Who We Work With
Please take a moment to read through this page, scrolling down to read it in full. If the points here resonate with you, then welcome to the Centre for Novels in Progress - we believe we are well-placed to help support you on your writing journey. If they don't then, unfortunately, we're not going to be the next stop on your writing path.
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Please note, we also work exclusively with people who identify as women and/or non-binary.
We work with:
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People who move from a place of curiosity. You enjoy learning about and delving further into things that interest you. You are ever curious to discover more about yourself and your creativity - it helps you to understand not just you, but also those around you with more clarity and insight.
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You recognise that caring for your wellbeing is part of your journey through life and you know that this work goes beyond simply what you eat and how often you move your body. You recognise that your creative wellbeing also needs to be tended to.
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You feel empathy for others; nourishing two-way conversations are sustenance for you.
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Writing isn't 'just a hobby'. That isn't how it has ever felt to you; something about books/writing is a part of your soul, even if if you haven't always been able to tend to it fully.
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You believe writing is an act of magic.
Genres we work with:
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-book club fiction
-accessible literary fiction
-literary fiction
-love stories (of all kinds: romance, mother/daughter love, historical set love stories, literary, magical realism, romcom, etc.)
-feminist fiction
-historical fiction
-chick-lit
-up-lit
-cosy crime
-novels written from life
-narrative biography
-adaptations and investigations of previous literature (eg. Wide Sargasso Sea, Medusa, Mythos)
-children’s books (exc. picture books)
-YA
-New Adult
-magical realism
-non-fiction that has already secured a traditional publishing deal (inc. memoir)
Genres we don’t work with:
-dystopian fiction
-sci-fi
-thrillers/horror
-fantasy fiction sagas
-non-fiction (other than listed above)
-short story, poetry or essay collections
-books that are intended to be snippets of things with no narrative/story.
If you are unclear of your exact genre, but have a feeling your book might be our cup of tea based on what you can gather from the genres outlined above, then feel free to apply and we’ll let you know if your project and us are a good fit.
About you and your project
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You're serious about finishing this book. This is the one, the project that asks you to make it. You know exactly which book it is that comes to mind when you read those words and it is just that one book that you are looking to dedicate yourself to really being with right now.
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Your manuscript is very much underway. You have the shape of it, or the feel of it - a clarity of its essence - carried within you along with words on the page. There are many words already written (even if they are yet to hang together in a structure right for your readers!) You know what you're writing towards, the idea of what this book will be is pulling you through.
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You understand that to have this manuscript finished and in your hands, you are going to need to let go of what you think it should be, and let it be what it needs to be. You're ready for the grief that might come from that as the idea that has lived in your imagination transforms into a living, breathing, tangible work on the page.
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You have a baseline level of confidence in your skills as a writer and storyteller. We're here to soundboard with and collaborate on ideas—to help you get yourself to the next stage, and the next stage, in your writing of this book—but we will not actively teach you how to develop voice or give in-depth lessons on how to structure a novel. Though we may discuss these things lightly in sessions together if they form a part of helping your process, this is not the focus of the work we do with authors here at the Centre for Novels in Progress.
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Final things to note:
We don’t offer developmental editing (or copy editing) services. We work with authors during the ‘in progress’ stages of novel writing, before their manuscripts feel fully formed, and we don't believe it serves that process or your book to receive critical feedback during these stages.
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Finally, we don't promise you will end your time working with us with a fully polished, edited, finished manuscript in the palm of your hands. You might end it with this as the outcome, you might not. All books and writers have their own journey—the Centre is designed to help you on your way and to give you the tools to keep moving forwards in a way that feels good to you.
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We look forward to meeting you and your beautiful book-to-be. X
Get in Touch
Details of how we can work together, including our Core Package, can be found on the home page of this website.