Teachers Write Novels:
A Summer Mentorship Program

First, Miranda's class "Yes! You Can Write a Novel!" was exactly what I was looking for! Her knowledge about writing and the way the course was organized gave me the launchpad I needed to start my novel. The additional coaching session with Miranda, with thoughtful feedback, direct next steps, and ongoing support is what this first novelist needed. I'm so grateful for her guidance and look forward to a continuing mentorship!

“I recently completed a second draft of my novel and felt I needed some professional guidance and suggestions on next steps. Boy, did I make the right choice: Miranda Keskes. Her honest insights, recommendations, coaching exercises and one-on-one zooms were just what I needed. She offers a variety of coaching services, so check her out.” 

“One of the best decisions I have made in terms of my novel in progress was to work with Mandy. I signed up with her once I realized that my decision paralysis around structure was preventing me from completing the first full draft. The sessions with Mandy have been enormously helpful. My content previously felt like a series of vignettes. She has encouraged me to dig deep and figure out what sort of story I truly want to create. Both the new words generated and the reorganization of the previously written material have brought me closer to my end goal over a few months than did my previous years of solitary efforts.

Mandy is tremendously encouraging, always providing a safe space to bounce around ideas for story and character development. One thing I did not expect was for the sessions to be so joyful. Having a person who is heavily invested in your characters and story and wants to see how they ultimately turn out is so affirming and motivating.”

“Miranda Keskes' Novel Blueprint Intensive offers a week of thoughtful instruction and opportunities to explore, develop, and reflect on a novel idea, whether you are just starting or deep into the writing process. As someone with a first iteration of a Novel Blueprint, the timing of this course was perfect as it allowed me to revisit my ideas and dive deeper. Through methodically introducing each stage of the Novel Blueprint, facilitating discussions about participants' novel ideas, asking key questions, and leading practical activities during the course, Miranda helped me to recognize the additional work that I needed to do to dive deeper into my own Novel Blueprint. The Novel Blueprint Intensive has allowed me to bring my story and my intentions more into alignment. I knew I needed this and every day during this short course was affirming and helped me to move forward!”

“Working with Mandy has provided invaluable accountability and support in finishing my novel and pitching to agents. She’s a knowledgeable guide, teammate, and cheerleader rolled in one! Mandy also has the magical ability to keep a sense of humor while taking her role very seriously—she’s a blast to work with, and I get that sense that she simply won’t let me fail. I highly recommend sharing your writing journey with her!”

“I loved the ability to collaborate and think through story decisions purposefully!”

“Mandy is a delightful and thorough book coach! She read my work closely, giving valuable insights for revision in clear steps. I appreciate that she also offered examples of other novelists to study. She is generous with her time and expertise, and I highly recommend her services.”

“I wasn't anywhere near having a first draft to work with, but I decided to give book coaching a shot after participating in the Novel Blueprint Intensive Course. At the end of three months, I had definitely accomplished a fair amount, and a lot of it was due to Mandy's coaching. She listened. She asked great questions. She provided just-in-time feedback. I considered taking a break after that initial three months to continue developing my novel, but I decided to continue. After all, writing can be a very lonely journey, and it had already been helpful to have someone to listen to my plot ideas, to talk about my characters, to discuss what makes a scene, to guide me through mapping out the tent poles of my novel, and so much more. These conversations, I realized, were bringing my story to life and making this whole idea that I was writing a novel a real thing. Now, I am on track to have a complete first draft of my novel!”

“Mandy is incredibly supportive and a wonderful listener! After reading and reviewing my work, she then takes the time to understand how I’m feeling about it and what I’m trying to accomplish before offering thoughtful ways to bring those ideas to life. Her feedback is spot on! Gently challenging when needed. Her insight has helped me refine and deepen my manuscript in meaningful ways by building on what’s already working.”

“I have taken numerous courses on writing in the past three years. I can honestly say, this is the best writing class I have taken! As a retired college professor myself, I can easily recognize a teacher who is both passionate and fully immersed in their subject. Miranda Keskes is, without a doubt, that teacher. She is engaging, thought-provoking, and always prepared with great material.”