new community announcement
As you know if you’ve been following me for any length of time, I’ve long prided myself on offering the best I can possibly create: writing resources, books, services, and more. Most of what I make is available for free: the Good Story YouTube channel and social accounts; various lead magnet resources via the newsletter; my book, How to Write a Book Now; regular first pages, query letter, and other craft topic webinars; and the Good Story Podcast.
In Search of my people
One thing I’ve desperately wanted to pull together is a community of motivated, growth-oriented, publishing- and market-minded writers. But I’ve tried several times (as those of you who are truly OG supporters of my work know!) and haven’t been able to quite crack it. In the interest of total transparency, and to contextualize this email, I want you to know that I’ve previously tried:
Crit Collective: A critique partner matching forum. I constantly hear from writers that it’s tough to find critique partners. There are Facebook groups and various associations, like the SCBWI for meeting other writers working in your genre and for your target audience. But it really can be a crapshoot. This idea didn’t reach the kind of critical mass that it needed.
Pub Deets: A daily newsletter and social media account, similar to The Skimm, for bringing easy-to-digest publishing industry news to you daily. I’ll be the first to admit it was a bit aimless.
Good Story Learning: When my website provider, Squarespace, started offering memberships with the ability to paywall certain content, I made my entire archive of recorded materials, courses, and resources available (everything I’d created since about 2019). But the community element was sorely missing, and the member area was tough to navigate. We added a Discord chat, but it was a tough ask for some members. A gaming server, after all, is not the first place you’d think to build a lively writing group.
Writing Craft Workshop: With this latest initiative, as of July 2024, I got closer than ever, in partnership with another group, Much Ado About Writing. We moved over to Teachable for weekly writing craft teaching, game nights, workshops, and guest speaker interviews. We moved all of the content from the Squarespace member area to Teachable (an online course platform) and Facebook (for the community element). It was great … in theory. We couldn’t have known until we tried it, but this effort was beset by logistical and ideological friction and I made the decision to dissolve it in February 2025. I’m grateful for the opportunity to finally figure out exactly what I want … and what I don’t … from my next community.
Now What?
Since I decided I could no longer support the Writing Craft Workshop endeavor, I’ve been busy putting the framework in place for a new writing community. Wait a minute… Didn’t I just spend 500 words telling you about all of my previous failures? Yes. But as we know in the writing and publishing worlds, failing is learning. Rejection is an opportunity for growth. Not everything we create is going to cross the finish line. And that’s okay.
My only regret is that so many of you have shown up to support me at various points in my own messy community-building coming-of-age, and I have let you down. Some have supported my efforts with money. Some have supported my efforts with time, energy, and creativity. I’m so grateful for all of it—the good and the bad. Please know that everything I’ve done has been with the goal of bringing writers together in truly worthwhile ways, helping you level up your writing, inspiring you to grow, and putting energy and support out into the world.
So what fresh hell (or, you know, great opportunity 😂) am I cooking up now? It’s a community-forward membership that combines everything I’ve learned, all of the resources I’ve created, writing workshop opportunities, and even a way to connect with critique partners. I’ve cherry-picked my favorite pieces of everything I’ve done before.
I’m not quite ready for the big reveal, but here are some highlights:
Live and asynchronous critique opportunities, including educational events.
Regular community sessions for Q&A and accountability.
Discussion, chat, articles, recommendations, polls, and more, to bring like-minded writers together in thought-provoking ways.
A robust member directory where you can connect with writers by favorite genres and target audiences.
A rebrand for the podcast and Substack newsletter that falls more in line with this vision.
Access to every resource and course I’ve created (this is a given for me at this point), with much more planned. Instead of a static list of courses, though, I’m putting most of my energy toward the interactive heart of this endeavor.
As you know, if you get served creative writing Facebook ads, there’s no shortage of self-paced resources, classes, and downloadables. But once you’ve taken the class or collected the lead magnet, what do you have to show for it?
And finally … ONE PLATFORM! 🎉🎉🎉 One place for everything, from chats, to forums, to classes, to events. (Okay, Zoom will also be involved, but no clunky webinar platform.) I’ve been obsessively setting this up to maximize community, first and foremost.
I’m going to continue being honest. This will be a paid membership. I will no longer be offering a low-cost option for access to the resource library only. Why? From everything I’ve learned and everyone I’ve talked to in the teaching world, it’s clear that if someone invests in a membership, app, program, class, or workshop, they’re more motivated to take it seriously. A blockbuster writing teacher I’ve developed content for just raised her prices. She agonized over the decision. But people have overwhelmingly supported her, and it has only enabled her to build a better program. I’m extremely committed. I want you to feel the same when you join.
I recently got served this ad (company blurred, highlight mine).
I get the point being made. Why are some writers hard on themselves when “bozos” are “out there getting published”? But this rhetoric gives me the ick. Writers should be supporting one another. Someone else’s win doesn’t take away from the success poised to come your way.
This brings me to the most important breakthrough I’ve had since I made the difficult decision to shutter Writing Craft Workshop.
It’s this: My life will be infinitely better if I’m surrounded by like-minded, ambitious, motivated, and passionate writers on the brink of their next big breakthrough.
BUT IT WON’T BE FOR EVERYONE
Not everyone will be a fit for this membership, and that’s by design. I want serious craftspeople who aren’t just interested in striving or surviving. I want to bring together writers to thrive.
So this community will be for you if:
You’re in transition and feel the next step in your journey is within reach. With some perseverance, guts, and elbow grease, you really feel like you’re ramping up for your next level, whether that’s getting an agent, publishing your debut, or reigniting your backlist.
You’re naturally curious and love to learn. This includes sharpening your industry knowledge, traditional publication, indie publishing, writing for pleasure, submitting to literary journals, serializing a web novel … whatever! Craft doesn’t care what you do with it, and the strategies we’ll explore together are applicable to many different scenarios.
You want to give as good as you get. One time, a writer applied for one of my workshop intensives and said she wasn’t interested in giving feedback. She just wanted everyone else’s notes on her work. Wrong answer. Wrong attitude. Only by giving freely of our creative selves do we grow. I want to spend my time with people who’ll be generously engaged because they know a rising tide lifts all boats. Writing is a solitary endeavor and we need one another for morale, accountability, and growth. If you don’t yet trust that it’ll come back around to you, you’re not ready.
You’re excited to give constructive feedback, understand a writer’s intentions, and make an actionable difference in their storytelling. I’m not looking for writers who want to poke holes simply to show how smart they are, or to glorify their own work (which, I’ve found, is actually a sign of insecurity). We’re all in this together.
You’re open-minded and read widely. You’re always scanning for your next great book, industry article, or craft technique, and you want to share what you find and ignite discussions.
You’re not precious and you don’t cling. Yes, you’re fiercely committed to your work, but you also realize that writer’s block is an illusion and that ideas are everywhere. You’re not afraid to pivot as you refine your ability to generate your next great story.
You’re dynamic, show up, and are maybe slightly goofy and unhinged, too. (Said with love, as a fellow goofy and unhinged person!) Writing is supposed to be fun, right? Most days, that’s easy to forget. I want to surround myself with people who can see the humor in this crazy endeavor. Who do the work on their good days and bad days. Because I’m right there with you.
However, this initiative will not be a good fit for you if:
You’re seeking to vent, bitch, and moan only. Oh, don’t worry. There’ll be venting, bitching, and moaning. However, our overall trajectory is trending decidedly upward.
You’re obsessed with product instead of progress. Sure, most writers want a book deal with a Big-Five house or New York Times best-seller status. But you can’t control what the industry and market do. You can only control your own process. The product of any writing journey isn’t a single manuscript—it’s your creative self.
You’re competitive with fellow writers. Challenge yourself all you like—a fighting spirit often gives us motivation. But I’m not interested in writers who tear one another down or who can’t celebrate someone else’s good news or PM announcement. Writing is already full of rejection and disappointment, and we shouldn’t be adding more.
You collect theory without putting it into practice. The goal is actual butt-in-chair time, not endless preparation. Having information is wonderful, but if you don’t use or play with it, you’re not making actionable progress.
Everyone who’s ever given you critique is an idiot who doesn’t understand your genius. This tells me you aren’t yet mature enough in your craft to make good use of feedback. You don’t have to take every note you’re ever given and blindly follow it, but reactivity has no place here. If you can’t ascribe positive intent to writing notes, you won’t do well.
You don’t have time or the idea of a community makes you feel overwhelmed in advance. I’m not asking you to spend hours a day with us. But if you haven’t yet figured out how to make time for a regular writing practice, I’d rather you go and do that instead. Add a community to your mix later, but don’t stretch yourself thin, or you’ll never get your actual work done.
You’re not ready to commit on every level. Your contributions, your energy, your creativity, and, yes, your money. If you’re planning on joining something and forgetting all about it, or buying the resource and getting around to it … later, you’re better off elsewhere. Community is what you make it. It’s not a one-way street, nor can it be sustained only by one expert blathering from a podium. (Yes, I have been this expert for years! But I’m no longer convinced this is the best way to truly transform anyone’s writing life.)
join me
If you have the time, energy, and passion to build this with me, I’m happy to offer you a generous free trial and lifetime founding member discount for as long as you stay onboard. Don’t take my word for it.
Click the button below to sign up for updates specific to this venture. There’s no obligation to purchase anything later, even if you add your email to this list. For now, I want to know who’s with me. You’ll be the first to hear about new developments, branding reveals, launch timing, and more.
Thanks for reading, if you’ve gotten this far. I felt like I needed to be honest and comprehensive in explaining what’s next and how I got here. And I hope you join me for our next chapter.
hi. i’m mary kole.
As a former literary agent, I know the ins and outs of the publishing industry firsthand. My passion in life is helping writers craft a good story. I founded Mary Kole Editorial in 2013 and provide consulting and developmental editing services to writers of all categories and genres, working on children’s book projects from picture book to young adult, and all kinds of trade market literature, including fantasy, sci-fi, romance and memoir. I founded Good Story Company in 2019 with the aim of providing valuable content to writers of all categories and ability levels.
On the craft side, I hold an MFA in Creative Writing and have worked at Chronicle Books, the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and Movable Type Management. My book, Writing Irresistible Kidlit, is available from Writer's Digest Books/Penguin Random House. I’ve also published several writing guides with Good Story Publishing.
What people are saying
“Mary is a masterful speaker, very engaging, and I loved the intimate, casual format. I’m sure I’ll revisit the class many times in the future!”
— Wendy Haugh
“Mary always gives great advice and tips. This class was thorough and informative, plus she is a wonderful presenter.”
— Janet W.