the 12 weeks?
A: We follow the writing plan we made together. You write what you can during the week, and then send me what you've written for feedback (up to 10000 words per week). If you have any questions (stuck at plot hole, brainstorm ideas, dialogue help), just send me an email. I respond within 48 hours, even on weekends.

Q: How much time do I need each week?
A: It depends on how fast you can write. A traditionally published sci-fi or fantasy novel is about 100000 to 120000 words. A romance novel is about 80000 words. Using 90000 words as a guide, if you write 5000 words per week, it will take you 18 weeks to finish your novel. A full-time experienced author can write at 1000 words or more per hour. Only you can know how many words you can write per week.

Q: What if work takes over for a fortnight?
A: Just let me know. We can pause for a week or two.

Q: Why are there no Zoom calls?
A: Everything you need to ask me face-to-face in real-time can be written in an email with sufficient time to think about your questions. And you won't have to wait for me to think up an answer, wasting the precious time. And I'm in Singapore, which means there's high likelihood of not finding a mutually compatible time. Email frees you to ask me questions when you first wake up, or during your lunch break, or after you put your children to bed. You can attend the family dinner and still send me a quick question on your story.

Q: Why are there no online classes, groups, or communities?
A: There are already many such online writing groups and communities. Do you want a group of strangers who are also learning to write themselves, critique your story? In public? Do you want your name and face known by other people? Here, you talk only with me. Since there are no video calls, I won't even know what you look like.

Q: Will you write or rewrite any of my story?
A: No. I can suggest rephrasings, but you're still the one who's writing.

Q: Will I finish in 12 weeks, and what happens after?
A: Realistically, no. A 90000 word novel, written at 5000 words per week, needs 18 weeks to finish. A full-time experienced author can realistically write at 1000 (or more) words per hour. That's 5 hours of writing time per week, and that's at top speed. If you're starting from the beginning, I can get you halfway. If you're working with an existing draft, I can help you get to the finishing line. If you're nearly done, I can help you finish up, and then with the post-draft editing.

Q: What if it isn't working for me?
A: I can only guarantee I help you make progress on your story, however that progress looks like for you. But you still have to do the work. To come up with the plot, to give your characters goals, to actually do the writing. A fitness coach cannot magically have their clients lose weight or gain six-pack abs. The clients still have to follow the meal plan and do the exercises.