Unearthing – Deep Story Discovery

Unearthing – Deep Story Discovery

Two 90-minute 1:1 sessions during which we’ll closely examine the elements of your story as they stand, sort out your thoughts, free your best ideas, move through your fear, and get you into a deeper relationship with your creation.

“The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.”
― Michelangelo

I've been there too.

You’ve been at this story for a while—scratching, clawing, sometimes even excavating with a backhoe. You know something valuable is buried there. You’ve even pulled big pieces to the surface.

But now you are dirtied from the digging: bleary and mud-caked with fatigue and doubt. Is it gold you’ve got? Geodes to be cracked, revealing riches? Or is it all a bunch of . . . rubble?

This is where Unearthing comes in—two intensive 90-minute sessions to help you:

  • Gain clarity on your story’s true core.
  • Identify and refine your strongest ideas.
  • Move past fear and creative fatigue.
  • Build confidence in your direction moving forward.

How It Works

  • Format: Two 90-minute 1:1 sessions (Zoom or in-person where available)
  • Structure: Deep review of your story, constructive feedback, and actionable next steps
  • Follow-Up: Continued 1:1 coaching throughout your writing process can be available for $250/hour
If you have an outline or first chapter, you’ll send that to me in advance of our meeting.

But mostly during this session, you’ll talk. I’ll listen and ask questions. We’ll work together to identify what’s resonating most in your story, and what changes it might need to resonate most for your audience.
Scheduled at least 24 hours after our first session, here’s where I’ll ask some more questions and make recommendations based on what we uncovered in our first session.

You’ll have time for more questions, too. And there might be homework after!
Within 24 hours of our second session, you’ll receive a downloadable recording of our conversations and a letter from me detailing key points and recommendations for next steps.

Who It’s For

  • Writers in the middle of a draft who feel stuck.
  • Authors who have multiple story threads and need clarity.
  • Passionate ideators looking for confidence and practical advice to evolve their project from a thought to something real in the world.

Book Your Sessions

Cost: $1,200.00

Testimonials

Chip Roughton

“Terra has the spooky ability to find and illuminate your blind spots. In our first session she took my half-baked project and by asking the right questions — the ones you never think of yourself — she guided me to the insights necessary to mold my amorphous blob into something with structure and purpose. And she did it with warmth, humor, and grace. If you want to take your work further, hire Terra!

Andy Sarvady

When the first batch of agents I queried responded with rejection or silence, I knew that something was missing from my manuscript.  So I turned to Terra McVoy for a consultation. I knew I wanted to talk to someone who knew the middle grade market as an author and a bookseller.  What could be better?  It’s a little intimidating to send your creative efforts off to a stranger. Yet within five minutes of our meeting, Terra felt like a trusted friend, showing me exactly what was needed to turn my story into something that would grab the attention of agents and publishers.  Her suggestions were just what I had hoped for, important ideas and connections that I simply couldn’t see for myself.  I have a lot of work ahead of me now, but I know what where to go and what to do, thanks to Terra’s stellar guidance.  I would hire her again in a heartbeat!”

“You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.”  – Octavia Butler