BTS: The Memoir VIP Day (in gifs)

You’ve read the sales page, seen all the testimonials and know what you’ll get out of the Memoir VIP Day. But what does it actually look like in the moment?

Let me pull back the curtain a little and show you what the VIP day actually looks like.

Onboarding

Onboarding is pretty simple: Fill out the intake form and schedule an intro chat. I’ll take it from there! You can tell me anything you need to about your writing, your hang-ups, what you need from an editorial partnership. This is our first chance to make sure that we click. (And if we don’t, the only thing you’re out of is 20 minutes! No charge, nothing, nada. If you don’t feel good about moving forward, we won’t.)

After the intro call, I’ll send you an invoice, a link to schedule your VIP day, and a complimentary copy of The Memoir Workbook + Course. Now you wait in eager anticipation.

While you count down the days to our call

Your task is pretty simple before our call: brainstorm. I want you to brain dump everything bouncing around in your head that you could possibly want to include in your memoir. Then send it to me at least a day in advance, either as a Word/Google doc or even as a photo of your notebook.

(Yes, I can even make sense of your brain dump if you send me something like this.)

On my end, I’ll look over your brainstorm and make some notes about what pops out to me and what questions I have. I’ll set up my notepads, spiff up my book map template, and send you a link to join our virtual call.

Block one

Our day will be divided into three blocks of time, with two ten-minute breaks to give you a chance to reset your brain and give your body a snack (or a potty break!) Block one will have us first sorting out your brainstorm. This is where I’ll ask you a lot of questions and bring some order to the brain dump. Once we start sorting, central themes will start to emerge.

Once we have those themes, we’re going to identify your ideal reader. Who do you want to write for? (And do your themes support the reading experience for your ideal reader?)

You’ll be ready for a break.

Block two

This block is really the meat and potatoes of the day. This is when we’ll draft your thesis. I’ll explain what a thesis is, why you need one, and how we’ll draft one. We’ll pull together everything we’ve learned from your themes and your ideal reader to craft a thesis unique to your manuscript that can anchor you throughout the entire writing and editing process.

This is where the rubber hits the road, and we will nail it. We will also welcome a break.

Block three

This is where we’ll see everything come together. Using your thesis as an anchor, we’ll pull in all those ideas from your brainstorm and start to plug them into a book map. We’ll identify a narrative arc that works for your manuscript and give you an outline and writing plan to give you direction.

You’ll start to breathe a little deeper and feel a little lighter. You’ll start to feel like you can actually do this (because you 100 percent can).

And the best part of your VIP day? It’s yours. If one block takes longer than another, that’s fine. While I come into this day with an outline of how we could use our time together, this outline is also incredibly flexible. You don’t have to fit your thinking into my way of thinking (I get to understand yours and meet you there).

Each VIP day will be different, and I. can’t. wait.

Post-VIP call

You’ll have to do nothing but wait. Within 72 business hours, I’ll send you a summary of our call with key takeaways and next steps (including options for continued support), your editable book map, recorded audio call, and a transcript of our call. I’ll also put a note in my calendar to follow up with you in a month to see how you’re feeling about everything.

Honestly, this is my favorite offer I’ve ever put together. I can’t wait to meet you, help you make sense of your story, and most of all, convince you that your story matters and that you’re capable of writing it.

PS

On Instagram and Facebook I did a three-day live training series all about developmental editing, what it is, and why you need it. Click here to check it out and catch the replays!