Writing Mentorship and Critique Services

PLEASE NOTE: Feel free to write me at any time, but know that due to an extremely busy Fall 2007 I'm not able to consider accepting new clients until Spring 2008, and the openings i will have at that time are limited. Thanks so much! --bjb

p>I have a craft-focused approach to the teaching of creative writing. While I am interested in helping you develop the process skills that will enable you to get to the deep subject of your writing, I begin with a practical and straightforward elements-based critique of the sentences and paragraphs you have set down on the page.

I have worked with beginning to advanced students and am comfortable with writers from all backgrounds and walks of life. My specialty is creative nonfiction writing-which might include memoir, personal and lyric essay, literary journalism, nature writing, city writing, travel writing, autobiographical fiction, braided/segmented/fragmentary nonfiction prose forms, mixed genre works, and any sort of nonfiction meditation and/or rumination. I am especially interested in formal and lyric experimentation, but I am equally experienced with both story and "think" pieces.

I am open to almost all subject areas and am especially sensitive to content having to do with cultural identity, social witness, GLBT lives, women's lives, recovery tales, family history, and the history and meaning of place. I am also happy to work with you on your writing process and practice issues.

I have over eighteen years experience teaching creative writing in both community and academic settings. My students tell me I am a thorough and insightful critic who challenges them to do their best work.

Description and Price of Services

Manuscript Critique

I charge $60 an hour. Here's how this adds up. A 6000-word manuscript (about 20 pages, double-spaced, with 12-point type and at least one-inch margins) takes about ONE HOUR for close reading and margin comment and ONE MORE HOUR for preparation of a written critique. The cost for this manuscript critique would be $120.

LONGER manuscripts are charged similarly, by the 6000 word/20 page hour, with another hour or two (depending on the project) added for the critique letter. For instance, here are the approximate costs for close reading and substantive critique of a variety of manuscript lengths.

• 100-page memoir-in-progress-$360
• 200-page complete or in-progress memoir or essay collection-$660
• 300-page full-length memoir or collection-$1020
• 400-page full-length memoir or collection-$1320

ONE HALF of the initial estimated critique fee is always due before we begin. The BALANCE (adjusted to account for additional pages and other unforeseen changes) is due upon completion.

Custom Contracts

These are agreements for particular services, arranged according to your needs. For instance:

• $180 contract- 60 pages, quick conceptual reading with no margin comments and a general critique letter
• $300 contract- 100 pages with light margin commentary and a short critique letter
• $360 contract- 100 pages with substantive margin commentary and a detailed critique letter
• $510 contract- 100 pages with close line editing, substantive margin commentary and a detailed critique letter
• $570 contract- 150 pages with substantive commentary and a short critique letter, three custom writing exercises, and a phone conference

Possible Contract Options

• custom writing exercises, based on areas in your work that, based on my close reading, need attention and writing practice
• line editing
• phone conference
• in-person meeting (Twin Cities area only)

The contract is a completely flexible option. Tell me what you need and we will work out an appropriate combination of services.

ONE HALF of the contract fee is always due before we begin. The BALANCE (adjusted to account for additional pages and other unforeseen changes) is due upon completion.

Mentorship, Coaching and Private Tutorials

These services are also charged at $60 per hour, with a $120 minimum. We can set up a specific series of deadlines and conversation times, or you might prepay for a certain amount of time that you can "spend" on your ongoing writing concerns as you see fit, within a set time period.

Mentorship, coaching and tutorial services might include: a series of custom exercises; ideas for getting restarted on a project; process and content questions designed to push your project further; directed reading and writing in particular content or form areas; direction, suggestions, structure and encouragement to keep you going.

Do you have an idea of what sort of coaching you need? Contact me and let's talk about it.

Coaching and Mentoring Services must be prepaid.

If none of these plans fit your budget, write me about your needs and tell me what you can afford to spend. I will write you back and let you know what I can do for you within the amount you can afford.

How it Works

E-mail me at leopardlibrary@earthlink.net
OR fax me a letter at 612-722-2223

Feel Free To Contact Me With Exploratory Questions.

If you are ready to proceed, then follow these steps:

• Describe the sort of critique or assistance you are seeking.
• Describe your writing project or interests.
• If your funds are limited, tell me the amount of money you are able to spend, and the sort of writing help you need most at this time.
• PLEASE INCLUDE return contact information.

I will respond with some suggestions and options and an idea of my current schedule.

In some instances I may also request a 5-10 page writing sample, to help us determine whether or not we are a good fit.

There is no charge until we agree on the details of our arrangement and sign a contract.

If we have arranged for a manuscript critique you will send me your manuscript.

• Manuscripts under 50 pages can be sent via e-mail attachment.
• E-mail submissions will be critiqued online and returned via e-mail attachment, unless you also wish to provide printing and postage costs. (E-mail exchange is a very workable option, and much faster than conventional mail. If you are at all computer savvy I encourage you to give it a try.)
• Longer manuscripts must be sent by post. Once we agree to proceed I will send you a postal address. (Please plan to include an SASE for return of your manuscript.)
• One-half of the estimated fee must be paid upfront before I will begin.

I will l give you an estimated return time, and proceed with the critique.

Selected Student Testimonials

I feel that I've stumbled through a few big steps with my writing and I doubt I would feel this way without the focus and power you've offered.... I especially want to thank you for some advice you gave me early on. I'd been feeling unsure and lacking in confidence about what I was trying to achieve as a writer and I mumbled something about wishing I could produce more, just churn things out. You calmly reminded me that writing was about more than just producing-it was about exploration, understanding, seeing and what you can learn as you create.
from a participant in a year-long mentorship program

Your critique helped me a great deal in that it made me see my piece more clearly in its structure (or lack of one). I think that before a person can find the best and most honest ways to revise a piece, the writer needs to get a fresh and objective overview of the work. Your explanations of how to view the literary process and the artistic challenge of creative nonfiction make a lot of sense to me. Your analysis of what you view as the strongest and weakest writing in this draft, your suggestions of where to cut and where to expand or add description, and your other various tips for deep revision are invaluable to me.
from a young writer I met at while a visiting artist at her college

I have learned more about showing character, setting scene, and the value of strong visual images. I was conscious, as I was writing this final draft, of using these tools, and I know my piece is stronger than it would have been because of what I have learned.... You are an excellent teacher Barrie and I thank you for the effort.
from a creative nonfiction graduate student

Your insightful comments, suggestions for revision, attention to the details and sincere interest in my progress were so helpful along the way. You have a real talent for balancing encouragement with continual challenge, which I think is the mark of a good teacher.
from a recent MFA graduate, after completing a book-length thesis

I have always found your comments helpful, and think you have a gift for finding my manuscript's weak passages and making specific suggestions for improvement. In many ways I felt as if I were working with a book editor who was invested in my success. At the same time, you seemed able to see the work as a whole, and to be sympathetic to what I was trying to accomplish-though I wasn't conscious of it myself until you made me see it. In short, I thought your criticism was deep and wide and it rang true, even in those very rare instances when I felt my intentions differed. And despite your forewarning that your involvement might be limited due to your schedule, your work on my thesis was thorough and complete-much more generous than I could have expected.
from a recent MFA graduate, after completing a book-length thesis

References Available Upon Request