Brian Wood-Koiwa, Story Kraken Book Coach

You’re writing something dark, weird, disturbing. Maybe it’s a brutal grimdark epic, weird fiction that lives in the liminal space between real and cosmic horror, a sprawling city or other environment that is a major character. Whatever it is, you feel it difficult to articulate what the story is. I definitely experience this.

I am an author as well. I publish speculative fiction, specifically dark fantasy and weird fiction, via my Substack UrbanWeird Chronicles, which you are welcome to read at urbanweirdchronicles.substack.com. Thus, I understand the unique characteristics and quirks of the darker fantasy sub-genres.

This is not a one-time editing service. I will guide you through the most important and messiest phases of your work by asking the questions you may have not even thought to ask yourself yet. I will read your pages and come to our sessions loaded with questions to, for example, crack open a stuck plot, reveal what a character is really after, or expose the possibility of chapter eight feeling more at home in a different locale in the book or even in a different novel. We talk, push, and figure it out together through the process of question, reflection, and discovery then repeating that process until you feel comfortable and proud of what you have created.

Sessions are held via video call, async recordings or emails whenever time zones make scheduling a nightmare, or, if in Tokyo, in person. Between sessions, you write. You send me pages. I read and come prepared. We keep moving, progressing.

Who This Is For

•       Speculative fiction writers at the very beginning of their story or well into the chapters who feel lost or stuck

•       Writers who’ve finished a draft and know something is wrong but can’t name it

•       World-builders who need someone to stress-test their logic before they go further

•       Writers who are desperate for feedback from someone who understands the genre

What You Get

•       A thinking guide who reads speculative and weird fiction as a craft tradition

•       Sessions structured around your story’s specific problems, not a generic checklist

•       Questions that do the work, not answers that make you dependent on me

•       A natural path into manuscript editing phases either with me or another editor when your story is ready

I would like to be upfront with you. While my editorial background is significant, my specific experience in fiction coaching is still developing. This honesty is deliberate; I believe the best working relationships are built on transparency from the start.

Because I am beginning to build my literary coaching portfolio, I am offering Story Kraken free for my first two authors, and this will be as long as our author/coach relationship lasts (If this offer is here, it means I am still looking for these first two.) In return, I ask only for the chance to work with you and, if you are satisfied, a brief testimonial.

The basic flow is as follows.

1. A free 20-30-min discovery call (most likely video call) to see if we are a fit for each other and talk about your project.

2. If we fit, we then set up a schedule involving a package of 4 1-hr call sessions plus between-session email/chat correspondences to be completed within 2 months. Your first package fee is $200. If you want to continue, each additional package is $175.

3. If you want Story Kraken to go benthic with you for your entire work in progress, you have the option of 4 1-hr sessions/month for the length of your project creation for $800.

Confidentiality is of course central to my practice. Your manuscript and discussions are treated as strictly private and are never shared, retained beyond the scope of the project, or used for any purpose other than the agreed coaching work.

English not your first language? This is not a problem. It is even welcome. I love mentoring those who are creating in English as not their first language, helping them discover clarity, confidence, and their own distinctive voice. I’ve been helping non-native speaking researchers and scientists improve their English writing for almost 20 years.