Draft Zero Development
You wrote it once and it fell apart.
You have the idea, but you’re not sure where to start.
You have a draft and want a thinking partner to work through it.
Let's do the structural work together.
Some books fail at the draft stage. Not because the author can’t write, but because the story that’s so vivid in their head doesn’t fully make it onto the page. You can see the world, feel the characters, follow every thread. But your brain fills in gaps that your words haven’t bridged yet. The plot feels complete because you know what you meant, but the reader only knows what you wrote.
Sometimes an author can feel that something isn’t doing what they intended: a subplot grew bigger than it needed to, a scene’s purpose has gone soft, or the pacing is off somewhere you can’t pinpoint. The structure holds, but it isn’t pulling its full weight, and revising alone keeps producing the same draft in different shapes. That’s still structural work, and it’s better handled in conversation than in isolation.
Draft Zero Development is for authors building a story’s foundation, whether you’re starting from scratch, rebuilding after a draft that didn’t work, or working through a complete draft collaboratively rather than receiving a one-time editorial letter. This isn’t a deliverable handed off; it’s an ongoing partnership. I ask hard questions and stress-test your ideas against your story’s logic until you have a foundation that holds.
It’s your story. I stress-test the foundation so you can build on it with confidence.
I specialize in speculative and romantic fantasy:
Gothic Fantasy
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Magical Academy
Supernatural Suspense
Occult Detective Fiction
Paranormal Romance
Romantasy
Urban Fantasy
Dark Fantasy
Supernatural Thriller
Other genres are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Not sure Draft Zero is the right fit? Take thirty seconds to find your path.
Who This Is For
Authors with a complete draft who want collaborative revision support rather than a one-time editorial letter—chapter by chapter, pattern by pattern
Authors who finished a draft that didn’t work and don’t fully understand why
Authors with a trunk novel they can’t let go of but can’t fix through revision alone
Authors who pantsed a book and lost the thread somewhere in the middle
Authors with rich ideas but no system to hold them together
Authors who are building their first book and want the foundation right before they draft
Authors who need worldbuilding, plot architecture, or story logic stress-tested before rewriting
Authors who want a thinking partner who will push back, not just nod along
What This Isn't
A developmental edit’s one-time editorial letter (Draft Zero Development is collaborative throughout, whether we’re building the foundation or working through a complete draft)
Book coaching alone (I also stress-test ideas and build frameworks alongside you)
Ghostwriting (you still write the book; I help you build what you’re writing from)
A quick fix (foundation work takes time)
Line editing or copyediting (that comes later, after you have a draft that works)
Foundation Partnership (Monthly)
For authors who need ongoing collaboration to build their story’s architecture.
By the end of our work together, you’ll have a story foundation solid enough to write from with confidence—worldbuilding that holds together under pressure, plot architecture that supports the weight of your narrative, and a clear understanding of how your story holds together and why it’ll keep holding.
What’s Included:
60-minute sessions (frequency based on tier)
Between-session development work: I review whatever materials you submit (outlines, worldbuilding documents, character notes, plot sketches, draft chapters) and stress-test them against story logic.
Written feedback that scales to what your project needs at each stage. You maintain your documents; I respond to each version.
Session summary and next steps after each meeting
Email support for questions between sessions
For each session, I spend 4–6 hours on between-session development work—reviewing your materials, building frameworks, and preparing structural analysis. The session itself is where we work through what I’ve found. The deeper work happens before we ever get on the call.
| Tier | Sessions/ Month | Investment |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | 2 | $1,000/month |
| Foundation Extended | 3 | $1,400/month |
| Foundation Intensive | 4 | $1,800/month |
Minimum 2-month commitment, then month-to-month. Payment is due on the 1st of each month.
Already have a complete manuscript?
Working through chapters, pacing, and structural patterns on what’s already on the page is also a valid entry point for authors with complete drafts who want collaborative revision rather than a one-time editorial letter.
The difference from a developmental edit is what the work looks like. A developmental edit is a single diagnosis: I read the whole book, deliver an editorial letter and revision roadmap, and you take it away to revise on your own. Foundation Partnership at the drafting-support phase is collaborative: we work through your revisions together, session by session, with the partnership evolving as the work changes shape.
Standard Foundation Partnership pricing applies—see tiers above.
60-Minute Single Session: $500
For authors who need focused help on a specific element—a worldbuilding problem, a plot hole, a structural question—or want to explore whether Foundation Partnership is the right fit.
You send materials in advance. I review, prepare feedback, and come ready to work. Includes a written summary of our discussion and next steps.
How We Work Together
You bring the ideas. I stress-test them.
Before sessions, I dig into what you’ve shared—your worldbuilding, your plot threads, your character dynamics. I look for what holds together and what breaks under pressure. I identify gaps you might not see because you’re too close to the material. I build frameworks and ask hard questions.
In sessions, we work through it together. You react to what I’ve found. You make decisions. You shape the direction. My job is to make sure those decisions don’t create problems three chapters (or three hundred pages) down the line.
Some authors need to know the ending before they can build toward it. Others need to discover the story as they go. We figure out how your brain works best, then work that way.
Process Overview
Discovery
You share a brief overview: what your book is about, what you think went wrong, what you’re trying to build, and what you’re hoping to achieve
Free 30-minute one-to-one to determine if we’re right for each other
If we’re a good fit, you send your materials and we begin
The Work
I review and identify what’s working, what’s not holding, and what’s missing
We identify which systems need building first (world? plot? characters? all three?)
Sessions: We review together, you react and refine, and we solve problems
Your foundation documents grow as we work
The Evolution
Draft Zero Development doesn’t end when the foundation is built; it evolves. Once the structural decisions hold under pressure, sessions shift from foundation work to drafting support: chapter review, pacing feedback, and working through what changes when the story goes somewhere you didn’t expect. You stay in the partnership as long as it serves the work.
Deliverables
By the end of our work together, you’ll have:
Your worldbuilding bible, stress-tested for internal consistency and gaps
Your plot/structure documentation, pressure-checked and holding weight
Your character system with verified arcs, relationships, and motivations
Any specialized systems your story requires, tested against your story’s logic (magic, factions, politics, timeline)
Clear understanding of how your story’s systems work together and where they’d break if you don’t address them now
Documents ready to write from
If you stay in the partnership, sessions evolve with the work: chapter reviews, pacing check-ins, and making sure the foundation holds as the story grows.
Administrative Policies
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Monthly partnerships: due on the 1st of each month
Single sessions: invoiced after session
Mid-month starts prorated accordingly
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Submit materials at least 3 business days before your session. The earlier, the deeper I can go.
Materials can include: outlines, worldbuilding notes, character sketches, plot summaries, drafts of specific sections—whatever is relevant to where we are in the process
If you submit more than I can work through deeply before our session, we’ll prioritize together—what needs attention first?
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Life happens. Here’s how we handle it:
One 30-day pause with 2 weeks’ notice
Termination: 30-day notice required; no refunds for the current month
Non-response: After 14 days without communication, services pause until contact resumes
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I respond to emails within 1 business day.
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Life happens:
24 hours’ notice to reschedule
Missed sessions without notice are forfeited
FAQ
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The difference is in the collaboration style, not the stage.
Draft Zero Development is collaborative throughout. We work through the manuscript together, session by session, building the foundation if you don’t have one yet or pressure-testing revisions if you do. The partnership evolves as the work changes shape.
A developmental edit is a one-time diagnosis. I read your whole manuscript, deliver an editorial letter, an annotated manuscript, and a revision roadmap. You take it away and revise on your own.
Same diagnostic eye; different working relationship. The “Which Edit Do I Need?” guide can help you figure out which fits.
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It depends on how much needs building. Simpler projects might need 2-3 months. Complex fantasy with worldbuilding, magic systems, and multiple POVs might take 4-6 months or longer. We’ll assess during discovery.
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Send whatever is relevant to where we are in the process. Some sessions need 25 pages of worldbuilding; some need a 5-page outline. The depth of my work scales to what the material needs, not how many pages it is. If you’re ever unsure, ask—I’d rather help you prioritize than have you hold back.
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That happens. Sometimes the foundation work reveals that the story you need to tell is different from the one you tried to tell. That’s not failure—that’s the process working. We adjust.
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Yes, and sometimes you should. There’s a point where more planning stops serving the story and starts working against it. If you outline too thoroughly, you can lose the desire to write. You’ve already seen the story, and writing it out in full prose feels like retracing steps instead of discovering something. Part of my job is recognizing when the foundation is strong enough for you to start building. Once the structural decisions hold under pressure, we’ll decide together when to start drafting—even if there are open questions left. Some things only reveal themselves on the page.
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You write, and I’m still here if you want me. Sessions shift from structural work to drafting support: chapter reviews, pacing feedback, and working through what changes when the story goes somewhere you didn’t expect. The partnership evolves with the work.
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It’s adjacent. Traditional book coaching focuses on guiding the author’s thinking through questions. Draft Zero Development is more hands-on: I stress-test ideas, identify structural problems, and build frameworks alongside you. You still make every decision—but I’m doing more than asking questions.
No AI Touches Your Book. Ever.
Your manuscript doesn’t go into any AI tool. Not for summaries, not for feedback, not for “just checking.” Not at any stage, and not without your written permission. This applies whether your book is unpublished, in progress, or already out in the world.
The work you’re paying me for is my work. Editorial letters, annotated manuscripts, revision roadmaps, session feedback, narration prep—all of it is written by me, on my own, without AI assistance of any kind. That includes the behind-the-scenes notes and drafts. My reading brain and Word’s basic spell-check are the whole toolkit—no cloud-based writing or analysis tools, nothing AI-powered. Your manuscript travels only where the work requires: secure storage and delivery back to you.
Neither your book nor your name ever enters an AI system. If that line ever needs to move, I’ll ask you first. You can say no, and it won’t change anything about our work together.
The formal version lives in the Terms of Service.
Ready to build?
Whether you’re rebuilding after a draft that didn’t work or building for the first time, let’s make sure the foundation holds. We’ll start with a free 30-minute one-to-one to see if this is the right fit.