I am a manuscript consultant and creative writing coach, who specializes in fiction, from the short story to the novel—especially the novel.

My services go beyond performing the typical manuscript doctor diagnosis—crossing off from a what-makes-for-a-great-story checklist—so to speak.

Of course I will be on the lookout for problems with style and syntax, telling rather than showing, point of view inconsistencies, characters that feel typecast or two dimensional, flat dialogue…etc.

I will also be on the lookout for the tougher areas that often leave writers feeling stumped: structure, pacing, flow and clear premise.

I will also take note of the weedy patches in your manuscript where the story feels flat or predictable—or where I—to quote my favorite mentor—"fell out of the dream."

HOWEVER, my services will extend toward helping you break through the symptoms of writer’s block such as: procrastination, resistance, difficulty making decisions, the creative impasse, boredom, the inner critic run amok, crowd pleasing (as opposed to hearing the inner voice of inspiration), obsessing over outcomes rather than trusting the process—and any other areas that may not only trigger artist anxiety but be standing in the way of project completion. This is my forte!

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With over 14 years of consulting and teaching experience, Amy Laprade received her MFA in fiction from Sarah Lawrence College and is the author of “So Nice To Finally Meet You…,” “Behind the Magic 8 Ball,” and “Silence Is Premeditated: A Collection.”

Her stories and poems have appeared in Silkworm, Canyon Voices, Plum Literary Journal, Meat for Tea: the Valley Review, The Awakenings Review, Write Angles Journal and more.

She was the Winner of the Michael Doherty award in creative writing, and a finalist for the Medical Literary Messenger in 2018. She received an Honorable Mention from the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Short Story Contest.

She is a member of Main Street Writers and the Straw Dog Writer’s Guild, and is currently hard at work on a short story collection.

So Nice to Finally Meet You...

Estranged from her parents, fifteen-year-old Gina Laramee longs to understand her family roots and to have a normal, loving relationship with her mentally unstable Aunt Elaine, since Elaine is the closest thing to a mother Gina has and is in fact closer than Gina realizes.

Behind the Magic 8 Ball

Jumpy Jess and Flighty Faith—two self-proclaimed wildlife activists—conspire to stop a fast food juggernaut from being built on Jesse’s childhood stomping ground: a cherished whiffle ball field and habitat to the Zebra-tailed lizard. There’s just one problem….

Silence is Premeditated: A Collection

Silence Is Premeditated explores the duality of the human soul: the black and the white—and the gray area in between, when confronted with the choice to remain silent or to accept accountability—to rise to the challenge during unprecedented times—and then take a deep breath and laugh a little during life’s quieter moments.

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