Summer Camp for your Book!
Happy May, Writers!
We’ve made it from Winter to Spring and here we are with Summer right around the corner.
I’m admittedly really enjoying the shift as I write this to you from the sunny port of Cartagena, Spain. 75 and Sunny. You can’t beat it!
For me, May is always the time to start thinking about Summer plans.
What do you have lined up?
Will you be traveling? Visiting friends and family? Putting your feet up on the porch swing with a good book?
How about working on your book?
I have an idea for you, because my big plans for the Summer involve you!
I’ve spent the Spring revamping how I support writers when we first start working together, and I’m so excited to launch my new and improved, 5-week, 1:1 “Pre-Book Proposal” plan this June.
Each week, we’re going to use the format of a traditional nonfiction book proposal to break down what you need in order to know (and write) your book better. Whether you have a few pages of notes or a full manuscript, if you’ve been waiting for some sign that it’s time to write that book, this is your moment!
Think of it like Summer Camp, but for your book!
Kids get to go to Summer Camp and we adults miss out on all the fun. Don’t you think it’s time to get in some fun of your own?
This Summer, take yourself to Camp and get to know yourself as a writer, and your book as a reality, in ways you didn't realize possible.
There will be challenges, exercises, cheering, and Summer Camp swag, of course.
YOUR SUMMER CAMP ITINERARY: Over five awesome, intensive weeks, you'll dive into your story in new ways that will make a difference to your book not only as you write forward in your draft, but also when you write that proposal someday, too.
Each week will have a theme that targets your strengths and challenges your potential. (And did I mention swag?)
Week 1: We focus on you, the Author, and what makes you the Authority for this book. This is all about your bio, your skills, and your confidence. Knowing not only why you are writing this book, but why you are the best person to be writing this book profoundly changes the way you embrace your voice and authority on the page. This is the ice-breaker, but don’t worry, I won’t make you do any skits!
Week 2: The focus is on the "Other Important People" in your book, from your protagonist to your reader to your eventual publisher. I was trying to come up with a catchier title for this theme - I’m open to suggestions ;-) but it’s pretty straightforward. You have to know who is out there waiting for your story to write the best one possible for them. This is the week you get a few new BFFs.
Week 3: Our middle week is all about Context and Structure. We'll dig into the shape of your story, the format of your chapters, and where it will live on the shelf of your favorite local bookshop. As part of a proposal, we’re talking titles, summaries, and comp titles. In terms of Summer Camp, however, think of it like getting to decorate and name your canoe for the big race.
Week 4: We tackle the really important one this week - Causality. Outline-lovers rejoice as we map the cause-and-effect trajectory of your book. Everything happens for a reason, and Week 4 is the time to figure it out. For every parent who has tried to piece together what’s actually happening at camp from periodic emails and texts, we’re going to connect the dots so the clear story emerges.
Week 5: Finally, we wrap up our awesome Summer Camp by looking beyond the book to Marketing. (Fail to plan and plan to fail, etc. etc. ;-) By talking about the market now, you can shape your book towards making it easier to pitch in the future. I talk to too many writers who don’t have a solid sense of where there book is headed once they write it. We solve that problem in week 5.
And you, Writer, are ready to return to the “real world” armed with the skills, strategies, and friendships that you built over the last five weeks.
So what do you think?
Are you ready to commit 5 weeks to your book?
It’s time to rediscover some child-like joy at doing something you love - sharing your story, your experience, your knowledge so that it will change someone’s life.
Stop waiting. Start writing.
It’s going to be a Hot Writer Summer and you’re going to love every minute of it!
Right now, you can book your special Summer Camp experience for your favorite 5-week stretch starting June 5 through Labor Day weekend.1 Plan around your vacation, your kids’ Summer Camp (or even better, plan it while your kids are at Summer Camp!).
Spaces are limited for this 1:1 coaching experience, but this early in May I'm still pretty flexible, so book your weeks today and lock in your holiday!
5 weeks to know the best way forward for your story.
5 weeks to outline your proposal.
5 weeks to gain the confidence you need to write that book!
What are you waiting for?
Don’t be Kevin.
Be you.
Be a writer.
Sign up for Summer Camp!
Can’t wait to see you there.
-Caroline
Of course, we can commit 5 awesome weeks to your book any time of the year, but the “cool kids” Summer Camp swag is only available for writers who start their Pre-Book Proposal work before Labor Day ;-) Busy Summer? Plan now for September. I’m open and you’ll be first in line!