In my experience, the first hurdle to any project (good, bad, or mediocre as it may turn out) is not in deciding where to start. A much bigger issue is actually getting started in the first place.

Take this website for example. I had the idea for the Storytailor six years ago at least, and it’s taken me this long to work up the confidence to actually get it started. It’s the same for a lot of projects; the ideas come easy, but letting yourself try when you’re not sure it’ll turn out well can be kind of a terrifying prospect.

There’s no magic word that’ll get you to feel less anxious about starting, and my goal with the Workshop isn’t to absolve you of fear or doubt (because the only way that stuff gets less severe is with a lot of personal effort and practice). It’s to provide a guideline, an actual tangible set of examples to reference, when you do decide you’re ready.

Every time you look up writing advice on the internet, you find list after list of the same advice or opinions on what the “right” methods are, or what “wrong” choices people make. What’s rare to find is an actual guide, or actual demonstrations of passages before and after editing. It’s rare to find a writing workshop that seeks to help you develop and maintain your own style, regardless of the “rules of writing” espoused on platform after platform.

That’s why I wanted to make the Storytailor Workshop. I want to offer support and reassurance to people who have a hard time sharing their work for fear that it isn’t perfect, or it isn’t good enough, because a couple of pieces of advice I do agree with are “finished is better than perfect,” and “good enough is good enough.” They’re words I wish I were better at following myself, and I’m hoping that through this platform I can improve, too.

I want to encourage writers, especially new writers, to finish their stories in their own words. I don’t have any kind of creative writing degree, and you’ve definitely never heard of me because I’m still working up the nerve to publish something, but I’ve been writing stories since I learned to spell and I’ve spent enough time in academic, professional, and creative settings both creating and editing content that you might find my advice helpful.

The basic principle here is going to be showing my process as step-by-step and intricate as I can get. I’m going to use old stories written when I was as young as 8 (because those are the earliest ones I have) to show you where I started and how I would write the same passage now, with 20 more years of experience. I’m going to demonstrate how I go through and edit, particularly the way I approach editing for others when I’m hired to do so.

I’ll also be sharing how I process my ideas, how I refine them, how characters are born and how much life I put into them. How do I put life into them? How do you design a character? What elements go into their appearance and their personality? Do you need to draw them, generate a photo of them, cast them in your head as an existing person for reference? How do you make them real?

I want to show you everything. Every step, every misstep, every anxiety along the way. I want you to see how I have shaped and altered my style until I reached a perfectly tailored fit for me, and I want you to understand that the purpose of tailoring your style this way is so that it fits you. It isn’t one-size-fits-all. It isn’t even one-size-fits-most. Your style won’t flatter everyone, and it won’t interest everyone, and that’s okay. To paraphrase another delightful bit of advice, you could be the most perfect pair of skinny jeans in existence, and some people are always going to prefer slacks (and some people are always going to hate skinny jeans).

The Storytailor is here to help take your measure and find just the right fit for the ideas you want to bring to life, whether they’re for the public to fawn over or just for you to keep comfortably at home. If that sounds helpful to you, then welcome; step into the Workshop, and let’s get creative.