Novelist to Novelist
“Tell the story you wish someone would tell you.” —Lynn Hightower
You have a vision for your novel. And you need to get the amazing story in your head onto the page.
Novelist to Novelist. That’s how we will work together. Join me in the Hightower Writer’s Sanctuary and I’ll tell you what is working, and what needs work … and coach you on the craft to get there.
- Are you on deadline and your structure is all over the map?
- Are you worried that your plot isn’t working and your book is due in six months?
- Are you trying to turn your screenplay into a novel?
- Have you been gathering rejections, are you are stuck after the first hundred pages, are you roaming the Internet and your head is spinning with a million and one opinions?
We’ll talk things out, so you understand the issues and can make your own conscious, creative decision.
All aspects of Storytelling. I look at every aspect of the storytelling—voice. Craft, structure, clarity. Character journey and pace. Story delivery and reader payoff. I will let you know where you need to improve your craft, right in the manuscript where it happens. Remember that feedback is not a judgment on your talent, it is nothing more – or less – than me pointing out what is working and what is not working . . . and then coaching you on how to make it work.
My best advice. Tell the story you wish someone would tell you. And remember that a reader will forgive you anything if you deliver on Once Upon A Time.
Clients Lynn Has Worked With
Bonnie MacBird—the original writer of the movie Tron, an Emmy-winning writer/producer, and classically trained actor, and author of Sherlock Holmes thrillers Art in the Blood, Unquiet Spirits, Devil’s Due, and The Three Locks.
Rob Reid—author of two cyberthriller novels, Year Zero: A Novel, and After On: A Novel of Silicon Valley.
Veronica Rossi – author of NY Times bestselling book trilogy Under the Never Sky, Riders, and Rebel Spy.
Jennifer Givhan—National Endowment for the Arts and PEN/Rosenthal Emerging Voices fellow, author of novels Trinity Sight and Jubilee.
Online Mentorship
—Rob Reid, Author of Year Zero“I joined the [Lynn's] Writers’ Program several months into writing my first novel, when I realized that despite certain charming attributes, it entirely lacked a plot. After several bruising months and many sleepless nights, my novel had a storyline that I was (and remain) very proud of. Random House bid on it less than a day after receiving the manuscript, and eventually made it their lead science fiction title for the summer of 2012."
Happy Writers
- “I think Lynn Hightower is the best of the best. She works with any genre and is an industry expert with definitive opinions. There’s nothing more infuriating than wishy-washy advice. She gives her professional opinion and then leaves the final decision up to the writer. Lynn taught me how to craft a novel from beginning to end, how to edit, how keep the reader engaged, and elicited a strong writer’s voice. One-dimensional characters now leap off the page. My novel would not exist nor would I have the confidence to take it to market without Lynn Hightower’s expertise and guidance. I hope you know that but for you, Lynn, I’m not sure I would’ve taken this journey at all and I definitely wouldn’t have come this far. You’ve been instrumental in every aspect of Bar None from craft to the writer’s life to publishing. What happens now is a crapshoot. You’re a novelist fairy godmother and a friend.” —Kimberly Reiner
- “Lynn – I know you may think it’s simply part of what you do as a mentor, but I wanted to say “thank you” again for our talk today. The insecurity butterflies were flying fierce, but you have this wonderfully calm ability to say “just stick to the story and you’ll be fine.” I am very grateful for this. If only you could bottle your wisdom up like BBQ sauce and sell it. You’d make a fortune. ;-P Take care!! LKT
- “I was able to do more for my novel in four weeks under Lynn’s mentorship than I did in five years working on it by myself. I went into the mentorship knowing Lynn’s reputation for having an instinct for plot, and she did teach me how to build one scene from another and infuse every paragraph with pacing. But her expertise extends far beyond that. In addition, Lynn’s keen understanding of human nature widened my view of characterization as our discussions ranged from considering a character’s childhood to contemplating matters of faith to exploring the motivation behind contemporary social trends. There is a great deal of conflicting writing advice on the internet, and perhaps the most refreshing aspect of the mentorship for me was Lynn’s ability to cut through the balderdash and tell me what makes a book publishable, all while being extremely supportive of my project every step of the way. ” —William Samuel Bradford, Pushcart Prize Nominee
- “Last Spring, I took a wonderful class with the brilliant Lynn Hightower through UCLA Extension. It was called, “Novel Planning: Bringing Order Out of Chaos.” The course introduced me to a great process for blocking out essential pieces of information before the actual writing. Sort of like going on a cross-country road trip, Lynn’s process showed me how to map out the places I wanted to hit along the way, without needing to commit to an exact route or timeframe. Because of that class, I was able to complete a full-length YA manuscript in a year and a half, which is a pretty quick pace for me, halving the time I spent on my previous novel.” — Veronica Rossi, author of Under the Never Sky.
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