YOUR STORY SPINE
for non-fiction
Here, we'll explore the point and purpose of your book before you start writing; and look at your idea from the point of view of scope and marketplace viability.
This is a stand-alone mini-package.
You'll receive:
STORY SPINE 2-part WORKBOOK
2 x SUBMISSION DEADLINES
2 x 90 min COACHING CALLS
THIS OFFER IS FOR YOU IF....
You have an idea for a transformational book, based on a deep feminine 're-membering'
Your lived experiences have led you to a deep feminine reclamation - not because you sought this out necessarily, but because it turned out to be what life had in store for you.
This wasn't an easy journey. Your ordinary sense of identity was dismantled to the point where you could barely recognise yourself or the co-ordinates of your life.
Your feet were held to the fire. This may have tested you to your limits. However, you've emerged from the ashes, and now you have something of significance to say. You have brought a message back with you, and the result is: you want to see the mythic feminine become part of living culture once again.
Your book will offer your readers an illuminating shift in perspective, countering what the dominant culture has led us to believe for thousands of years. You will restore an aspect of the deep, organic intelligence that's held in our blood, breath and bones.
Perhaps you have uncovered the spiritual wisdom embedded in your menstrual cycle, and understand how it mirrors the broader cycles of nature - cycles that must be honoured if life on Earth is to be sustainable. Perhaps a sense of sacred connection has awoken in you through a long-standing yoga practice, and your mission from here is to make known to others that the divine lives right here inside the body.
The message at the heart of your book holds treasure for humanity. Whichever aspect of the mythic feminine you are bringing back to life, it carries buried yet vital wisdom for the collective.
Your book will fill in a gap in our sacred feminine understanding, adding to what I like to think of as a 'library of lost books.' You'll share knowledge that has been culturally erased, or lying dormant for eons, because it seems to have mysteriously re-awoken in you.
You're struggling to take your book idea from wide to narrow
You have accumulated an expansive body of work over time, and your book idea is starting to take form in your mind. You have a broad sense of what it is you want to achieve.
However, you are yet to envision your book as a finished entity, because you haven't yet found the right angle into your material. You are yet to define your book's point: the specific argument you intend to make.
Even though it's alive inside you, you haven't figured out how to bring it into form; and thus how to make your unique contribution to the bigger cultural conversation.
You're spinning your wheels
This lack of clarity is causing resistance when it comes to sitting down to write, even though you're passionate about your project. Your wheels are spinning, you're losing precious time, and you feel impatient to get the real work underway.
Resolving this feel urgent, because your book will speak in some way to the pain and brokenness in the world, and offer a way through.
STEP 1: THE POINT
We begin by defining the point of your book: a singular, powerful idea that you will be the through-line for your book.
The point is a single sentence that says captures your unique worldview, and acts as your unifying idea. All your subsequent decisions for your book - around concept, structure, and narrative arc - are based on this.
Finding your point motivates and galvanizes you
You're longing to come up with the idea that feels right, giving you a full-body "YES!" A breakthrough in clarity at this level will guide you through any overwhelm, confusion, and the sticky moments that ensue, because you remember your source of inspiration in the first place.
Defining your point brings momentum, and is a valuable tool for countering resistance.
Writing with thematic cohesion
It is not only liberating to define your book's point early on; it helps you write your manuscript with thematic and structural cohesion right from the beginning.
This creates a seamless and propulsive narrative that is as satisfying for you, as author, as it is for the reader.
Your point is the reason people will buy your book
Knowing your unifying idea not only keeps you on track as you write, it ensures that you are always thinking about the reader.
This is absolutely necessary, because the point you are making is why other people will read your book.
This leads us into Step 2...
STEP 2: THE PURPOSE
Defining your reader's transformation journey
Because the purpose of your book is transformation, your big task is to lead your readers through an arc of change.
This is an aspect of non-fiction that many writers fail to take into account: they focus excessively on their unique point of view, forgetting to give adequate consideration to the reader's wants, needs, and hunger for knowledge and illumination.
With my guidance you won't fall into this trap: your book will take your readers on an archetypal journey of transformation that resonates, because they recognise its relevance in their own lives.
You're going to open your readers' eyes, shift their perspective in some significant way, and (most likely) suggest calls to action that will change their way of being in the world.
This is how you will inspire change at the level of culture.... one reader at a time.
Solving a problem for your reader
In order to be most effective, your book should appeal to a question or desire your readers are already carrying inside - whether that's a question of utmost intimacy (a form of internal transformation that they long for), one that addresses the broader culture (urgently needed external change), or both.
Your book will pose a significant question at the start, and answer it by the end.
This way, it will appeal to your reader in specific terms. They'll know at a glance, that your book is right for them, because it offers the answers they are seeking.
Creating author-reader rapport
By considering your readers right from the start, you end up offering them the kind of rewarding, transformative experience that has them feel as if this book was written specifically for them. As if you are whispering your insights into their ear because you know them intimately, and can offer them just the right kind of medicine.
This has surely happened to you as a reader from time to time. You will remember the exquisite feeling it brought of feeling seen, validated and understood. As if you'd been presented with an X-ray of your soul.
When this happens for your readers, they are likely to spread the word about your book through word of mouth - and that is the proven #1 way to sell a book.
Maintaining your creative integrity
Factoring in your readers' wants and needs might feel salesy, manipulative, out of integrity, or anathema to your creativity.
These feelings are common, but actually the process of exploring your readers' needs is incredibly helpful because it guides you into the deeper layers of your intention.
My coaching methodology places a strong emphasis on being faithful to your original creative vision, while also focusing on your reader's arc of change. Getting the balance right gives you book its best shot at awakening the minds of your readers to new possibilities.
STEP 3: POINT & PURPOSE TOGETHER
When you put your point together with your book's purpose, you have your organising principle or 'story spine.' Here, you find the sweet spot between what you have to give and what your readers long to receive.
This puts you on the best possible footing for venturing into the longer-form writing.
IMAGINE THE FEELING...
You will have to ask yourself challenging questions.
It takes dedication to find your story spine. You're going to have to dig deep to find the answers that are true for you.
It's likely this will involve digging into your life purpose or dharma; and this program is carefully curated to help you do this.
Setting yourself up with 'right thinking.'
This process does not promise instantaneous results. It will be iterative. After all, there's nothing small about the subject you're writing about. You're probably challenging belief systems that have grown in power and influence over centuries, and that's deep work.
You might experience an 'aha!' moment at some point during our process that gives you goose-bumps in recognition that you've got your answer. This can happen, but it's more likely you will continue to refine your ideas after we've done our initial, bite-sized work together.
What this offer will do, most importantly, is set you up with right thinking as you embark on your project. You will learn how to ask the right questions.
How fast you move will depend on how far along the path you are already, and how much time and effort you choose to put in.
PRAISE
Catriona helped shepherd a transformation within me, to let go of a book project I’d been working on and to embark on a more raw and personal project.
I believe that Catriona was the only coach who could elicit this dramatic pivot and is the one I trust to make it the book of my dreams.
JANE HARDJONO
Embodiment coach
PRACTICALITIES
YOUR WORKBOOK & SCHEDULE
This mini-program starts with a 2-part workbook to go through in your own time. You'll receive this when you sign up.
The questions and exercises provided will help you to brainstorm about your book's point and purpose in specific and guided ways. The more time and thought you put into your answers, the better.
SUBMITTING YOUR WORK
Once you've done the preparatory work for Part 1, you'll send your working document to me, and we'll have our first coaching call. Then you'll proceed with Part 2, and we'll repeat the process.
COACHING CALLS
Your coaching calls are for looking at your written responses in more detail, exploring the scope and marketability of your idea, and addressing any questions you might have.
INVESTMENT
$497 USD
This offer includes:
* Story Spine 2-part workbook
* 2 x submission deadlines
* 2 x 90 min coaching calls
*Must be completed within 45 days from date of purchase.
PAYMENT:
I'll send you an invoice in advance, for an upfront online payment. While prices are set in USD, payment is possible in €, AUD or GBP on request.
Would you like to make a booking?
Please click the button below.
You can expect to hear from me within 1-2 business days.
I encourage you to read my Do We Fit page before reaching out.
FAQ
For edits and written feedback, we'll use Microsoft Word's 'track changes' function, so it's important you are familiar with this.
For the coaching call, we will use Google Meet. This requires no special subscription or download at your end.
This service is non-refundable. If for unexpected reasons you can't use this full service within 45 days from the time of purchase, please contact me in advance of your expiry date to discuss this.