Welcome to Story Therapy

I’m so glad you’re here. I look forward to helping you discover the story you need to tell.

After twenty years of teaching creative writing and ten years of editing authors, including many working at the top of their careers, I know that great work is never the result of a mastery of craft alone. Our best work, our most profound stories, also require discipline and vulnerability. It is always my aim—whether we work together on just one line edit of a short story, in a group course, or if I become the coach that sees you from novel idea to novel-on-submission—to make the space where you can create freely, reflect openly, and find the confidence, joy, and clarity to make your best work yet.

Please scroll down for a list of support options and my current group offerings.

SERVICES

STORY THERAPY

Ever wish you could just talk to someone about the story you’re working on? Get a fresh perspective on a novel idea? These as-needed meetings run between thirty and ninety minutes and, much like traditional therapy, are as much about how you talk about the work as what you are working. Through close, active listening, I can help you reconnect with your intentions, tap new inspiration, and help you plan out the next steps in your writing process.

PERSONALIZED COACHING

Are you working on a longer form project? Have you been stuck in a chapter for too long? Do you want to deepen your craft skills, but loathe sharing work in progress with everyone in a writing course? Personalized coaching is the best way to make meaningful and measurable progress toward your writing goals. Book a free consultation so we can discuss how I might best support you.

EDITORIAL SUPPORT

I offer editorial support for short stories, story collections, screenplays, novels, and occasionally memoirs. Most often writers come to me in need of a developmental edit. This means I am reading a draft of work in which a writer feels stuck or that they’ve lived in too longer and can no longer see clearly. Through margin notes, some line editing, and an editorial letter, I show them what their story is through fresh eyes and identify the revisions that are needed to bring the work to its fullest potential.

I am always teaching (and learning). There is a list of ongoing craft and generative writing workshops below. If you don’t see what you’re looking for right now, please sign up for my mailing list to stay informed about new offerings.

WRITING WORKSHOPS

APPLICATION / QUERY REVIEW

Ready to query agents? Apply for an MFA or an artist’s residency? I’ll review your materials and ensure you’ve discussed your work and aspirations for the greatest impact — and crossed your Is and dotted your Ts. ( ;

  • TESTIMONIALS

    “It's no exaggeration to call Kate my manuscript's fairy godmother -- her guidance through the querying process not only gave me the confidence, clarity, and tact needed to land my dream agent, but she provided an invaluable sense of safety, care and camaraderie in an otherwise lonely and terrifying process. Whether it's a developmental edit, a query letter review, or first chapter polish, I cannot recommend her services enough.”

    — Dan Robert, TV Writer & Producer (Nine Perfect Strangers, The Baby-Sitters Club) and a debut novel coming soon!

  • TESTIMONIALS

    "Kate approaches her courses with invaluable personal experience, unwavering passion, and a genuine dedication to safe, respectful, and caring environments to an extent I've never experienced in any other workshop. Kate is one of those rare instructors who impacts your writing for the rest of your career, which, for me, unearthed a passion and zeal for writing I had been convinced was lost forever."

    — Robert Del Mauro, former fiction workshop student

  • TESTIMONIALS

    “Kate’s instinct for identifying plot problems is nothing short of miraculous. Give her a tangled mess, and she’ll find the thread — spotting connections and helping weave your ideas into a beautiful and airtight story. She helped me create a narrative that worked, with real, multifaceted characters. I can say with total confidence that Middlehood is a far stronger screenplay because of Kate’s insight and guidance.”

    — Ali McGrath, Screenwriter, “Middlehood,” a Semi-finalist at the Austin Film Festival & the Page International Screenwriting Awards 

  • TESTIMONIALS

    “Kate is my ideal reader—insightful, precise, inspiring. She asks the questions that get a piece to its deeper meanings. And Kate looks at sentences and structure, she’s detailed in the best ways, and she loves working with writers!” 

    — Kelly Sather, author of Small in Real Life, Winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize

Upcoming and Ongoing Workshops

  • The Author's Workshop, Intermediate

    Tuesdays, 6/16 - 8/25 7:30-9:00PM

    A virtual workshop, limited to 8 authors.

    Perfect for authors who feel they have a solid grasp of the craft of fiction writing but who want a community that will create fresh insight into their work and inspire them to take their writing to the next level. Week one we will meet to familiarize ourselves, do some generative writing exercises, and establish parameters for “An Author’s Workshop” format (centering the author’s intentions, giving them an active roll in the discussion of their work). Weeks two through nine, we will workshop one author’s short story or chapter, up to 6k words. Every author receives thorough written feedback from me as well as their peers. This course also supports authors in identifying which feedback is and isn’t in the interest of their creative intentions. If you have any questions about this course, please feel free to reach out.

    Sign Up

  • Be Here, Write Now : Summer Session One

    Fridays, 10am-12pm EST, starting June 12th - July 10th.

    This generative writing & accountability group. There are no submissions, no critique, just a dedicated time and space to center your writing. If the week got away from you, Friday morning, you hit pause and you will center your writing with me. Feel welcomed, focused, and inspired by both the conversation and the curated writing prompts that I bring each week based on the previous week’s conversations/craft concerns. Come in your pajamas, hide in the break room at work, or let the ice cream melt in the market parking lot. For the next five weeks you will center your writing for at least two hours, every Friday morning. Get in a writing groove before the weekend craziness. Sign up for five weeks now and get the first slots when BHWN session two opens. Limited to 12 authors.

    Sign Up

  • Indie Author's Workshop

    Ongoing, Sunday Nights, 7:00pm-9:00pm

    Limited to former students or editorial clients. This fiction workshop is usually at capacity (8 authors max), but if you are interested in joining us, please let me know via the contact form as spaces do open!

    Express Interest

  • The Author's Workshop for Advanced Writers

    Thursdays, 4/19 - 6/11, 7:00 - 9:00PM

    A virtual workshop offered through the Center for Fiction

    This course is ideal for anyone considering, currently enrolled in, or recently graduated from an MFA program, as well as writers with previous workshop experience seeking a fresh perspective on their work. Workshopping will begin in the second week of the course, so writers should already have a draft for a story or novel chapter in progress (up to 5,000 words max) that they know can benefit from peer feedback.

    Each writer will submit work twice over the course of our ten weeks. With each submission, you will also provide an “Author’s Request Letter” (the structure and intent of which will be outlined in Week One) that helps guide the conversation about your work. The second submission can be a revision of the previous piece or a new story or chapter—whichever feels like the best use of your workshop time.

    Craft discussions in this course will stem organically from workshop submissions. Students should plan to dedicate 3–5 hours to reading and annotating their peers’ work in addition to their own writing practice.

    Sign Up

Great News from Friends & Former Students

A book deal report with the title 'ALL GOOD MEN' by Libby Flores, published by Unnamed Press, dated December 16, 2025.

Congratulations, Libby Flores! My student at UCLA many moons ago, Libby has SOLD her debut, ALL GOOD MEN! A pre-order link as soon as it pubs, but in the meantime, you can learn from her. Find Libby here.

Cover of the book "Black Moses" by Caleb Gayle, with a teal background and the title in large black letters. The book subtitle, publisher, and a sticker indicating a national book award are also visible.

Congratulations to Caleb Gayle on BLACK MOSES being longlisted for the National Book Award! Caleb was already an award-winning journalist when I had the pleasure of editing his novel-in-progress as a mentor for The Center for Fiction’s Emerging Writers Fellowship program. Learn more about Caleb’s work here.

Book cover titled 'Stories for Grown-up Girls' with a white background and an illustration of a colorful parrot sitting on a small wooden chair.

Congratulations to Gloria Rodriguez-Gil on the publication of her short story collection, STORIES FOR GROWN-UP GIRLS. Order here.

Send me your news!