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It’s November–WE Support YOUR Writing!

It’s November–WE Support YOUR Writing!

Hello Writers! November is HERE and WE support YOUR writing! NaNoWriMo is underway, and I know many of you are jumping on that international boost of writing productivity. Since temperatures are dropping (at least here in western Washington) and sending cues for...

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Write That Book Already!!!!!

Write That Book Already!!!!!

OUR THIRD ANNUAL "WRITE THAT BOOK ALREADY" VIRTUAL CONFERENCE IS COMING RIGHT UP! January 2-6, 2023 Sign up for our FREE Virtual Conference!  This past month I got to celebrate with one of our TNP graduates from The Narrative Project. I have the privilege of working...

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Look Who’s (Going to Be) Talking!!!

Look Who’s (Going to Be) Talking!!!

I'm going to brag for a minute. When I started The Narrative Project six years ago, I knew I would need to find the BEST coaches to support our writers. And I have. Our coaching team is a team of smart, warm, talented women who hold our writers' feet to the fire with...

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Look What We (Can) Do!!

Look What We (Can) Do!!

First of all... Just a reminder to sign up for Betsy Graziani-Fasbinder's awesome class Podcasts as Platform!!! The class is on November 1 and it's ONLY $27. Do not miss this if you want to expand your reach, position yourself as an expert, and build your following as...

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Is it Time to Reinvent Your Personal Narrative?

Is it Time to Reinvent Your Personal Narrative?

Dear one, Before I started guiding writers to the completion of their books, I lived a couple of other lives professionally. I was an English teacher (for 8 years) and a family therapist (for two decades). I also went through some personal sh!t--as all interesting...

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This Could be YOU!

This Could be YOU!

Writers, Cami here. Hello!! Hey, let me tell you something. There is nothing like being with an author as they cross their finish line! Last month I had the deep pleasure and honor to join Narrative Project writer, Gary Tubbs, as he LAUNCHED HIS BOOK into the world!...

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Are You Dealing with Death on the Page?

Are You Dealing with Death on the Page?

**Announcing: Death on the Page - August 10 at 5:30pm Pacific Time** Last week one of our TNP Get-Your-Book students wrote me, "Help! One of my characters is about to die, and I'm not sure how to handle this death in the book." I instantly thought about ALL of...

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Don’t Hide Under The Blankets!

Don’t Hide Under The Blankets!

Writers, when it comes to creating your platform and honing your performing skills, don't hide under your blankets! Baker, my Boston Terrier, has a tendency to hide underneath the blankets. He likes to stay cozy and comfortable, with his own bubble of personal space....

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What Is Possible When You Have A Platform

What Is Possible When You Have A Platform

As Lisa Dailey from Sidekick Press and I gear up for our Platform & Performance 6-week deep dive class starting next week, I want to point you toward my dear friend, Laura Kalpakian, as an example of what is possible when you have a platform built and ready. (Make...

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Why Build A Platform?

Why Build A Platform?

Why build a platform? Good question, Writer! Let me tell you a story… When I first published my book, Second Wind, it was picked up by Oprah's Magazine, O—and I wasn't ready for the incredible opportunity. I didn't have my website yet, so people couldn't learn about...

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How to Get to a Hard Finish Line!

How to Get to a Hard Finish Line!

Dear Writer, Some of you know that in addition to being a writer, a writing coach, a business owner, a therapist, a dog lover, and a wine connoisseur… I am a runner. I started running half a lifetime ago, and I found that when I really decided to put my heart and soul...

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Build an Author Platform!

Build an Author Platform!

Getting a book DONE doesn't just mean written--it means getting the book into the HANDS of readers. And in order to do that an author needs a PLATFORM. An author's platform is the infrastructure needed for marketing and selling a book--and getting your message INTO...

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Testimonials from students

“Cami’s keen instructions, insights, gentle guidance and authentic caring for my writing woke my writer up! I have more enthusiasm for my writing now and more knowledge with which to approach my projects. I am more confident and joyous in my writing thanks to Cami!”

JJ Joshua, Intuitive Coach and Self-help Author

“I was #1 in Russian Travel and I’ve won the Moritz Thomsen Peace Corps Experience Award for 2014! I even had the chance to do a book reading at the Kazakh Embassy in DC. My book journey is going well and Cami made that happen.”

—Janet Givens, author of At Home on the Kazakh Steppe: A Peace Corps Memoir

“When I hired Cami as a developmental editor for my memoir, my manuscript felt like a massive ball of tangled yarn. With her years of experience as a therapist, Cami has a keen eye for identifying themes, motivations, and resolutions, which allowed her to masterfully pull the threads of my story out of the mess. She laid them across the arc of my book with precision. Cami helped me to produce the book I truly wanted to write.”

Colleen Haggerty, author of A Leg to Stand On

“Cami is a talented writer with a special devotion to bringing out the best in other people’s work. I contributed an essay to her book, Beyond Belief, and communicated with her on developmental edits for my piece. Her direction and notes were so valuable to bringing my storytelling to greater heights, and I am impressed at the level of care and detail she showed for each of her many contributors. I highly recommend working with Cami, and I recommend her books too!”

—Erin Seaward-Hiatt, contributing author in Beyond Belief

If it had not been for finding Cami and the Narrative Project, I would still be limping through a terrible first draft, picking at line edits. Instead, in two and a half years I have transformed the narrative of the memoir I have been dinking away at for decades. The Narrative Project has provided me with more tools than I even knew I needed. Instead of dreading the writing that goes nowhere, I am enjoying the ride, creating new possibilities and diving in to discover more ways to share with the words that are just right.”

—Lora Hein

“I started with half a dozen personal essays. After eighteen months of hard work along with the smart feedback, keen eyes, and pertinent, invaluable critique from this program’s leaders and members, I finally had the first draft of my memoir!”

—Renee DeMont

I participated in the first Narrative Project program in October of 2016 after returning from a three-week solo backpack trip in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains with the specific intention of using that trip as the basis for a memoir I hoped to write. I had absolutely no idea how to start this project, but by the end of the program, I had a structure within which to write and a full  140,000-word rough draft! I can say with certainty that I would not be where I am with my memoir were it not for this well-structured and accountability-based phenomenal program.”

—Kathie Tupper

After I suffered a traumatic brain injury, I wanted to explore the experience in a memoir. I started working with Cami Ostman in her nine-month Narrative Project course, and I followed up with her Next Chapter course the following year. I wrote somewhat slowly because of my injuries, but Cami supported my work, offered numerous suggestions for getting through the draft, and gave me many tools to understand what I was trying to express and how to do it. If you have a story to tell but have not been able to get yourself started, I cannot recommend highly enough the Narrative Project program as a way to push yourself, as well as create the best possible version of your story.”

—Sean Dwyer

The Narrative Project gave me everything I needed to shape mountains of research into the book I envisioned. More importantly, I have made lifelong friends and we have continued to support each other as we bring our stories into the world.
—Anne
Dabbling for over twenty years at writing the stories of my life with my husband and four children in Africa and Asia, I realized I did not know what I was doing when it came to writing my memoir. I attended one of Cami’s free writing workshops and committed my time and energy to her nine-month program. Cami Ostman and my critique group helped me find the threads that pulled my stories together and see myself as a writer. 
—Tori
On a chilly September day in 2018, I entered Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park to attend a free one-day seminar held by Cami Ostman. Having never attended a writing workshop, I had preconceived notions that I would write. While I didn’t write that day, the kindling within my soul was sparked and my desire to write my story ceased being a dream and began to be a reality. I joined the 9-month program and went from 0 words on the page to over 70,000. I learned about the writing process, themes, and gained new confidence in my ability to write. The best is yet to come!
KristiLyn

In my 18 months with the Narrative Project, I have learned that a writer doesn’t write alone. TNP fosters a community of value beyond payment or description. The support is that of a healthy family, and the critique is that of an inspiring Masters program. The Narrative Project has provided me with an all-inclusive roadmap for how to live my dream as a published writer, and the confidence to get my butt in the chair.

Anni

TNP 9-Month Program

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