The Ultimate Manuscript

Applications currently closed.

You can start your journey by joining Submergence, or applying early so you’re first in line when The Ultimate Manuscript opens again. I only accept 1 - 2 clients into this program at a time.

The Ultimate Manuscript is the most intensive, personalized coaching service I offer.

You work with me one-on-one for a full year.

Our goal is to finish your big, beautiful manuscript.

Along the way, you might need other changes and breakthroughs.

You might need to learn how to write your book while protecting your emotional bandwidth as a highly sensitive person.

It might be learning how to put words on the page in ways that work for your neurodivergent mind.

It might be getting to a place of indomitable self-trust and confidence to move through the messy middle of difficult seasons in life and writing.

A lot can happen in a year.

Especially for writers who have other limitations already (chronic conditions, caregiving responsibilities, neurodivergence, high sensitivity.)

My job is to encourage you, coach you, open doors for you whenever possible (whatever contacts I can provide to help you), remind you how strong you are, and help you clear mental obstacles.

I will work by your side.

I will not let you quit, slack, hide, or fail.

I will encourage rest, play, progress, and positive relationships in your life.

You receive:

  • 24 one-on-one coaching sessions. 60 minutes each. Scheduled over the course of one year.

  • Complimentary subscription to Driftwood Brine.

  • Complimentary enrollment in my group offerings and events (workshops, teachings, write-ins).

​

Interested in The Ultimate Manuscript?

I offer this package to just one or two clients per year.

Please apply here if you’d like to be considered for one of those spots.

In your application, I want to hear about the book you want to write.

Tell me what would feel like the ultimate manuscript for you next year.

I can’t wait to hear about it and help you write it!

Cost: $6,696 for 24 sessions + access to Driftwood Brine & all of my resources for an entire year. (Payment plans available)

Applications are officially open until November 17th, 2023.

I look forward to welcoming you into the fold.

Testimonials

“Deeply intuitive and caring, heart-centric, wise. Someone who understands how to transmute pain/broken-ness into precious resources for creative expression and strength.”

-Aaron Shori

“I’ve been in awe of Ash’s storytelling for a while now. She always blows me away at the Gorge Speakeasy! When the opportunity came up to do her story workshop, I jumped at it. Thanks to her skills, humor, and easygoing demeanor, she made the experience fun and easy to open up and get creative. She has a real knack for developing stories and building structure, and is incredibly useful in helping you find and tell your own story. Would highly recommend!”

-Jeni Stembridge

“Ash is an unstoppable coach. She is doing the right thing before you want it to happen. Like an expert surgeon, she will ask you contemplative questions yet soothe you with humor which helps you move forward. I love how she holds you accountable as you want and celebrates with you. I recommend working with her.”

-Madhura

MEET ASH WYLDER

Ash Wylder is a published author who integrates the cross sections of a deep passion for neuroscience, skill development, and mind-body connection into all of her coursework and uses her history working with team leaders and CEOs to help neurodivergent and highly sensitive writers build creative writing processes that work. She is a life-long lover of language with a run-amok imagination and believes that the art of writing something reader-ready should be a curious and joyful experience. No matter where your blocks come up, she can teach you how to demystify and move beyond them in trauma-sensitive and neuroscience-backed ways.

 FAQs

  • Awesome! I’m so excited for you to embark on this voyage.

    I won’t say, “No, definitely not.” Honestly, though? It’s unlikely.

    Then again, by networking with the right people and writing an absolutely beautiful manuscript, it could happen. It isn’t unheard of, but the truth is that unless you’re famous or writing about some intense scandal, you probably won’t get rich from this endeavor. The love of the book or the need to share your story should be your primary motivator.

  • I get this question a lot.

    Depending on the project, I work with all kinds of writers. I believe in a multidisciplinary approach to writing as a way to resource oneself and develop a sustainable ecosystem of skills. Mostly, I work with memoirists, but I’ve been known to work on a fiction novel, email newsletter project, or poetry chapbook from time to time.

  • Great question. The short answer is no, but there is so much more to understand about the world of editing.

    There are “line” or “copy” editors (think grammar, punctuation, sentence order, repetition, style, etc.) and developmental editors that help you close the plot threads and complete the story (think plot, story structure, arc, character, etc.).

    I do a lot of “developmental editing” with my clients, but we also do so much more than that. As for the line edits, I leave most of that to my perfectionist colleagues. (Perfectionism isn’t always a bad thing. Trust me.)

  • If you’re a writer with neurodivergence, chronic illness, or high sensitivity, you’ll find my coaching process aligned with what you need regarding support, encouragement, and teaching. I use a trauma-informed and neuroscience-backed coaching process to help my writers move through writer’s block, creative dry spells, and structural problems.

    Suppose you’re a writer who wants to break the rules of what your book could look like (perhaps you have a poetry textile project or want to infuse your traditional memoir structure with flash fiction pieces) or are a blogger who needs a different kind of accountability or a fresh perspective. In that case, I can help you.

    I have a lot of experience working with a wide variety of writers across many disciplines. I believe in a multidisciplinary approach to writing, especially for neurodivergent folks.

  • The Ultimate Manuscript costs $6,696. Payment plans are available. For the fraction of an MFA, we can get your manuscript done.

    You receive 24 sessions, access to Driftwood Brine, all of my experience, and complimentary tickets to all events.

  • We can start next week!

    Or we can begin any time within six weeks of your application. That gives you time to reorient your life to include the necessary boundaries, balance, and intention to write your manuscript without burning out in the process.

Do you have a different question? I’m not unavailable and mysterious. You can book a chat and get your questions answered here.

Enrolling in The Ultimate Manuscript is no small commitment. 

It's a massive promise to your identity as a writer and your book. 

And embarking on a book writing journey is as mysterious for experienced writers as it is for new writers. Sure, experienced writers may have "done that before," but there is no one-size-fits-all curriculum for book writing that actually works. If it did, the writing section in bookstores wouldn't be flooded with so much good, bad, and contradictory advice. Each book requires something different.

Enrolling in The Ultimate Manuscript is saying yes to individualized, trauma-informed, and neuroscience-backed support through every step of the writing process. It's saying yes to learning how to decipher which tools, tactics, and habits will work for you and your beautiful brain from someone who understands what it's like not to process things in a neurotypical way. 

The Application Process:

Schedule your Application Interview (45 minutes) and complete The Ultimate Manuscript Application form that confirms your appointment (10-15 minutes). 

During the Application Interview, I ask questions to understand who you are as a writer, what your book is about, and where you are in the process. You ask me questions about working together and share your dreams and fears about the process.

On that call, if I think we're a good fit, I offer you one of the two Ultimate Manuscript spots. If you need more time to consider, there is no pressure. I hold your spot for 48 hours. If either of us feels this wouldn't be a good fit for you or your project, I refer you to a trusted colleague who can help you on your journey.

Then, you pay tuition ($6,696) or sign up for a payment plan, and we choose a start date that sets you up for success. I email you the forms and details and grant you access to our private Google Drive and Notion Portal (optional). I also snail mail you a few special surprises to support you throughout this process and invite you to begin working inside your creativity journal. Basically, we dive in right away.

Your Year in The Ultimate Manuscript:

Between the Application Interview and our first coaching call, you receive writing exercises and thought assignments that help you understand your specific creative process and how to prepare for a successful year of writing. We schedule your first few months of sessions, and you send me your Holistic Watercourse Manifesto so we can dive right in during our first session. 

Each of our 24 sessions is one hour. I am available for support Monday - Friday via email between sessions. 

What follows is a foggy sample schedule. Yours may look different.

Season 1: Sessions 1–6 ––– Typically, these focus on craft, book development, research, and writing, writing, writing. This is when we find your book's voice, hone your process, and finish the first draft!

Seasons 2 & 3: Sessions 7–18 ––– We start editing, revisit plot and narrative, and polish up that voice. We review important plot points, cut scenes, add scenes, and begin to feel that the book is coming alive. This is also the time when most writers quit. I help you keep going and share industry connections and strategies that keep you writing, even when it's a slog. 

Season 4: Sessions 19–24 ––– Polish, proof, polish, submit, polish, polish, finish! (If you desire a traditional publishing deal and this is your first book, this is when you query your manuscript to publishers and agents. If you're a published author already, we've probably already talked about this.) You finish it. Put a bow on it. You did it! You wrote your book, and your story is heading into the world! Congratulations. We celebrate. You dance. I dance. Everyone dances. 

Afterward:

People read your amazing story. You get it out in the world through traditional, self, or hybrid publishing. 

Our journey together might end here. After all, the book is done! But if you need extra help querying, finding the right agent, or submitting to contests and publications, I offer that support only to Ultimate Manuscript alums. It's called The Graduate Program.

Not quite ready to apply but want to stay in the loop?
Sign up for The Storybreath School Newsletter below and be the first to know the next time we invite people in.