PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO WRITING COMMITMENTS, I AM CURRENTLY NOT TAKING ON ANY CLIENTS EXCEPT FOR PHONE CONSULTATIONS. I”LL REMOVE THIS BANNER WHEN I RESUME EDITING / TEACHING WORK.

Editing / Coaching:

I am available to work as a manuscript coach / editor for your novel or short fiction project. I work closely with clients to tailor my time to best serve the needs of each client.  I hold a MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and a MA in English from California State University, Los Angeles. I currently teach writing at UCLA extension and through private classes. 

I offer two different types of writing critiques.

General critique $6 / page

I will read your pages, chapters, full manuscript, etc. and give you a 3-5 page written critique of your work including character and plot development, analysis, and suggested improvements for revisions. I will also note any repeated mistakes (point of view issues, grammar issues, etc.) and inconsistencies. Please note, there are no line edits with this option.

Detailed Critique $10 / page

In addition to the 3-5 page written critique, a detailed critique also involves line edits; I read through the manuscript with a fine-toothed comb, marking up each and every spelling / grammatical error, offering specific examples to improve individual lines, pointing out any oft-repeated words, ask questions of both the plot and characters as well as reflect on what the reader might be experiencing / thinking / wondering while reading the text and offering specific ways in which to make the manuscript stronger.

Please submit manuscripts using Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced, numbered pages. Writers must have a PayPal, Zelle or Venmo. Turn around time is about 4-6 weeks, depending on the length of an individual project.

If you’re interested in phone consultations, they run $200 for a 25-minute phone call and include a post conversation email reviewing everything we covered, including links to any outside resources and action items to help you move forward with your project or goals.

Below, please note my upcoming availability for manuscript consultations:

August 2023

September 2023

October 2023 - 0 slots left

November 2023

December 2023

January 2024 - 0 slots left

February 2024 - 0 slots left

March 2024

April 2024

May 2024 - 0 slots left

June 2024 - 0 slots left

** NEW *** 2-Month Mentorships

Want a more hands on approach to your writing project? Join me for an eight-week mentorship. This developmental program will meet you wherever you are in your writing, whether you’re just starting a new project or reworking a completed one.

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 35-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.

How much will this cost?

Typically, a general critique of 160 pages of writing would cost $960 and 4 phone consultations would cost $800 for a total of $1760. But under the two-month mentorship program, you will pay only $1200. (You save $560.)

Please see below for current availability:

September 5th - October 24th one slot left

January 8th - February 26th one slot left

April 9th - May 29th one slot left

Testimonials:

Here are what some of my past students and clients have to say:

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!”

Workshop Club! (closed for 2024)

I’ll be offering a monthly workshop club, open to four writers and lasting four weeks. As a workshop club participant, you will get up to 25 pages of writing critiqued by me (line edits as well as general suggestions) and the other writers in the club in an online, casual Monday - Friday workshop. As a participant, you must be committed to reading and critiquing one other writer’s submission each week in exchange for their notes on your work. Pop in for a month when you want fresh eyes on something! $175 / month or $150/ month if you sign up for two months.

Please email me at writing@caloyeras.com to have your name added to the waitlist. Spaces are offered on a first come-first paid-first served basis. Once you email me, I will send my PayPal, Venmo or Zelle information.