Are You A Writer?
I'm here to help!
I talk an awful lot about reading books, but I’m also a published author and I’ve been a writing instructor for over twenty years! I hold a MA in English from Cal State Los Angeles and a MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia in beautiful Vancouver. I couldn’t have created a career in books without the help and guidance of so many professors, instructors, fellow writers and family members (some make very good copy editors!)
Everyone needs a little help. So, how can I help take your writing to the next level? Let me count the ways:
#1. I can edit your writing.
I offer two types of editing: a general critique where I will read your pages and give you a 3 to 5-page written critique. A detailed critique includes, in addition to the 3 to 5-page written critique, line edits. Turnaround time is 4-6 weeks (but I’m usually done much sooner) Click here for information and for pricing. I currently have two editing slots available in October and then I’m booked until January 2024.
#2 I can be your writing mentor for two months!
What is included in a two-month mentorship program?
A general critique of up to 20 pages of writing per week. (That’s up to 160 pages!)
Four 25-minute phone consultations (around every two weeks) where we will discuss your writing, ways to improve it, talk next steps and you will receive a detailed email afterwards with notes from our meeting as well as additional resources / exercises you may want to pursue. Click here for more information and for pricing. I currently have one eight-week slot starting September 4th.
#3 Take an eight-week online novel writing class with me!
Grab your writing friends or make new ones online. This Novel Writing One class will take place September 5th - October 24th, 2023 (I need four students for this class to run.)
In a supportive, inspiring and small group environment, you will explore the elements of a novel's plot, character, language, setting, voice and much more through lectures, discussions, manuscript workshopping, and generative writing exercises. You will leave this class with the first one or two chapters of your novel (up to forty pages) a look towards what will come next in your novel, and the tools to keep moving forward. Click here to learn more.
#4 We can chat about your writing over the phone.
I book in 25-minute increments. Post conversation, I’ll send you an email reviewing everything we covered, including links to any outside resources and action items to help you move forward with your project or goals. Click here to learn more.
Don’t take my word for it. Here are what some of my previous students and clients have said:
Jennifer provides more detailed and helpful feedback than any other writing instructor I’ve ever had. She did a fantastic job keeping the students motivated and enthusiastic and engaged in critiquing, as well as improving their own stories. She also had many great recommendations for books of craft.”
- Ronda ( student)
“Jennifer is one of the best writing instructors I’ve ever had. The lecture topics covered many important aspects of novel writing. It is clear that she genuinely cares about helping each of us improve our. novels and has creative and insightful ideas and feedback. her classes pushed me to become a better writer in a way that strengthened my love of writing and my enthusiasm for my project.
- Abby J. ( student)
"To make a long story short, I enlisted help from Jennifer Caloyeras and ended up winning a fellowship! Yes, it's exactly that simple."
- Brian Hogan (client)
“I have never had a fiction editor as talented as Jennifer, including when I published a novel with a top publisher.”
- R.S. (student and client)
"Jennifer was the perfect teacher for this point in my novel-writing. Seriously [she was] like 'manna from heaven' to me. Her comments inspired me and I have been working furiously ever since."
- Tom Berquist, author of Stalking Los Angeles
“Jennifer was just what I needed. I was a bit lost after finishing my first novel, knowing it needed work, but not knowing where to begin with the revisions. It wasn’t until I connected with Jennifer that I got unlocked. She brought great enthusiasm, a fresh perspective and extremely practical advice. I would highly recommend Jennifer to any writer.”
- Brian Piech (client)
The following is feedback from students who wish to remain anonymous:
“I feel so much more equipped to tackle my novel after having learned the techniques and skills from Jennifer.”
“Jennifer is truly a fantastic instructor - invested in her students, thoughtful in her critiques, and able to balance that fine line of criticism and encouragement.”
“Jennifer did an outstanding job in guiding our class through the beginning stages of writing our novels. The chosen reading materials along with the weekly lectures opened my eyes to the many possibilities for structure, voice, setting, and character choices. She encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and experiment with other ways of writing my opening scene and I'm stepping out of this course with a completely reimagined way of telling my story. One that feels more engaging. I'll most likely apply this entire process with future story ideas as well.”
“I was extremely impressed with Jennifer's expertise as well as her constructive input which made an idea evolve into a novel. She was always prepared and positive. No wonder we worked hard, but also had so much fun.”
“I've taken a number of writing courses, and this has turned out to be one of my favorites. I loved how Jennifer balanced instruction with writing assignments and workshopping.”
“The classroom environment that Jennifer created was safe, healthy, engaging, encouraging. I felt extremely comfortable and appropriately challenged.”
“One of the best online courses I've taken in terms of engagement from the instructor as well as other classmates!”
“I loved Jennifer as my instructor because she gave individualized advice and answered all my questions with care. She put a lot into this class.”
“Jennifer is kind, encouraging, provides a TON of feedback, and the insightful things she says shows her deep understanding for the intricacies of novel writing. I so appreciate her presence in the class and the amount of attention she paid to each of us as individuals and as a group. She is fantastic and I would be delighted if I found myself in another class that she teaches!”
“Jennifer was the perfect teacher for this course. She was welcoming and always immediate in her feedback, advice and insight. I really came away feeling like I learned something valuable. I felt very safe in the class in the workshop environment and it was because of Jennifer's guiding force. She kept us all on point and really challenged us to think about the texts we were analyzing and offer constructive critiques that would be beneficial to our fellow classmates.”
“Jennifer is passionate about teaching, endlessly supportive, positive, a very responsive communicator!”
Questions? Comments? Leave them below or reach out to me at writing@caloyeras.com.
And please pass along to any writing friends! I sustain this practice through word of mouth.