Lara Tupper

I'm honored to be part of this charity anthology, MAINE CHARACTER ENERGY, now available for preorder and out Jan. 17 from Rogue Owl Press. Our goal is to sell 3000 copies! "MAINE CHARACTER ENERGY is a charity collection of 11 written works that celebrate Maine's small towns, rugged wilderness, rocky coasts, and the everyday characters that make the Pine Tree State special. All proceeds from the collection will be donated to Everytown for Gun Safety in honor of the victims, survivors, and families of the Lewiston-Auburn mass shooting that took place on October 25, 2023. We are authors who hold Maine close to our hearts and want to help the best way that we can."

Edited by Sarah Parke. The authors include: Shannon Bowring, Paul Carro, Charlotte Crowder, Cynthia Graae, Karen Menzel (nee Bovenmyer), Mary E. Plouffe, Bruce Pratt, Sidney Woods aka sid sibo, Michelle Soucy, Clif Travers, and Lara Tupper. Cover design by Em J. Knowles.

Ordering directly from Rogue Owl Press ensures that more funds go to charity. Thank you for supporting this cause!

The Winter Workshop Series is now at full capacity. (Huzzah!) If interested in the Spring Workshop Series (dates TBD), please reach out.

Thanks, Sue Mell, for including AMPHIBIANS!

I'll soon offer an online Winter Workshop Series for prose writers. Join us! It will run for five Mondays from 6:00 - 8:00 pm ET (January 15 - February 12, 2024). The submission deadline is *December 15* and the course rate will be discounted if enrolled before this date. It's a friendly, supportive group and I provide concrete feedback for all participants. More details here.

New Substack! For the Fanilows.

Read it here.

Grateful for subscriber support! Subscribe to my Substack here.

I try to avoid Black Friday. But I do like to support Small Business Saturday. If you do too, here's an option: From now through November 25, 2023, Swift Ink Stories Gift Certificates will be 20% off. Buy them for the writers you know and love or buy them for yourself. Certificates can be used for any Swift Ink offerings: monthly Pick Up the Pen sessions (online), 2024 Workshop Series (online), private coaching (online/in person) or private manuscript guidance (online/in person). Cute paper cards (below) or digital versions available. Please reach out via the contact page.

I took the plunge: Substack! Come join me. Free monthly writing prompts for all (plus news about my chickens) and access to 130+ archived prompts if you like. Sign up here.

Submissions are now open!

What it is: The ONLINE workshop series is for writers looking for accountability, camaraderie and support. (And fun!) The series runs for five weeks; each weekly session is two hours. Participants form close bonds and learn from each other in this intimate, productive and FRIENDLY series.

Workshop format: We'll meet on Zoom. You'll read participants' drafts  ahead of time and come prepared with reflective feedback. I'll provide brief lessons on elements of craft (point of view, dialogue, structure, scene-building, etc.) and give you prompts to work on between our sessions. Attendance at all five sessions is required. Class size will be limited.

2024 Winter Workshop dates: Five Mondays from 6:00 - 8:00 pm ET. January 15, 22 and 29; February 5 and 12

Please reach out via the contact page for questions and details. And/or see the SWIFT INK STORIES tab. I look forward to reading your work!

I was delighted to receive this testimonial from a recent client. (Who wrote a wonderful book!) If you'd like to collaborate, I'm taking new clients for private manuscript guidance this fall. Just reach out via the contact page.

"Working with Lara Tupper for private manuscript guidance on my novel felt like a dream-come-true. Not only was it a joy to connect with her, but she was able to home in on exactly what my manuscript needed. Even though I have experience as an editor, showing someone else my work for the first time is extremely difficult for me. My sensitive-artist soul appreciated Lara's perfect blend of compassionate encouragement and insightful, critical feedback.

Almost every single one of Lara's comments resonated with me ‒ they gave me the direction and the confidence I needed to springboard me into this revision process. Now, after completing the rewrite, I can see how she helped tighten the manuscript to bring out the best it could be.

I highly recommend Lara Tupper's manuscript guidance service and look forward to using it again on my next book!"

-- Ali Keehn, Former Assistant Editor at Philomel Books, (div. of Penguin Putnam, Inc.), and Former U.S. Editor at Barefoot Books