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Overcoming Writing Roadblocks
Working with Valentina Woodson as an Accountability Partner has been invaluable to my process. I found myself stuck, and with Valentina’s encouragement and excellent advice, I was able to progress to the finishing point–a feat that seemed almost impossible for a long time. She is professional but fun, light-hearted, approachable, and provides thoughtful, well-informed advice. It was this advice that helped me leap over that final hurdle and type the blessed words “THE END!”
I couldn’t be happier with Valentina’s services, and I would recommend her to anyone in a similar writing “predicament.”
Melissa Devaney
March 24, 2025
Encouraging and Helpful Feedback
I sent her what I called a practice query because I’m not done writing my novel. She loved the premise and gave me pointers on my query, how to make it better. She also directed me to a site that will help me write a synopsis when the time comes. Caitlin was friendly and very helpful.
Mona Mehas
March 24, 2025
Professional and Actionable Feedback
Hannah’s feedback was professional, specific, and actionable. She actively listened to what I needed, shared feedback efficiently, and offered suggestions that matched my exerpience level. I thoroughly enjoyed working with her.
Lisa Ellison
March 24, 2025
Concrete and Practical Advice
Melissa always gives great, concrete advice and is incredibly helpful! I highly recommend her!
Elisabeth Aikins
March 24, 2025
Motivating and Informative Workshop
I took part in Fiona Kenshole’s Picture Book workshop and had the most wonderful experience. Fiona is clearly a seasoned pro in the writing world. Not only was she incredibly knowledgeable, but she was able to convey the information in a way that was fun and inspirational. I walked away from the experience, more motivated and better prepared to write, revise and pursue publishing.
Whether you are a new or seasoned writer, trying to get published or write as a hobby, a workshop from The Manuscript Academy is a must. And I would highly recommend Fiona Kenshole if you have a chance to take one of her classes or book a consultation or critique.
Tricia Larsen
March 24, 2025
Clarifying Book Structure and Focus
I have been having a hard time nailing down what I wanted to call my book about myself. It isn’t really a memoir. I have been calling it a hybrid! Kayla helped me realize it’s more of a book of personal essays, and how to organize them, what to take out, and what to do with what I take out. She was very helpful.
Mona Mehas
March 24, 2025
Real Feedback for Querying
I really enjoyed my conversation with Caitlin. Ten minutes is a long time to hold your breath or wait for an elevator, but it goes by in an instant when youÃre doing a query pitch! That being said, we had a great talk and I left the conversation with some real tangible feedback I think I can apply to my future queries. One of the tough things about sending out queries is you often get a ‘no thank you’ but without really knowing what to fix or how. It’s great real feedback from an agent in the industry and I hope that I can take that feedback to start getting a ‘yes’ on my manuscript in the future.
Adam Lemcio
March 24, 2025
Inspiring and Constructive Workshop
Fiona is a experienced editor and agent who manages to be inspiring and enthusiastic while also giving excellent constructive feedback. I got a lot out of her workshop! Due to her course’s welcoming and inclusive atmosphere, all of us who participated ended up even forming a critique group at the end.
Elayne Crain
March 24, 2025
Helpful and Succinct Critique
I had the opportunity to meet with the editor, Molly Cusick, to discuss my query and first ten pages of my middle grade manuscript. She was prompt, kind and knowledgeable. Fifteen minutes goes by very quickly, but she was able to give me helpful and succinct feedback on my writing. She was gracious enough to answer a few questions concerning appropriateness of content, and writing for middle grade, in general. Overall, a great experience and highly recommend.
CAROL WILLIS
March 24, 2025
Confidence in Manuscript Submission
I recently had a critique with Linda Camacho and I found it to be very helpful. She started by asking background about my story and offered some great insight on my query letter. She helped to confirm the manuscript is ready for submission which I had some doubts about. She asked thoughtful questions about my manuscript while also making sure she addressed any questions I had about the manuscript, the industy etc. I found her comments overall to very insightful. I’d definitely recommend choosing her to critique your manuscript.
Nancy Parish
March 24, 2025
Thorough Feedback and Great Ideas
I had a great consultation with Amanda! I went into it without specific questions and didn’t really know what kind of feedback I wanted. She was very thorough, took her time offering me comments, and gave me chances to ask questions throughout. We stuck to the time parameters, but she made it feel like we had the time in the world. I wound up with great ideas and info I can use to move forward – real gems!
Heather Schwartz
March 24, 2025
Clear Plan and Encouragement
Jennifer was INCREDIBLE! Her easy, personable manner put me at ease and never made me feel rushed. I felt like I was talking to an old friend.
Jennifer provided extremely helpful and specific advice to help me with my proposal and writing. She was also very encouraging and offered a clear plan of action for me to take. This was VERY helpful because I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately. She put a good bit of wind in my sails.
I LOVE Jennifer, I hope she’ll have me again for another session.
Kevin McDermott
March 24, 2025