Story Mastermind: FAQ
Q: What is Story Mastermind?
Story Mastermind isn’t just a lecture, a book, a handout, a one-time workshop weekend, an online class, or a conference presentation. It combines the magic of small group feedback with the intimate friendships and partnerships that develop over the course of an MFA program. Except we’re doing it in five months, not two years, and you still get exactly the same deliverable at the end—a complete novel or a strong portfolio of picture books.
Layered on top is expert instruction and publishing industry insider insights at every step of the process. Best of all, it can all be done remotely, from the comfort of your own life. And the investment, all told, is much less than the average graduate-level program.
There’s nothing exactly like this, which is why we created it.
Q: What kind of writers can apply to the Story Mastermind?
We welcome applicants to the:
Novel Mastermind (Four Students): If you have a work in progress or a fully outlined novel idea
Picture Book Mastermind (Six Students): If you have at least two completed picture book manuscripts, ideally with more ideas in your creative pipeline
Outline Intensive (Eight Students): If you have a novel idea that needs rigorous outlining
For our purposes, we want to keep picture books and novels to a reasonable length, so that all participants have equal time devoted to their work in the mastermind group setting. If someone’s novel is twice as long as everyone else’s, for example, the group dynamic may be compromised.
Ideal novel manuscripts will be approximately 60,000 words long, and ideal picture book manuscripts should be approximately 1,000 words, or fewer, each. Higher word counts in your portfolio may be subject to additional fees, as they will incur more editorial focus from our team.
“It genuinely feels like you’ve handed me a golden compass so I can trek off in the right direction now to ultimately find buried treasure. I’m so excited to not be wandering around aimlessly on this story any more. I can move forward on it now with confidence.”
Q: What will I have in my portfolio by the end of my Story Mastermind experience?
Each writer in each Story Mastermind cohort will have, at the end of their session:
Novel Mastermind: A complete, line edited novel manuscript draft with comprehensive comments from the editor faculty and the group. While your project may require some revision, your idea will be pressure-tested and fully workshopped, and you can forge ahead easy, knowing all the hard thinking and decision-making for a particular idea has already been done.
Picture Book Mastermind: Five complete, fully workshopped, and line-edited picture book manuscripts. Agents and publishers want to see at least two or three stunning picture book submissions if they’re interested. Here, you will leave with a complete portfolio. We will also spend time working on submission strategy, questions of illustration approach, and a many more considerations of this very specific children’s publishing category.
Outline Intensive: A complete and fully workshopped novel outline that you can immediately start writing from, created over the course of twelve weeks and workshopped in three rounds for each student.
Your manuscript will receive feedback from the other writers in your cohort (up to five peers for novelists, and up to seven peers for picture book writers and outline students) as well as up to one round of feedback from the editorial staff. Outline members will be workshopped three times.
Q: How can I apply?
For the Novel Masterminds, you will be asked to submit a twenty-page writing sample for novel consideration (this must be from the novel you want to workshop, and you will ideally send the first twenty pages) as well as a novel outline.
For Picture Book Mastermind, you will be asked to submit two picture book manuscripts for consideration.
For the Outline Intensive, you will want to submit a premise or short pitch for your novel idea, including identifying the character, main conflict, and any world-building details you’ve already created.
Finally, we will request a personal statement about why you want to participate in the Story Mastermind, and what you hope to get out of it. We are looking at your work, but we also want to get to know you. A key part of the selection process will be curating a Story Mastermind cohort of complementary writers who will ideally work well together.
“Working with Mary is like completing a mini-MFA! She honed in on my manuscript’s fine points and zoomed out to explain big picture questions. All the while, she was teaching the craft of writing with sensitivity to how a reader might receive the work. She’s thorough, kind, and rigorous: just what I needed.”
Q: What is the Story Mastermind schedule?
Please check out our detailed schedule page to learn more about program timing for the upcoming cohort.
Class meetings for each cohort will run for two hours, every other week, for a total of four hours of live class commitment per month. There will be about three or four hours of independent work required per week in addition to class time. it will be a mix of your own writing, as well as reviewing materials submitted by your fellow cohort mates.
Novel and Picture Book Story Mastermind cohorts run for approximately five months. The Outline Intensive runs for twelve weeks.
A more detailed schedule will be presented at program enrollment. While we will do everything in our power to offer a mutually agreeable time for our live class meetings, there may need to be some flexibility involved if you want to participate in Story Mastermind.
All sessions will be recorded and available to all members of your cohort, but there’s nothing like being there live. These live group workshops are at the heart of the Story Mastermind model.
Story Mastermind sessions run on the following schedule:
January to June: Story Mastermind Session
June to August: Outline Intensive
Q: What is the investment for the Story Mastermind program?
Novel Mastermind: $9,000
Picture Book Mastermind: $7,000
Outline Intensive: $3,000
Additional charges may apply for novels over 60,000 words and picture book projects over 1,000 words, as these will require additional editorial support from our faculty, as each of your manuscripts will receive feedback in the workshop, but also professional feedback on each submission!
There is a deposit due at the time of registration in the program. The amount of the deposit will vary depending on your potential payment plan and scholarship status (see below).
“Mary Kole was a delight! Her feedback was invaluable. I have taken classes on writing, but this process was by far the most educational. She gave me a fresh and current perspective. I feel more confident in my current manuscript and know that this advise will translate to all my work. Mary was professional and is full of so much wisdom and practical advice. I would highly recommend her services to any aspiring writer.”
Q: Are payment plans or scholarships available?
Yes! If you are offered a position in a Story Mastermind cohort, you can elect to pay in four or six installments, or you may pay in full. You can make this decision when you respond to your acceptance to the program and pay your deposit. There is no additional charge for spreading payments over time.
There is one seat in each class reserved for a scholarship student. The student is asked to pay half of the program cost, and the balance of the tuition for this student is donated by Story Mastermind. If you are interested in the scholarship, you may declare your interest on the main application.
Your request for scholarship consideration will not affect our admission decisions. If you are offered admission, but we are not able to offer you a scholarship for your cohort, you are still welcome to join the class, if you are able. You may also defer your admission to a later cohort, where you may apply for the scholarship again.
Scholarship determinations are based on candidate compatibility with the program. Each application is considered independently. Multiple applications for the scholarship, or a scholarship application after a previous program deferral, do not affect our scholarship determinations from cohort to cohort. A student’s scholarship status is never disclosed to fellow writers or faculty, unless the student chooses to disclose it.
Q: Are there any eligibility requirements?
We welcome diverse writers of all kinds! That being said, there are a few practical considerations to keep in mind.
Story Mastermind is based in the United States, and will be run on a time schedule that’s reasonable for a US-based program. International students are welcome to participate, and many have done so successfully, but with the understanding that they will need to make whatever efforts necessary to attend live class meetings and office hours. The live course schedule and workshop participation are at the heart of the program. Sessions will be recorded, but if you are unable to participate in two consecutive sessions (barring extraordinary circumstances, of course), you may be asked to leave the program and will be subject to the program’s termination clause.
Story Mastermind is taught in English and deals with writing in English, so fluency and English writing ability are required.
If you require assistive technology to participate in the program, please make sure you are able to use the following tools: Word (or another word processing program), Zoom (for video/audio meetings), Discord (a logged-in community forum online), and email. Because this is a remote, study-from-home program, we ask that all applicants who require assistive technology and any assistance personnel supply these independently.
Q: Can I only do Story Mastermind once?
No, you can take part in as many Story Masterminds as you’re accepted into. Returning students—like those going from the Outline Intensive to the Novel Mastermind, for example—will have top admission consideration. You may only participate in one cohort session at a time, however.
Our admission decisions are affected by how we want to curate each particular cohort, the types and genres of projects submitted, and our own discretion. Not all returning students are guaranteed another spot in their desired future cohort.