Storyconsulting
We work through your story problems
Story consulting is a high-level, discussion-based service designed to help you improve your story at any stage. It focuses on one or two key areas to strengthen — a stubborn character arc, complex worldbuilding, underlying pacing.
Send through what you have, up to 12,000 words of excerpts, outlines, notes etc. I'll read through it all closely, prepare an analysis, and we'll work through it together over a video session. Afterwards, I'll send through a written summary of our conversation for you to look back over.
This is the right service if:
- your project is still in the early stages
- the format of your project doesn't fit a traditional manuscript review
- you're looking for detailed feedback on a single problem, not the whole manuscript
Right for
people who:
Can't get through (or into) the first draft
Maybe you have some of the plot worked out, or maybe you're still daydreaming with the basic notes but it never gets done. Maybe you have well-developed worldbuilding with no story to fit, or characters with nowhere to call home. Maybe you've got pieces of it all, but it's just not working together. This service is for you.
Are working on a complex written system
Got branching dialogue? An overgrown and messy story bible or world? Whether it's for game development, prepping for interactive theatre, or just choose-your-own-adventure with LARPs you're planning for something else, consulting is designed to get everything back in order.
Tell their story through multiple mediums
If your project has a complicated structure, this might be for you. For unfiction & ARGs, transmedia stories, and expanded worldbuilding projects, maybe it's as simple as dropping some hints or notes from your blog or website, or as complicated as an ARG spanning websites, books, and games. Either way, I'm here to help.
How it works
Enquiry & optional intro call
Fill out the form and let me know about your project: the format, a rough word count, and what's bringing you to consulting. If you want we can also have an optional free 15-minute intro call.
Confirm & send materials
Once we've agreed on the focus area(s), you send through what you've got, up to 12,000 words of relevant materials, including drafts, outlines, design docs etc. At least a week before our session.
The session
We have a 60-minute video call focused entirely on the questions and issues you brought to me. I'll have read everything, made notes, and come ready to really dig in.
Follow up
Within a few days of our call you'll receive a written summary of our discussion so you can come back and reference it any time you need.
The package
Pre-read of up to 12k words
Send excerpts, planning docs, dialogue trees, world bibles, even video notes — whatever's most relevant to the problem.
15-minute (optional) intro call
Optional free intro chat to talk through the project before committing, so we both know the session will deliver what you need.
Format-agnostic discussion
Novels, scripts, games, unfiction, IF… I work across all formats, including the ones that don't have names yet.
60-minute video call
Recorded video call focused entirely on the questions and issues you bring. Yours to revisit forever.
Written summary
Get a write-up that summarises our discussion and clearly sets out your next steps to look back on when you need.
Common
questions
This depends on the complexity of your project, but typically we'll focus on one or two core areas (such as structure, character, or tension) to ensure the discussion is detailed and useful. If you find consulting useful and you want to cover more, you can always book more sessions.
You can submit excerpts, a synopsis, chapter and plot outlines, query materials, notes, voice notes, videos, demos... pretty much anything. If you're unsure, you can reach out to me. If word count isn't a great representation of your material, let me know and I can help you figure out how much to send through.
If you think it's critical for me to have even more information, more material can be sent for an additional cost. Reach out for more information.
They are focused and practical, capturing the most important points from my analysis and our session, rather than providing a full manuscript-level report. It's meant to be a quick reference to help nudge your creativity while you revise your project, not a comprehensive guide or checklist.
I focus on the potential of a story; what's working, what could be stronger, and how to develop it into the best version of what it could be. 'Good' and 'bad' aren't generally very helpful labels for something that's expressing your creativity. If target audience appeal (how likely people are to like it) is a concern of yours, analysing how your work fits into the market can be part of my analysis, depending on the scope of other elements you want to explore.
Novels, scripts, games, experimental or cross-media storytelling... anything, really. If your project tells a story, it's suitable for this service. If I don't think I can add any value to your project, I'll tell you with no charge for the materials reviewed.
If your project would benefit from a full, comprehensive analysis, a manuscript assessment or developmental editing may be a better fit.
Not the right fit?
Manuscript assessment
Understand your work at a structural level. A comprehensive evaluation of a completed draft's strengths, weaknesses, and potential. You'll know what's working, what isn't, and why. Includes a free sample assessment up to 1,500 words.
Read moreDevelopmental editing
Rebuild your story from the inside out. The most comprehensive service I offer. A full manuscript edit examining the work at every level, from narrative structure down to how individual choices function on the page.
Read more