A one-on-one consultation customized for you and your WIP.

This service is essentially a one-on-one writing workshop, customized entirely for you and your work-in-progress. It includes:

A close read of the first 100 pages of your manuscript with an eye for the promise in your premise.

Written feedback on your manuscript, via comments and a 1-2 page letter.

A 60-minute phone/skype consultation during which we'll delve into your goals and intentions for the piece. We'll discuss its strengths, assess areas that need improvement, and...

I'll provide you with personalized, generative writing prompts and exercises to help you in the next phase of your writing journey.

To book or learn more, email me@nataliasylvester.com

About:

Natalia Sylvester is the award-winning author of novels for adults and young adults. CHASING THE SUN was named the Best Debut Book of 2014 by Latinidad and EVERYONE KNOWS YOU GO HOME won an International Latino Book Award and the 2018 Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters. Her third novel, RUNNING, was a 2020 Junior Library Guild Selection, and her fourth, untitled novel is forthcoming in spring 2022 from Clarion Books/HMH.

Natalia's non-fiction has appeared in the New York Times, Bustle, Catapult, Electric Literature, Latina magazine, and McSweeney's Publishing. Her essays have been anthologized in collections such as A MAP IS ONLY ONE STORY and A MEASURE OF BELONGING: WRITERS OF COLOR ON THE NEW AMERICAN SOUTH. She received a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Miami, was a 2021 Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and was formerly a faculty member at the Mile-High MFA program at Regis University.

From Past First Word Workshop Attendees:

"Natalia is an incredible teacher. She’s smart, organized, open, creative, compassionate, yet not afraid to push writers… Or to encourage writers to push themselves. And by 'push' I don’t mean cracking the whip to pump out more words, but rather to investigate ourselves in a deep and vulnerable (yet supported) way. Through her lecture and writing exercises, I realized the exact fear keeping me from writing my new novel is the exact subject that needs to be at the heart of the project. The brain is a sneaky thing, but through the free association prompts and honest conversations, Natalia’s class helped me see what before I couldn’t. I am so grateful, and I can’t wait to take her workshops again." – Shannon Perri

First Words Manuscript Consultation

Editing

Manuscript consultations and developmental edits for novels-in-progress are available on a limited, case-by-case basis.

​This process involves a thorough reading of your manuscript for elements such as character development, plot, pacing, conflict, setting, and all other elements of story. Comments and feedback are provided on the manuscript itself, as well as in an editorial letter. All editing services include a 1-hour Skype consultation to discuss your work and any questions you have regarding feedback.

2 OPTIONS AVAILABLE:

First Words: A close read of the first 100 pages of your manuscript with an eye for the promise in your premise. This is great for those starting out in a new work and needing some guidance, or for those looking for a more economical option. Read more & request to book here.

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Full MS consult: for more information and to receive a quote for your full manscruipt, please fill out this form.​​

OTHER EDITORIAL SERVICES​

• Query letter reviews

• 6-month, 1-on-1 mentorship

• Private workshops for writing groups (via Skype or in-person locally)

For quotes on these and other services, contact Natalia.

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About Natalia

Natalia Sylvester is the award-winning author two novels for adults and a forthcoming young adult novel. CHASING THE SUN was named the Best Debut Book of 2014 by Latinidad and EVERYONE KNOWS YOU GO HOME won an International Latino Book Award and the 2018 Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters. Her third novel, RUNNING will be out in July 2020 from Clarion Books/HMH. A fourth, untitled novel is forthcoming in Spring 2022.

Born in Lima, Peru, Natalia came to the U.S. at age four. During her time studying creative writing at the University of Miami, she completed her senior thesis: a series of linked short stories that evolved into a novel that, eight years and countless rewrites later, was published as her debut novel.

Natalia was a mentor in fiction at the low-residency MFA program at Regis University, a revision mentor at Salem College, and is currently a thesis reader for Texas State University's MFA program. She has also taught creative writing through the Writers' League of Texas, Austin Bat Cave, and the Writing Barn.​

Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, Bustle, Catapult, Electric Literature, Latina magazine, and McSweeney's Publishing. They have also been anthologized in A MAP IS ONLY ONE STORY (Catapult) and are forthcoming in A MEASURE OF BELONGING: WRITERS OF COLOR ON THE NEW AMERICAN SOUTH (Hub City Press) and AOC: THE FEARLESS RISE AND POWERFUL RESONANCE OF ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (St. Martin's Press). She has poetry forthcoming in Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review.

MISCELLANEA

Greatest writing influences: Cristina Garcia and Eduardo Galeano

Approach to teaching + editing: to empower writers to tell the stories they're meant to tell

Passionate about: amplifying the work of marginalized writers

Fascinated by: the role of truth in fiction and fiction in truth

Constantly questioning: the roles of power and privilege in how we teach creative writing

It's going to work like this

I will send you a form to learn more about your business and expectations. This way I will know how to best guide you.

Introduction form

Initial live chat

Mail support

Video calls

In the first video call we will establish the guidelines to follow during our 8 weeks together.

I will set aside one day a week to answer all the questions you send me via email so you have ongoing support throughout the 8 weeks.

We will have a call or video call every fortnight. Each one will be one hour long. During our calls, I will review progress and set the goals for the next session.

This mentoring is between the mentee and mentor: or, you and me. There will be no other people involved.

You will receive an exclusive strategy for your business, designed to meet your specific objectives.

I will set aside one day a week to answer all the questions you send me via email so you have ongoing support throughout the 8 weeks.

Personalized

Weekly email support

1 to 1 mentoring 

Live

You will not receive pre-recorded material. I will be behind every video call and message you receive.