It takes 90 days to establish a lasting practice. Together, we’ll build the rhythms and rituals that transform scattered writing sessions into steady, meaningful progress on your manuscript.
Duration: 3 months
3 months of habit-setting meetings with your writing coach
A sustainable writing practice tailored to your natural rhythms
Regular feedback to strengthen both craft and confidence
Practice using tools to move through normal resistance
Deep understanding of your creative process so you can trust yourself to keep going
Substantial manuscript progress
In this foundational 60-minute session, your writing coach will assess and refine your book concept, whether you’re starting with a rough idea, have already mapped out your content, or find yourself stuck in the middle of your manuscript. Together, we’ll identify the core elements of your story, spot potential development opportunities, and address any structural concerns or roadblocks that will guide our ongoing work together as you move forward.
We don’t believe in cookie-cutter processes, so we identify whether you work best with structured outlines or intuitive exploration. Your coach will evaluate your creative habits and deliver a written analysis suggesting the ideal mix of structure versus flexibility for your particular manuscript, and will outline the next phases of your journey with us.
This is where we map out your actual writing life. In this focused 60-minute conversation, your coach will help you uncover your authentic creative rhythms and build a system that works with your brain. Some writers thrive with comprehensive plans laid out in advance; others need to explore their way through the story. Most exist somewhere in the middle, and we’ll locate your ideal balance.
Together, we’ll create:
This session establishes the groundwork for everything ahead. Instead of cramming you into a predetermined formula, we construct a personalized structure just for you. By the time we finish, you’ll understand exactly how to proceed without the paralysis that derails so many writers at the starting line.
Throughout your program, you’ll receive one hour per week of focused attention from your writing coach. Use it for real-time discussions when you’re wrestling with a difficult scene, or ask for written critique when you’re prepared to examine your work more closely. Most writers find a cadence that fits them: maybe weekly meetings centered on live page reviews, or alternating sessions with written feedback in the gaps between.
Your writing coach will:
We’ve observed that every writer’s approach is distinct—some require the structure of consistent meetings, others excel with intensive, concentrated attention on their work. Some produce in rapid sprints, others through measured daily output. Your coach will guide you toward whatever method generates pages.
As your first step with Hewes House, you will have the opportunity to speak with our Founder, Josh Boardman, on a 15-minute phone call, during which you’ll dive into your goals, writing history, and work preferences. We’ll cover questions such as:
We will use our Founder consultation call to determine which of our writing coaches will be the best fit for your project, as well as if we think our services can be a good fit for your process. Our system isn’t for everyone, and if we think that you would be better served elsewhere, we will happily refer you to a service or company who will better suit your needs.
Based on your consultation call, we’ll match you with the writing coach best suited to your project, working style, and goals. You’ll connect with your coach to begin building the creative partnership that will guide the next stages of your writing journey.
The right coach-author relationship is essential to your success—our matching process ensures you’re paired with your ideal creative partner from day one.
This is where your collaboration begins in earnest.
In this foundational 60-minute session, your writing coach will assess and refine your book concept, whether you’re starting with a rough idea, have already mapped out your content, or find yourself stuck in the middle of your manuscript.
Together, we’ll identify the core elements of your story, spot potential development opportunities, and address any structural concerns or roadblocks that will guide our ongoing work together as you move forward. By the end, you and your coach will have a shared understanding of what you’re building and why it matters—the foundation for the writing practice you’ll develop over the next three months.
Now that your coach understands your book concept and creative style, it’s time to map out your path forward. This collaborative session focuses on translating what we’ve learned about you and your project into a concrete plan for the months ahead.
Your coach will help you establish realistic writing goals, identify potential obstacles before they derail you, and create accountability structures that fit your schedule and personality. We’ll also determine how to best use your coaching time going forward: whether you’ll benefit more from regular check-ins, intensive manuscript feedback, or a combination approach.
By the end of this session, you’ll have a clear roadmap for your writing journey and feel confident about taking those crucial first steps toward your completed manuscript.
Now comes the practice itself: showing up to write between (or even during!) your coaching sessions. These check-ins help you figure out what’s actually working in your routine versus what you thought would work. Your coach will help you adjust your schedule, troubleshoot specific obstacles you’re facing, and identify the conditions that make writing feel possible—or impossible.
You’ll discover your authentic writing rhythm through trial and refinement. Some sessions focus on craft issues, others on time management, motivation, or simply getting back into a groove after missing a few days. Your coach responds to wherever you are in your process.
Over time, these regular check-ins become the backbone of a sustainable writing practice.
Every few sessions during your program, you and your coach will meet to assess what’s working and what needs adjustment. By this point, you’ve gathered data about your writing process, and your coach will help you identify which habit structures are serving you and which need modification.
Maybe your morning routine isn’t working because you’re not a morning person. Maybe 3-hour-long sessions feel overwhelming, but 15-minute sprints are surprisingly productive. And if your writing practice is feeling stale or you’re losing momentum, your coach will help you experiment with changes, like switching from typing to handwriting, finding a new location, or trying different times of day. Together, you’ll discover how small changes to your routine can transform your relationship with the writing itself.
(optional)
Different writers work at different paces, and that’s completely normal. Some need more time to fully cement their writing practice, while others want continued coaching support as they work toward completing their manuscript. If you need additional months beyond the initial three, you can extend your program for a monthly fee.
Extended months include the same support structure: weekly coaching sessions, ongoing accountability, and your coach’s continued guidance as you work toward your goals. Many of our most successful authors have used program extensions, and they often tell us that the extra time allowed them to build stronger, more sustainable routines. Feel free to ask your writing coach about their opinion on your best path forward—we don’t try to retain our clients if it would better suit them to go it alone, and we’re more invested in the writing process than we are in extending our coaching programs.
Habit Starter is the perfect program for people who aren’t exactly sure what they want to write yet—we’re more than happy to work with our writers on short pieces that help them discover where they want to invest their time. MFA programs teach short stories and essays for a reason!
Once you finish your Habit Starter program, you should be equipped to continue writing until you finish your project. You will receive a discount to join our Community membership, which includes weekly write-togethers, and if you want more time with your coach, program extensions are available.
We’re obsessed with one thing: getting your specific book written. Not working through predetermined course modules, not freelancing piecemeal coaching sessions, not preparing you for an academic career. Your book, from the idea in your head to a completed first draft. Everything we do serves that goal. Your coach becomes intimately familiar with your manuscript, your voice, and your creative process. You’re not rotating through different instructors or competing for attention in workshops. Your coach is with you every step of the way and guides you through the specific challenges your book presents. In return, we ask for a commitment from you to finish what you start. Other programs won’t ask that. Our writers finish their books. Not someday, not when they feel ready, not after they’ve completed all the modules. They finish because when you’re obsessed with one thing, you get really good at making it happen.
Based on your consultation call, we’ll match you with the writing coach best suited to your project, working style, and goals. The right coach-author relationship is essential to your success—our matching process ensures you’re paired with your ideal creative partner from day one.
Our writing coaches are active professionals in the writing and publishing world. Each coach has either taught at the best MFA programs in the country or is a widely published author in their own right. Hewes House brings real-world experience from the industry’s front lines. Many of our coaches work as teachers, literary agents, publishers, or editors in addition to their coaching and writing work. This means they understand not just the creative process, but also what it takes to get a book into readers’ hands. You can review detailed bios and publishing credentials for each of our coaches on our team page [link to team page]. When we match you with a coach during your consultation call, you’ll see exactly why we think they’re the perfect fit for your project.
Absolutely no problem. Your coaching time is flexible throughout the 3-month program, and your 1 hour per week allotment is a suggested pace based on our years of coaching experience. Some weeks you might need two intensive sessions when you hit a challenging section, other weeks you might need a break for vacation. However, your allotted hours expire 6 weeks after your program’s estimated completion date. We’ve learned that open-ended timelines often become an excuse to avoid the challenging work of building consistent habits. We make exceptions for genuine circumstances like medical emergencies or family crises, but the structure ensures you actually establish your writing practice rather than letting it linger.
Though rare (our matching process is thorough), we can facilitate a coach change if needed. We’ll help you transition to a different coach while maintaining your progress and timeline. Your success matters more than any individual coaching relationship.
Just a computer, reliable internet for video calls via Zoom, and whatever word processor you prefer. We’ll share documents through email or Google Drive, whatever works best for you. No special software or technical expertise required.
As our Habit Starter program requires significant commitment up front from both our clients and our coaches, we aren’t able to offer refunds after 14 days have passed since you have paid your invoice.
Habits are hard! Sometimes you need to mix things up from time to time to keep your writing practice alive. Don’t get discouraged, and adopt an “anything that works” attitude.
You are allotted one hour per week with your writing coach, however you choose to use it. If you find weekly meetings cumbersome to your schedule, feel free to work asynchronously with your coach, sending pages and getting feedback that way.
Stop waiting for inspiration and start building a practice.
Book your founder consultation call to establish the writing routine that will carry you from scattered intentions to finished pages.