Writing Mentorship & Support
For memoir, personal essay & non-fiction
One-on-One sessions with author Vanessa Chakour
offer guidance, accountability and feedback.
Writing can be a lonely and isolating process. We often feel like we're creating in a vacuum, with no outside perspective to offer encouragement or guidance. This is where compassionate, constructive feedback becomes essential. It can be the difference between abandoning a beautiful, important piece because of self-doubt and developing it to its full potential to share with the world.
Mentoring Sessions Tailored to You
My mentoring sessions are designed to support you, whether you have a book idea gnawing at you, a sprawling book proposal in need of editing, or simply a desire to reignite your writing passion. Together, we'll explore your creative process, identify and overcome obstacles, discuss your ideas, goals, and intentions, and find ways to spark inspiration.
Flexible Pricing and Comprehensive Support
Sessions are offered on a sliding scale from $150-$200/hour. This rate includes the time I spend reading your work, offering written notes and feedback, and our actual meeting time, which can be conducted on Zoom, by phone, or in person (if you're in Western MA or happen to be in the same location).
The hourly rate is reduced for comprehesive, Creative Support packages described below:
Creative Support packages are designed for you and the unique needs of your project.
This is how we begin:
We’ll schedule an introductory phone call or Zoom session where we discuss your writing and what brought you here. We’ll explore your vision, intentions, challenges, and creative process.
After our call, I’ll create an outline for our work together and make sure it looks good to you. Then, we’ll have weekly sessions via phone or Zoom. When you have writing for me to read, I’ll ask you to share it via Google Docs (no more than 5-pages at a time) where I’ll give you feedback.
Our collaborative work is curated for you, your project and your craft and may include writing prompts, suggested reading, and practices to inspire creative flow.
To get the most out of our work together, I ask for a 5 to 7-week commitment. The rate for 5-weeks is $1175, 7-weeks is $1475. Once we’ve worked together, you’ll be eligible for a monthly rate.
If you’d like to commit to a longer period of time, contact me and we can explore options.
Each project is unique: some require more time reading and editing while others require talking through ideas and writing-challenges on Zoom. Regular sessions and consistency are key for momentum.
A note about commitment: Time is precious for all of us. Since I plan around our sessions, value your time and project, and prepare prior to each session, I ask that you give me plenty of notice (minimum 48 hours ) if you can't make it. Please understand, if cancellation is within 24 hours, I've already committed that time and it is considered a session.