Two seats left: Weekly craft coaching that actually moves your novel forward
Another seat just opened! Applications close Tuesday, July 1 for seats in my weekly coaching group. Make this summer the summer you make big progress on your writing—come join us!
I'm down to my final seats for the July-August-September Story Incubator cohort, and summer is the perfect time to give your writing a boost. If you've been waiting for the right moment to join a small group that will genuinely transform your writing—not just cheer you on from the sidelines—this is your moment.
Applications close Tuesday, July 1. Don’t let this opportunity slip by!
You know how most writing groups feel like cheerleading sessions? The Story Incubator is different. Every week, you'll walk away with actual craft skills you can apply immediately—plus the kind of targeted feedback that only comes from working directly with a professional coach. This isn't just support; it's your writing education accelerated.
One hour a week for your craft
Look what you’ll accomplish by devoting one hour a week to improving your craft.
Revise or draft with confidence. Hotseats provide the individual feedback you need to hone key elements of your story. Fine-tune your pages, scenes, outlines, pitches, and more.
Expand your repertoire of narrative techniques. Add fresh skills and techniques for your literary toolbox on a regular basis.
Hone your story sensibilities. Observe how other writers are solving narrative issues and approaching stories like and unlike your own.
Quality feedback, not uninformed opinions. Working alongside other writers with the guidance of a professional editor refines your ability to analyze all sorts of stories. Master the art of descriptive (not prescriptive) feedback, and develop a working writer’s fluency in offering and receiving actionable critique.
Get expert guidance on demand. The high-touch group structure gives you face time with the coach every week. Add monthly one-on-one feedback at reduced rates when you need more.
Enjoy a high-touch, high-access experience. Most writing groups, courses, and communities are so big that you can’t get individual feedback or make personal connections. The small cohort size facilitates peer and coach interactions, allowing everyone to converse freely during calls, build relationships, and have time to be heard. Story Incubator seats are limited so that everyone gets a high-touch, high-access experience.
Weekly craft teaching and feedback
One problem with writing groups is that they’re driven by other newbies. That’s not a disparagement to the groups—it’s simply their nature. Once writers get published, they generally move on to working with their agents and editors or peers. They don’t spend their time in writing groups anymore; they spend it writing books and working with pros.
Back in the writing groups, though, nobody’s mastered the process yet. Everyone’s trying to figure out how writing and publishing work. That’s not a bad thing. Writing groups are a great place to find moral support or broad first impressions about your work. Learning how to offer kind, actionable observations about someone’s work in progress develops your skill at identifying manuscript issues and giving and receiving feedback in an effective way.
Writing groups can be a smart place to begin. But think how much further ahead you'd be if you spent that time under the wing of a professional coach.
As a Story Incubator writer, you’ll meet with me online every week online. We’ll tune your work via regular hotseat critiques, scrutinizing your story structure, character arcs, scene openings, writing excerpts, and more. We’ll open the floor for questions and writing issues. We’ll study new writing and narrative techniques. We’ll explore the finer points of scene writing, share productivity, focus, and research tips, and so much more.
Group coaching fits your life
Story Incubator coaching is limited to less than ten writers. We meet once a week to master new craft skills, share feedback, and practice new techniques.
Make regular progress. Weekly video meetings with your cohort and coach keep you energized and on track with a minimal time commitment. Make meaningful progress toward completing your book.
Share with confidence. As a member of a small cohort, you can let your guard down in the intimacy of a small group with airtight confidentiality. What happens in the group stays in the group. Share your experiences, challenges, and successes, and build a network you can trust.
Commitment-friendly schedule that supports your growth. The Story Incubator is designed to fit into your schedule, requiring just one hour a week for cohort sessions and leaving ample time for your personal writing journey.
Stay on track with the accountability and motivation. Weekly cohort sessions and private Slack community energize your work with new techniques and the momentum of colleagues moving forward together. Join regular coworking sessions for even more motivation and support.
Make progress even when you’re not writing
Writing thrives with consistency, but few new writers can make writing a full-time endeavor. Gaps between writing sessions allow ideas and creative energy to wither, and regaining a strong rhythm can be laborious. These slumps stifle your potential for growth.
The kind of writing groups that are based on drafting a manuscript mean that a week of low or no word count is a failed week. With group coaching, you’ll pick up new ideas and momentum every week, whether you’re writing forward or not. Apply revision techniques, mulling over story and character development, absorbing new techniques and approaches—coaching injects your work with renewed clarity every week, no matter what’s happening with your word count.
The Story Incubator is right for you if ...
• You’re writing or revising a novel.
• You want to learn more about the craft of storytelling.
• You’d appreciate the accountability of a set time to devote to your writing.
• You’d enjoy working alongside a small cohort of peers.
• You want the ongoing, steadying presence of a professional story coach and editor.
• You’re ready to commit one hour a week for three months to becoming a better fiction writer.
Last seats available now
The Story Incubator meets on Tuesday evenings at 5:00 p.m. US Central. Asynchronous participation isn’t a fit for this group; you would miss the active hotseats, exercises, and conversation. This is group coaching, and you need to be ready to commit this hour to your writing every week.
Weekly 60-minute sessions on Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. US Central
Three-month commitment, ensuring a small, stable group; we're looking for writers driven to push their writing boundaries and grow together
Private Slack group for networking and communication
Boost your membership with weekly one-on-one follow-up feedback for an additional fee
Story Incubator subscriptions are $250 per quarter—that's just over $20 per session for an exclusive, small-group exploration of writing and storytelling techniques, feedback and coaching, along with the incomparable support and encouragement of your writing peers. Accelerate your progress with weekly one-on-one follow-up feedback for an additional fee.
📌 Claim this seat no later than Tuesday, July 1. Hit the button below to begin your application or ask any questions about the group. I only accept writers who’ll be a great fit. Since that’s so individual, if you think you’d benefit from Story Incubator coaching, get in touch now so we can determine if this group would be right for you.
Once these seats are filled, I’ll waitlist requests for future cohorts. The next opportunity to join this coaching group will be October 2025.
I hope you'll join us now!
Onward,
Lisa
P.S. One hour a week could transform your entire writing journey. In our group coaching sessions, you'll forge connections with fellow writers who get it, discover breakthrough techniques that unlock your potential, and build unstoppable momentum that keeps your projects moving forward. Your breakthrough is waiting—claim your spot now.
This is The Writes of Fiction, a slow-simmered assortment of old and new thinking about writing fiction, assembled at my desk, not by algorithm.
