Integrate writing into your life in sustainable, lasting ways 
Direct your passion into focused action & mastery of craft Become a better writer on your own terms, for life Know what to change, why to change it, & how Finish projects with confidence, accountability, & a sense of accomplishment
Now accepting applications for the 2023-24 season!
Program runs September 2023 – March 2024 and features two faculty: Katey Schultz (founder) and Des Cooper. Apply below or contact me to set up a pro bono consult. Applications accepted on a rolling basis and program fills quickly.
Who is Monthly Mentorship For?
This program is for dedicated writers* and published authors, working toward completion of a manuscript or seeking a fresh approach for stalled projects. If you have an existing, strong relationship with writing but know that you learn best with accountability, professional support, and structure—you will thrive in Monthly Mentorship and shave years off the time it takes to publication.
*If you don’t have a current project or amassed pages, but can demonstrate passion, skill, and enthusiasm—there’s space for you, too. Contact me to talk about unique groups forming for our 2023-24 season.
Too many writers spend years in mid-level workshops or attending conferences that bring them close to literary stars, getting mixed results. These same writers often take copious notes, receive mountains of suggestions, and feel charged with new ideas…only to return to their desks confused by conflicting feedback, or at a loss for how to get “back into” their current project. Leap off the hamster wheel and join a community of disciplined, curious, kind, skilled writers determined to stop depending upon others for the rest of their writing lives.
There is so much more that a writer can do on their own, before paying for line-level feedback, seeking beta readers, or attending pitch workshops. This program offers a pedagogically designed, effective approach to helping writers become their own best decision-makers.
Whether you’re working on one story, a collection of stories or essays, a memoir, or a novel, Monthly Mentorship will take you through a customized process to become a better writer, deepening your engagement with the practice of writing and teaching you how to get “under the under” of what you drafts are really trying to say.
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"If there's one thing I've loved about Mentorship so far, it's the space Katey gives to us to feel comfortable being where we are, as well as the support and tools we need to keep pushing forward. It's honestly a gift to have someone like that in your corner--thank you, thank you, thank you! This is just what I needed as I was resetting my goals for the next year."
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“ The mentorship program has not only been inspiring; it has been central to my life—one of the most meaningful endeavors I’ve ever committed to."
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"I am feeling so invigorated to tackle revisions. It is amazing! I had previously thought about them and wanted to groan and maybe even roll my eyes at my own words. Now I'm interested and curious to see what I will find in my other pieces, and where they will take me. What a gift this is! I've said before that my hope for Monthly Mentorship was to give me structure and pollinate my brain with new ideas. And it is working! With your instruction, I am learning how to nurture my creative self while also gaining a more complete understanding of craft techniques that I may have used instinctively (or not used at all!), but never put thought into the why. I have more respect for and insight into my own process as a writer. I'm so thankful to be a part of this community."
Fall in love with revision.
Learn how to name your blind spots and coach yourself through uncertainty.
Feel what it means to be a discerning writer.
Expand your confidence to blend craft, imaginative powers, and the structural components of prose to create your best writing to date.
Gain the endurance necessary to live the writing life with joy and accomplishment.
THE BREAKDOWN
Monthly Mentorship is a seven-month program (September 2023 – March 2024, with December “off” for optional consults, livewriting, and integration exercises). Cohorts of about 10 writers work directly with Katey or a Guest Faculty and are uniquely assigned to a section that suits their development, learning style, and current goals. Opportunities for one-on-one email, phone, or text plus occasional excerpts of writing or check-ins are clearly explained and peppered throughout the seven-month journey. This celebrated program uses Zoom, Thinkific, email, phone, and PDF texts to provide the following experiences each month:
The first week of each month, you will receive a deeply pedagogical Integration Assignment that helps you apply thinking to language and bring shape and energy to your writing. Through these assignments, you will learn how to get more out of your drafts and reach your final version with more confidence, clarity, and skill. Benefit first-hand as you identify your own approach to your drafts using Katey’s unique methodology as a springboard. Integration Assignments will be the bulk of your work for this program, in addition to your own writing time. Plan on 3-5 hours a month devoted to these assignments, their application, and solidification.
Each Integration Assignment includes:
- Instruction sheet with reflective exercises, reading list (all texts provided), and prompts.
- Craft lecture video that directly addresses that month’s key concept (Curious about each month’s topics? Contact me).
- PDF versions of all required texts, plus occasional bonus links, handouts, or other resources.
Office Hours (45-90 minutes long) is an opportunity to gather with Katey and your cohort via Zoom. Ask a line-level editing question, a big picture publishing question, reflect on creative blocks or craft challenges, get clarification, dig deep into the Integration Assignment texts, and more. Office Hours include opportunities to share your screen or read from an excerpted work-in-progress to explain a specific problem, seek answers, and reference existing models.
Join Katey and your cohort for the Livewriting accountability sessions. There are (3) 75-minute sessions throughout the week. Once you enter via Zoom, the group will check-in very briefly, then write together in silent support. You’ll be blown away by the energy that Livewriting brings to your creative practice, not to mention how time flies. Show up, write together, debrief for a few minutes, sign off, and keep at it. This experience is both casual and profoundly effective, providing a truly humanizing, day-to-day picture of the ebbs and flows of the real writing life.
Gather for a two-hour Master Class with Katey and your cohort, via Zoom, to share key insights or quandaries related to that month’s Integration Assignment. Work through guided questions with your assigned partner, discuss sample texts or writing by your peers, go deeper into that month’s craft focus, and find out together how to tackle some of the biggest hurdles writers face today.
Literary Picnics:
These casual, surprisingly social gatherings on Zoom have proven to be a highlight of the program. You have to experience it, to “get it,” but each picnic typically includes an opening freewrite, meditation, or prompt, followed by breakout rooms that foster connection and lend a humanizing component to the invisible day-to-day realities of our writing (and working, parenting, teaching, family-ing, retired-ing) lives!
Email or quick-call access:
Email Katey at any time with a quick question, insight, concern, or request for more information. Prefer phone? Request a quick chat and talk, writer to writer, on the fly. While many writers have been taught to “go it alone” or “not bother” their teachers or peers, Monthly Mentorship engenders a spirit of sharing, communication, and authenticity that encourages checking in as needed. Leave guilt or head trips at the door, and text your teacher in real-time to get the support you need as you gain more and more endurance and discernment in your writing life.
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"This program is amazing. Katey provides craft lessons, video lectures, readings and writing prompts that focus on specific aspects of fiction and nonfiction writing and revision strategies. We meet on a regular basis for deeper learning and group discussions. Katey's support and instruction has made a world of difference for me. I'm generating new work and deeply revising previously written pieces with a new eye for craft, meaning, and impact. I highly recommend Monthly Mentorship to any serious writer who is eager to dig in and take their work to the next level."
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"Monthly Mentorship has far exceeded my expectations in terms of the huge download of writing craft knowledge I've received (I had no idea how much I didn't know.) Amazing! Katey's program has also given me insight into the writing process, showing me that 'productivity' and 'output' are not the best gauges for writing progress."
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"From this Mentorship approach, I continually learn how to be a better writer. Improvement is automatic now; part of my life. What we've studied and shared is so much more concrete than the years of workshops I've done. To be supported and have content from Mentorship that deepens my understanding of the components of how writing really integrates into consciousness is so powerful."
How It Works
Mentorship begins with a chance to tell me more about yourself as a writer. Fill out this questionnaire* online, or email it as a Word attachment. Early inquiries are strongly encouraged as the program fills quickly. I’ll send you a confirmation message, along with an approximate response time. The next season begins in September 2023.
*Returning MM writers: message me for a customized questionnaire directed specifically to our continued work together and new craft content curated just for you.
If we’re a good fit, mentorship begins with an intro to the other writers and a technology training session with my project manager. She will make sure you understand how to use the free programs that support Monthly Mentorship: Zoom (video streaming), and Thinkific (our learning platform and private community).
Over the course of any given month, we will interact in various ways. Like writing, this experience is fluid.
- No matter what, you will always be able to contact me and the Guest Faculty by email or phone, for the entirety of the program. You will also have the support of the tight-knit, skilled group, as you progress toward your goals and the completion of this enriching program.
- Every Master Class and Office Hours session will be recorded, in case you have a schedule conflict. These recordings are yours to access forever. Dates/times for Master Class and Office Hours are shared 3-4 months in advance of your program start date. If you have specific concerns about timing, I can explain this in further detail before you apply; simply email me to set up a pro bono consultation.
- The Livewriting sessions will not be recorded, but you are free to share about your accountability and progress in other ways, should you be unable to make a session.
- Whether you are in a Cohort with Katey or a Guest Faculty as your teacher, you will always interact with Katey at all Livewriting, Literary Picnics, and other email opportunities, in addition to having full access to the Guest Faculty for any given year.
- You will participate live on Zoom with Katey or your Guest Faculty for your monthly Office Hours and Master Class. However, you also always have access to recordings from your cohort plus any additional cohorts–giving you a chance to double your learning from more than one Faculty if you so choose. All recordings are downloadable and yours to keep forever.
And here’s the most important part of “how it works”:
It works through your devotion to your writing and your project, through your trust in the methodology that I have tried and tested for a decade, and through your openness to learning from others. It works through the expertise you bring to the group, too, and through your belief that by articulating your own growth and challenges to a small audience of other writers, you are, in fact, becoming a better writer in real time. Show up to this program with your full heart, and I’ll offer you the same kind of heart and precision right back.
Monthly Mentorship Cost
$3,850
BIPOC and Veteran writers, please click here to learn about a generous financial award for participation in this program.
Additionally, any writer experiencing financial hardship may reach out about scholarship or payment plan opportunities.
$500 deposit is due upon acceptance. Balance due October 1, 2023.
Take the First Step!
Start by emailing Katey and setting up a pro bono call to chat about your questions.
Here are a few common questions writers have about Monthly Mentorship. Take the leap and email me for a pro bono conversation!
Why do I need to complete a questionnaire & submit a writing sample?
I’m not working on a full manuscript. I often write in a number of genres. Can your program still help me reach my goals?
What if I’m not a big fan of tech or video streaming, or have to miss a video aspect of the program?
If you’re not looking at my pages for line-level critique, how will I know I’m becoming a better writer?
I’d like to speak with a writer currently enrolled or who has recently finished Monthly Mentorship, can you put me in touch with someone?<
Final Considerations
I enjoy mentoring writers and find a great deal of personal and professional fulfillment in our work together. While I understand my role as teacher and guide is to draw as much as possible out of you, I also feel that mentoring via distance has the most powerful impact when it is met with a deep desire to commit to the practice of writing–which includes so much more than putting words on the page, or revising what’s already drafted. Not everyone can give themselves over to the writing life full time, but everyone can create the conditions for the writing life within the space of a few focused minutes or hours. I view our work together as a brave, exciting experiment.
