Upcoming Classes
8-week ONLINE Advanced Fiction Workshop Mondays beginning 2/10/25 @ Sackett Street
6-week ONLINE Workshop: (Don't) Spare Me the Details Wednesdays @ The Shipman Agency
POSTPONED
Need editorial help with a manuscript? Ready to send your project to an agent or editor and want a second pair of eyes? Looking for help getting an idea off the ground or a friendly accountability partner to keep your writing on track?
Laura offers one-on-one feedback to aspiring and established writers of fiction and creative nonfiction. Feel free to reach out if you have needs not listed here.
Manuscript Consultation: Laura offers comprehensive feedback on completed fiction and nonfiction manuscripts, whether first or final drafts. Clients will receive annotated copies of their manuscripts, including margin notes, and multi-page letters describing in detail what works well and what facets of the project may need further development. Focus will be paid to your individual concerns, whether on the sentence level or specific issues of craft (plot, character, voice, etc.)
Developmental Coaching: If you have an idea for a project but need help deciding where to take it, or if you feel stuck on a partial manuscript, Laura will work with you to get you unstuck. Through discussion, writing exercises, and reading samples, Laura will stimulate your thinking, act as a sounding board, and provide feedback and/or editorial guidance. Options include, but are not limited to:
Help with a Work-in-Progress: Laura will help you determine what you or your work needs to move forward at any stage of the writing process.
Deep Dive on Craft: Have you been told “nothing happens” in your story? Does your dialogue sound stale or contrived? Do you feel like you just don’t understand point-of-view? Together, you and Laura will explore an element of fiction you struggle with, and apply what you learn to your current project.
Accountability Partner with Feedback: If you struggle with discipline, let Laura be your accountability partner. You will set up goals on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis and do a check in with Laura via Zoom or email. You may also decide to submit pages to Laura for feedback.
Working with aspiring writers on their creative projects is one of Laura’s most rewarding professional activities and she likes nothing more than to work through the issues in a manuscript or an idea. As a consultant, she provides thoughtful guidance that leaves writers feeling confident and excited to move forward.
Contact Laura with general questions or inquiries about rates and availability. Please include:
your name and contact information;
a summary of your goals;
your deadline for completing the work, if applicable.
Once an agreement is made to work together, you and Laura will create a plan that includes deadlines, page/word counts on your submissions and Laura’s feedback letters, pricing, and payment schedules. A contract will be drawn up and signed by both parties.
Instructor and Consultant Experience
Laura has almost fifteen years of experience as a writing instructor in a variety of settings, including in undergraduate- and graduate-level English and creative writing programs, and nationally renowned literary organizations, such as Tin House, Sackett Street Writers’ Workshop, StoryStudio Chicago, GrubStreet in Boston, and Writing Workshops Los Angeles.
Currently, she is on the faculty of Pacific University’s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Writing program where she mentors aspiring writers from a wide range of backgrounds and experience levels.