Take your readers on a heroine's journey



Welcome to 

STORIES WITH SPINE:

Book coaching with Catriona Mitchell.

Bringing the archetypal feminine back to life in today's narratives, to re-balance masculine and feminine in the collective. Because when the story changes, everything else does too.

Book coaching helps you turn your idea into a plan, and your plan into a book. My role is to support you in birthing your most profound vision for your book, with editorial guidance, project management, and emotional support.

Stories with Spine is for you if:

You are an educator, and have a non-fiction book in mind that's rooted in your professional expertise. It will explore the power and mystery of the feminine in all of us - especially the aspects that have been lost or exiled over centuries - with the aim of calling these back into consciousness, conversation and culture. 

You will challenge your readers to re-evaluate the culturally embedded belief systems and narratives they've inherited. Your book will take them on a heroine's journey - or an eco-heroine's journey - into a world reimagined, based on a new kind of co-creative, relational and inter-connected intelligence.


Your narrative aims to heal our cultural separation from the archetypal feminine, one reader at a time.

You see that a reverence for the archetypal feminine is missing from our fast-paced, hyper-productive, left-brain-biased society; that we're distanced from the deep intelligence held within our own bodies, and disconnected from the Earth, with consequences that affect us all.  

You believe that the full spectrum of archetypes is needed for a sustainable future, because this incorporates vital, not optional, organs of our human and collective intelligence. 

You're aware that feminine archetypes have been obscured over eons, from the anthropomorphic to the abstract. From Mother Nature to the goddess of the underworld, from the warrior to the crone, from the cycles of birth, death and rebirth to the wisdom of the womb.

You understand that the gifts in these archetypal patterns of power have been lying dormant in our collective psyche, our stories and our world. It's time to bring them back to life; and you have a role to play in their revival.

On the simplest level, the goddess is the Earth" - Joseph Campbell

You're looking for a guide to help you because:

Your book idea has taken up residence inside you, and won't let you go.

It's time to contribute your knowledge and insights to the cultural conversation. If you don't do this, you'll be letting yourself down in some fundamental way.

However, you recognise that conveying beautiful, culturally disruptive ideas can be difficult. 

You might have been trying to write your manuscript, but keep getting stuck.

You could use the help of a book coach who is sensitive to your subject, who can brainstorm with you, provide editorial feedback and industry insights, help you develop good habits, keep your project on track with deadlines and accountability, and offer creative nurture and support.


Your book addresses such themes as:

  •   Mythology
  •   Archetypes
  •   Mysticism
  •   Eros
  •   Tantra
  •   Nature
  •   The Body
  •   The Sacred

You are an expert in your field, and an educator:

You are scholastic and spiritual. Your book will share insights from your research, as well as from lived experience and perception.


You're already expressing your expertise through teaching, speaking, writing, film-making, consulting and/or coaching. 


Your ideas have been tried and tested over time, including in written form - articles, blogs, essays, or previously published books.


You're highly motivated, ready for a big challenge, and have time to give to this. 


You're passionate about your subject, and would like your message to reach greater numbers via a non-fiction book that supports your education platform, and becomes a vital part of your professional ecosystem.



All the most powerful ideas in history go back to archetypes" - Carl Jung

You are writing transformational non-fiction. Your book could also be categorised as:

Women's studies/spirituality

Cultural history

Mind/body/spirit

Tantric studies

Depth psychology

Ecophilosophy.


Together, we'll work on the pragmatics required to support your creative vision. I work with book development in 5 key steps to help you:

  • Shape and hone your vision for your book;
  • Find an effective and cohesive structure to contain your ideas;
  • Prepare all the elements required for a convincing and professional book proposal;
  • Polish your sample chapters, or a full manuscript, with insightful and actionable editorial feedback;
  • Create a pitching strategy aimed at the literary agents and publishers who are right for you.

    • Fabulous! Your input and reflections are invaluable.

    I look forward to our calls every time. 

    Thanks for being so clear."

    Melanie Swan, UK

    thesacredwomb.com

    YOUR NEXT STEPS

    All of my services are tailored to your unique vision and needs.

     

    1. You're at the ideas stage

    Here, we laser in on the point, purpose and potential of your book idea. This is difficult to do early on, but tremendously helpful. By clarifying what your book is about and its value for the reader, you'll start your project off on a strong footing.

     1. MINI STORY SPINE

    2. You'd like to flesh out your narrative

    You know the breadth and scope of your project, but you're yet to find a structure that works. You'd like to create a detailed book outline before you write your full manuscript, and/or prepare a compelling and professional book proposal to pitch to agents and publishers.

     2. YOUR STORY SPINE
    3. YOUR BOOK PROPOSAL

    4. You're ready to pitch your project

    You've put in the hard work of writing a proposal, and you're ready to send it out into the world. This package focuses on pitching strategy: your query letter, researching literary agents and publishers, and devising your unique pitching plan.

     4. YOUR PITCHING PLAN

    5. You have a full-bodied manuscript

    You have a solid working draft of your book in place (or a significant section.) You're seeking a manuscript assessment, or a more detailed developmental edit, offering feedback on what's working and what isn't at the big-picture level, from an editor who's sensitive to your subject.

     5. EDITING PACKAGES

    Discover how to take your readers on a heroine's journey

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