Have you always wanted to write a novel, but just haven’t found the right time or motivation? Maybe you’ve tried before and found it too daunting or you’ve got so many ideas, you don’t know where to start. If this sounds like you, then I invite you to join me on February 18th, 2024, for a transformative journey where we’ll take your ideas and bring them to life.
I’m Here to Guide You Through the Process
Writing a novel can be a challenging task. It’s not just about stringing words together, it’s about creating a world, developing characters, and weaving a story that engages and captivates readers. It’s a craft that requires skill, patience, and a whole lot of creativity.
That’s where I come in. With years of experience in the world of fiction writing, I can guide you through the process of turning your ideas into a compelling novel. Whether you’re a first-time writer or a seasoned veteran looking for a fresh perspective, I’m here to provide the guidance, feedback, and support you need to bring your novel to life.
And…
Over the course of our journey together, we’ll explore the fundamentals of novel writing, from character development and plot structure to pacing and dialogue. You’ll learn how to craft a narrative that not only tells a story but also resonates with readers. By the end of our time together, you’ll have a solid foundation in the craft of novel writing and the confidence to take your work to the next level.
Ready to Join?
Are you ready to bring your novel to life? To join me on this exciting journey, all you need to do is book your spot via https://josephinemoon.com/write-a-novel-in-a-year/ Places are limited, so be sure to secure yours early. I can’t wait to see what stories we’ll bring to life together.
Lastly…
Writing a novel is a journey that requires passion, commitment and, importantly, guidance from an experienced author. Don’t put it off for another year! Let’s embark on this adventure together and make 2024 the year you write your novel. I look forward to meeting you and helping you achieve your writing dreams.
Fellow writers, for the first time, I’m offering 2-3 places for you to receive personalised attention on your manuscript and enjoy a three-night writing retreat in the quaint, peaceful town of Cooran on the Sunshine Coast, Qld.
(If this is the first time you’ve been to my site, you can find out about me here.)
Dates:Thursday 23 November to Sunday 26th November, 2023
What:Novels, children’s, memoirs and other non-fiction are all welcome to apply.
Cosy crime in the style of Phryne Fisher, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder or The Maid is welcome.
“Thank you so, very, much – it was lovely meeting you and thank you for being so gentle and positive with your feedback. I was incredibly trepidatious, and knowing that there is some merit in my attempt at long-form… Well I don’t think I can put into words just how much this means to me!”
A Full Manuscript appraisal client
What’s included?
A full manuscript appraisal (or up to 100,000 words). You will get your feedback prior to the retreat so that you have time to think about it before you get to retreat.
Three nights of accommodation (own room and queen sized bed for each participant), full kitchen facilities and two bathrooms (shared). The property has WiFi, fireplace, ceiling fans, all linen, fridge, microwave, dishwasher, stovetop, coffee and coffee maker.
Drinks and grazing platters on the first night of arrival. (Dietary requests are important, valued and lovingly provided.)
Airport transfers, if necessary. We can also help you get to the store for food supplies if needed.
Coffee… I will make sure there is plenty of coffee! Or tea or hot chocolate depending on your preference. Chocolate… you cannot write without it! I’ll make sure you have it.
Time with me for an individual consult/chat/brainstorm about the way forward for your manuscript, group sessions and facilitated writing/group time.
Special gifts from me to you.
Your notes have been brilliant, thanks again.
I look forward to being in your group and wonderful community.
A first three chapters client
Food
It’s a short drive to shops and cafes in Cooran and Pomona. Cooran has a really cute little general store, which might easily have enough to help you out over the three days, including artisanal bread, gluten free treats, meat, fruit, veg, pasta, Kenilworth cheese and more. If you don’t have a car, let me know and we’ll sort out a bit of shopping for you on the way in.
You’ll also find Hinterland restaurant and bar in Cooran.
Pomona Hotel and Pomona Distilling Co are in Pomona, as well as several cafes and an IGA.
Retreat Structure
Rest assured, you are in control of your time. Everything is optional. If you decide you want to hibernate for three days, that’s fine! Join in, or fly solo. This retreat is yours!
Thursday 23rd November. Travel to Cooran. Check in from 2pm. Settle in with drinks and grazing platters for dinner as we get to know each other and chat books and writing. (Check with me in if you need an airport transfer.)
Friday 24th November. Manuscript focus. Group chat plus individual brainstorming/consult/chats with me about your development plan for your manuscript.
Saturday 25th November. Free time in the morning. Writing sprints and live readings in the afternoon.
Sunday 26th November. Check out by 10am and back to the everyday world. (Check with me in if you need an airport transfer… I’ll do my best to help!)
Your place on retreat includes:
your opportunity to send me your whole manuscript (or at least 50% of it), whereupon I will read every single word of it and make loads of scrawly notes along the way (which I will then type up neatly for you)
my reading, preparing and reporting time
an emailed copy of my notes, feedback and suggestions
notes will include reflections on a variety of observations, such as character, story arc, plot, writing style, sub-plots, themes, word lengths, balance of chapters, points of view, tense, contradictions, logic issues, and any potential problems I might spot in regards to sensitive content, global trends or legalities**
a mountain of useful information to help you take the next right steps
complimentary digital assets and working resources, delivered to your inbox
lifetime membership* to my private coaching/mentoring/assessment email list, with exclusive content just for this group
FREE access to my e-course on how to find the time to write
lifetime invitation* to a quarterly Zoom call for all my students, where you can ask me anything, and also (if you want to) connect with other writers who might be writing similar stories to you. (Writing buddies are the best! You might find a new one here.)
GST, processing fees and printing costs
* “lifetime membership” and “lifetime invitation” means for the duration of the time that I am offering these services… which is hopefully many years **Please note that a manuscript assessment does not include editing services. Editing is an entirely different process. This means, I do not fix your words, sentences, paragraphs, typos, spelling, punctuation or grammar. (Having said that, it is highly likely I will pull out sections of text to demonstrate how you could improve your writing style and fluency.)
Thank you so much for yesterday and for sending these notes. Your suggestions and line notes are amazing. So much to think about and go through. I am especially impressed since I had the first fifty pages looked at by [an organisation] and your suggestions resonate so much better with me… I have a lot of work to do but am very grateful for your feedback.
First 50 pages client
Who is This For?
This retreat is for a writer who has a completed manuscript (at least a full first draft) and who is seeking feedback and is committed to embarking on another draft of development.
This retreat is for a writer:
who understands that drafting is a process that can go on for many drafts … and that it is absolutely normal (and necessary) to do so.
who realises that a book won’t (and shouldn’t) go to print before, likely, at least six rounds of drafting/editing has occurred (through the various levels of structural editing, copy editing and proofreading).
who understands that it is normal to sometimes have to delete an entire character (or family) from an early draft, or to have to strip and rewrite 10,000 words, or to go back and build in more subplot or take some out to let the rest breathe.
who sees feedback and drafting as the exciting bit because you know it’s bringing your book closer to reaching the outside world (even if it is daunting… that’s what coffee and chocolate are for!).
What:Novels, children’s, memoirs and other non-fiction are all welcome to apply.
Cosy crime in the style of Phryne Fisher, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder or The Maid is welcome.
Your Investment
$3,300 (all inclusive, from manuscript assessment to farewell at checkout/the airport).
If you and your project sounds like something I believe I can add value to, I will send you a booking sheet ASAP so we can get the ball(point pen) rolling.
Cooran is part of the Noosa hinterland. You will be perfectly placed to extend your stay on either side of retreat. The famous Eumundi Markets are on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Glorious Main Beach at Noosa Heads is a mere 40-minute drive from Cooran.
Lastly… Please Note these Physical Access Specifics
This is a rural property with uneven terrain surrounding the house. There are 10 steps that lead to the house entry. There is no disabled access in this home. I apologise for, well, the world, really… that everything is not created with disability access requirements in mind, especially since 1 in 5 people in Australia has a disability, and that disability is a normal variation of human beings. I will always try to find ways to work around the world’s shortcomings if possible. I hope this will change for future events.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with some developing writers of late and have subsequently updated my services menu to get writers the help they need.
Important updates:
I have reduced the price of The First Three Chapters package
The first 50 pages of your manuscript is a commonly requested amount to submit to a publisher, agent or literary competition. The set-up of a story is so important.
Your first chapter is important. Is it enough to keep people reading?
The first three chapters are maybe even more crucial. By the end of the first three chapters, you’ll either have hooked your reader or not. If it’s a literary VIP reading it, those first three chapters are the most you’ll get out of their attention before they give up.
And the first fifty pages? If the VIP has read all the way to that point, they’re interested. If the first fifty pages just keep on getting better, that’s gold. If the first fifty pages has them dying to know what will happen next, even better.
If you have been lucky enough to be invited to send the first 50 pages in, you don’t want to waste that shot.
your opportunity to send me the first 50 pages of the book you are working on AND a one-page synopsis, for specialised feedback
my reading, preparing and reporting time
a Zoom meeting (up to 60 mins) with me so that we can go through the feedback together
an emailed copy (after our online meeting) of my notes, feedback and suggestions**
a mountain of useful information to help you take the next right steps
complimentary digital assets and/or working resources, delivered to your inbox
lifetime membership* to my private coaching/mentoring/assessment email list, with exclusive content for that group
FREE access to my e-course on how to find the time to write
lifetime invitation* to a quarterly Zoom call for all my students, where you can ask me anything, and also (if you want to) connect with other writers who might be writing similar stories to you. (Writing buddies are the best! You might find one here.)
Following on from my last post here are even more reasons you might need a manuscript appraisal.
Oh… I Feel This!
I wrote 10 manuscripts in 12 years before I got a contract. During that time, I won short story competitions, I wrote freelance, I was shortlisted for two publishing awards, I had agents request my work and then reject it. I was scammed by dodgy publishers with dodgy contracts. I was scammed by writing competitions (that then publish your work and then sell the work back to you). My spreadsheet of rejections hit 100 (and then I deleted it in disgust). (Oh, and I had been working full time, part time, casually, in my own business, running a charity and while pregnant.) I had reached the end of my tether. It took just one final piece to get me over the line. For you, that final piece might be a manuscript assessment.
The pain!
Even published authors sometimes need manuscript assessments! I mentioned above that I once had to ditch 50,000 words of a novel. A novel that was on contract. With a deadline. I knew ‘something’ wasn’t right. This was going to be my fourth contracted novel, so it was surprising when I realised I was absolutely stuck. I paid for a manuscript assessment with my favourite editor, who I trust, completely. And like a really good editor, she didn’t tell me what to do. Instead, she asked questions and made astute observations and in reading her report I knew I had to abandon that manuscript. (There is a happy ending to this story, which I will share with you when we begin work together.)
Listen to That Voice
So you just read that bit above where I had to ditch 50,000 words, right? If I had listened to my inner voice, my gut feeling, just a little bit earlier, I might not have had to lose so much time, energy, and spinal integrity while sitting in a chair, working on something that was built on shifting sands.
This is why I’m here to help, with your manuscript, be it fiction, non-fiction, novel or memoir 🙂
(And let me tell you about that time I had to ditch 50,000 words of my novel….)
If you’re a beginning or emerging writer (or even an established one), you might be in need a manuscript assessment.
The very first memoir I wrote was shortlisted for a publishing award. Looking back, though, the manuscript didn’t have what it needed to get through a publisher at that time. But I didn’t know that then because I didn’t have enough experience yet; however, if I’d had a manuscript assessment, I think an astute assessor could have directed that manuscript into a publishable piece of work.
Then, while writing my fourth book (which was contracted and an advance had been paid), I got halfway through and realised I needed help. I paid for a manuscript assessment with a trusted editor and it shed so much light on the ways I had written myself into a corner. It was so valuable.
Here are a few of the reasons you might find yourself wondering if you need an assessment and why you might be right.
This is An Excellent Time to Get an Appraisal
Getting an appraisal earlier rather than later can save you from taking your story into directions that aren’t helpful. An appraisal can help show you where the gold is among the rubble, allowing you to ditch the rubble and let that treasure through. In our first drafts, we often can’t see the wood for the trees. We are ‘word blind’ to our own work because we’ve been staring at it for so long. We need fresh, expert eyes to see what’s really going on. (And that’s all of us… beginners or multiply published writers.)
If They’re Not ‘In The Arena’…
I’m sorry to say that they are unlikely to be able to give you what you need. Think of it this way. Your mum could probably do a fair bit of skilful first aid when you came off your bike, but if you had bones exposed and wounds of gravel, you needed a doctor! Family and friends can give amazing support. (They can also do the opposite. If so, we need to talk.) Usually, friends & family’s best support is spent in practical ways (… childcare, cash, coffee, study time, a room of one’s own) and emotional support. But if it’s hard core writing craft you want, you need an expert in the field (in ‘the arena’).
You Are Correct!
Agents and publishers will rarely (if ever) look twice at something you’ve pitched. I know it is hard to wait. I know it’s hard to do yet another draft of your story. Everything moves so slowly in the publishing world. But… the upside of that is that because everything moves so slowly, you have time. You have time to do another draft. You have time to rework your manuscript, but only if you are taking it in the right direction! Trust me, as someone who has ditched 50,000 words of a manuscript that was going in the wrong direction… it HURTS! Don’t spend years going in the wrong direction. The sooner you know, the sooner you can turn around and get back on track. Or, as happened to me, clear the deck for the right story to arrive instead.
Lovely ones, I am for the first time ever opening my doors to mentor, coach and assist developing writers. Why now? Maybe because The Wonderful Thing About Phoenix Rose is my 10th book, which has a nice feel to it. Maybe because I’ve been in this game for a long time now (with a string of bestsellers, international publications and never out of contract) and, ridiculously, it’s only just occurred to me that i could share my skills and knowledge and others might even appreciate it 🙂 (Yep, I’ve been the queen of imposter syndrome and have just realised how wrong I’ve been.)
(It’s also highly possible that the introduction of ADHD medication has finally given me the energy, focus and capacity to do a heap of things I am passionate about but never had the energy to do. But, I digress…)
It’s certainly because I remember how difficult it was when I was a writer who was past ‘the beginner’ stage but not yet at the ‘accomplished’ stage (a truly awkward and at times isolating experience). Maybe it’s because I am a homeschooler now and there’s something about homeschooling that makes you think differently about, well, everything. And it’s certainly because my ‘teacher genes’ have been re-activated over the past year. And as much as I remember that awkward ‘in between’ stage of writer development, I have huge passion for beginning writers too and in homeschooling I’ve become exceptionally sympathetic to the plight of writers who simply don’t believe they start, better their work, or finish a work. (Newsflash, you can.
If you’re a writer and would like some help, please do check out the four programs I have put together (just to get us started…. because spending weeks of website maintenance is really not my favourite thing to do and four was all I could manage right now!). And because I am committed to helping you long term, you’ll find I’ve built in long term support past your initial package. (See this example.)
If this is the year you want to write or you want to move to the next level of writing, I am here for it. I’d love nothing more.
Raw beginners through to published authors are welcome, as are all ages and abilities.
(Also, if you are an NDIS client, you may be able to claim your investment. Email me for more details on NDIS.)
Well, what a whirlwind that was! All the Ebay auctions have now finished and every single manuscript assessment on offer sold! Ten lucky writers out there are getting themselves one-on-one manuscript assessment with a leading Australian publisher or author.
I want to say a HUGE thank you to the publishers and authors who put themselves up for auction! As I was putting those profiles together and listing them I thought, wow, this would be really scary! To put yourself out there like that takes great courage and I am so grateful so many people did it. THANK YOU, Sophie Green, Ali Watts, Annette Barlow, Lisa Ireland, Michael Trant, Louise Allan, Melinda Tognini, Annie Seaton, Katie Rowney and Jenn J McLeod!
Books are still flowing over to the winner of the giant book raffle, who is in turn sharing her books with her friends. Thank you to all the authors who contributed books (far too many to list out here). You helped make this the biggest book raffle around and raised nearly $20,000 for Australian farmers in need through Buy a Bale (Rural Aid).
The auctions raised another $8,000, though I’m still waiting for ebay to calculate the fees before I can get a final figure and do the transfers.
But whatever the final value is it is a big win for our farmers and I’ve no doubt will be much appreciated when it gets into their hands.
I’ve decided I will do this again next year, for a different charity and I can’t wait to see what turns up then.
THANK YOU ALL for buying tickets and bidding on auctions. You are STARS!!!!
Our third and final generous Australian publisher who has donated her time to raise funds for Buy a Bale and help an aspiring or emerging writer at the same time is none other than Annette Barlow from Allen & Unwin. Here is some information about Annette and what she is offering.
If you have been working on a manuscript and want the chance to win first class feedback and maybe even find your work in front of the right people who can make your dream come true, then make sure you keep following along and bid, bid, bid to win Annette’s attention!
Annette’s offer will be on eBay in the THIRD round of auctions,starting 19 October, 6pm.
Welcome, Annette!
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Bio: Annette has worked at Allen & Unwin as an editor and a publisher for over 25 years. She includes many wonderful fiction writers on her list, for example, Kate Morton, Kirsty Manning, Alex Miller, Louise Allan, Julian Leatherdale, Holly Throsby, Fleur McDonald, Tony Jones and Karly Lane. Annette teaches at Faber Academy at A&U and is in charge of the annual Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award.
Why are you excited to do this? Jo’s desire to support Australia’s farmers spurred me on into thinking what concrete action I could take. I’m very happy to offer my skills in this way.
Genres: I look forward to reading chapters of commercial, literary, rural or contemporary fiction but fantasy, sci-fi, and YA are not my areas.
Submission length: Please send 3 chapters (max 50 pages) and a synopsis.
Communication: Phone and/or email
Reply time: within a month of receiving pages
Auction reserve: $390
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Interested? Of course you are! Stay tuned by following me on Facebook, Twitter or here on this blog to make sure you get all the news in the lead up to this exciting event!
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AUTHORS FOR FARMERS is an initiative by Australian author Josephine Moon (www.josephinemoon.com) to band together fellow authors from around the country to help with drought relief fundraising for Australian farmers. All money raised goes to BUY A BALE (registered charity, http://www.buyabale.com.au).
(Please note: Ebay charges fees for using its platform and these will be will be deducted from the total donation amount at the end.)
I have exciting news! Are you an aspiring writer? Now you have a chance to get your work directly into the hands of someone who might be able to help you make your dream come true!
As part of the ‘Authors for Farmers’ fundraising that I’ve been doing for Buy a Bale (raising funds for farmers affected by drought), I have been overwhelmed with generous offers from top Australian publishers and and authors, who are donating their time to look at partial or full manuscripts and offer feedback on its development.
Yes, that’s right, you could get your manuscript in the hands of an actual real life publisher! Aside from three top publishers (Annette Barlow (Allen & Unwin), Ali Watts (Penguin Random House) and Sophie Green, there are half a dozen or so published authors who are also offering their time to look at your manuscript. All these authors have agents and publishers and you just never know… they might decide your manuscript is worth passing onto their people. But at the very least, you can get valuable, personalised feedback on your project.
This is an incredible opportunity!
The manuscript assessment opportunities will be auctioned off via eBay, starting on 15 October, auctioned in three rounds, beginning…
Round 1: 15 October, 6pm
Round 2: 17 October, 6pm
Round 3: 19 October, 6pm
More details to come on each of our wonderful publisher and authors and auction reserves.
Auction reserves start at $99 for a manuscript assessment from an author with one published book, $149 for a manuscript assessment from authors with multiple books published, and $390 for a manuscript assessment from industry publishers.
Well, what a whirlwind that was! All the Ebay auctions have now finished and every single manuscript assessment on offer sold! Ten lucky writers out there are getting themselves one-on-one manuscript assessment with a leading Australian publisher or author.
