Welcome to Next Draft, a new organisation based in the Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula area that strives to quite literally change the narrative in creative writing by empowering the young and disadvantaged to be the voices of their own stories.
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Providing coaching, mentorship, workshops and practical support, our team work with young people aged 13 - 21, all the way from having ideas and interest, through writing and editing, engaging with beta readers, and then assisted in self-publishing their work, ensuring those without opportunities can spend their lives making their own success.​
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Founded by local author and youth worker, Zeb Granger, Next Draft promises to support you until you achieve those writing dreams. ​Read on to learn more.
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The Process
The aim is simple: to provide more coaching and opportunity to young Barwon writers, both those lacking in confidence and those most marginalised and disadvantaged in society to ensure their voices are the ones telling their stories in the world of creative writing.
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You'll be working closely with trained workers in the youth work and mental health space, who are also published authors and who are just as passionate about telling great stories as you are.
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Whether you're already a budding young writer slogging away despite limited opportunities in front of you, or always loved creative writing but have never felt like you could pursue it because "people like you don't get to follow creative dreams" or you "have to focus on getting a stable job that pays", all are welcome. We all have a story. This is how we tell it and help you become a published author.
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​1. Initial Meeting
After submitting your application, the team will organise a time to have a group Skype call with you. In this session, it will be getting to know you further, your aspirations, your voice, your style. By the end of it, we should know what kind of genre you want to work in, your initial story ideas, and who from the coaches is the best fit for you. At this time, the project is voluntary, both from the coaches and yourself, so whoever you want as your coach will most likely be who you work with.
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2. Regular One-On-One Mentorship
You will work it out with your coach, but you will usually meet once a week or fortnight, and usually online via Skype. In between sessions, you will continue to work on your project, and then send it through to your coach a few days before your session with whatever it is you want them to look at. Maybe you're stuck with the story? Maybe you want to work on characters or one in particular feels off? Maybe you're wanting guidance with pace and structure, or voice, or even style? Whatever it is, they will be there to look over it and then work with you during that one hour coaching session.
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3. Monthly Meet Ups
Once a month, Next Draft will host a two hour Meet Up in Geelong. It will be a chance to meet other writers in the program as well as the coaches. For the first hour, it will be an open floor to meet and chat about your projects, discuss your work and any hurdles you currently have. Different perspectives always helps with solving problems. The second hour will be a silent writing session, with everyone working on their projects alongside each other, ideally addressing the issues you just discussed with your peers with those ideas fresh in your mind.
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4. Editing
There is no time limit on how long it will take to write your story. This is your journey. But once it is done, it will be time to edit. Your coach will be on hand to do a structural edit and developmental edit. As someone who knows and understands your vision, they are the best person to provide you with that advice and work with you during that initial edit phase. Once you are happy with your story and have edited as much as you personally can, someone else on the team, a fresh pair of eyes, will do a line edit and proof read.
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5. Beta Readers
The team will help you in organising beta readers for your book. This is crucial for getting insight and feedback. This tends to occur in the early edit stages. Writers in the program can offer to be beta readers for each other's work but there is no obligation. However, this will increase that internal support within the group.
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6. Query Time (Optional)
Some may opt for trying the traditional route of publishing. There are no guarantees. The process is long and it almost always takes its toll mentally on writers as they seek to please agents and publishers who receive thousands of submissions a year. However, if you wish to pursue this route, the team will support you in that process with coaching on query letters, writing a pitch, writing a synopsis, writing an author bio, working out comparative titles, and how to apply.
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7. Self-Publishing
For those that do not opt for traditional publishing or do not find a suitable agent or publisher, Next Draft will support you in self-publishing your work. Many have had great success pursuing this route. Once upon a time, 50 Shades Of Grey was self-published after publishers didn't believe people would want to read such fiction. Can you imagine?
Next Draft is working at partnering with illustrators and cover designers that will be willing to work with you on your cover for an extremely subsidised amount. They will work with your vision for the book and create you the perfect cover.
Next Draft will coach you in formatting and structuring your book for both print and eBook, using professional software, checking your work once you're done.
A suitable marketing plan will be designed and supported, including a press release and ideas for social media.
Coaching and aid will be given in writing a blurb and all supporting materials for the book.
Working with your mentor, you will set a pre-sale, drive up hype for your book, engage with media as required.
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8. Flourish
With your book either published or self-published, Next Draft will not take a cent of your profits. They are yours to use as you wish, although using that money to create more of your own work would be amazing, wouldn't it? Your time with the Next Draft process would be done but you would remain a Next Draft Alumni, and although you'll not get the full journey again, you'll always be able to reach out for help or a chat. Writers are like penguins: they're mates for life.​
Who Is This For?
Next Draft works with young people aged 13 - 21 who are passionate about story telling. If those young people come from disadvantaged backgrounds, even better, as we strive to increase the amount of diverse voices in the creative writing industry. There is no charge or expense for the young writer's as Next Draft is a not-for-profit organisation.
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It doesn't matter on the skill level. If our coaching is around basic writing skills as a first point of order, then that's okay. If you're a fantastic writer but never had that support, belief or understanding to take it anywhere, that's also okay. If you want to tell stories but don't feel like life has given you the opportunities and access that others have had to do anything with it, this is the program for you.
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At this time, Next Draft has not secured any funding or partnerships so is unable to provide laptops or other materialistic support. It is a requirement that all writers have their own laptop. If help is required to obtain a laptop, Next Draft can provide information on services that may be able to assist depending on your situation.
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Next Draft would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the people of the Wadawurrung country, the lands on which Next Draft operates. We pay our respects to elders past, present and future. We also wish to acknowledge the ongoing lack of equality for aboriginal and first nations people within our society. Despite making up 2% of the Australian population, 20% of those who are homeless in Australia identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. These lands were never ceded and yet Australia has done a further disservice by not ensuring homes for first nations people across these stolen lands.
How Do I Get Started Or Refer Someone?
If you've read the above and feel this is for you, please contact us via the contact page, or reach out to us via email on nextdraftproject@gmail.com. We will send through an application form that gives us a chance to learn a little about you, your journey so far, your aspirations, and help determine if this is the right fit for what you want to do.
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If you know someone who you think would benefit from this opportunity, please forward our information onto them and encourage them to apply. We are happy for you to assist them in the application process or support them. Whatever makes it easiest and allows the best chance for success.
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Whilst we will get the writers to sign consent forms and agreements that outline what they can expect from the program, there is nothing binding. Writers can withdraw at any point if something comes up or they decide it's not for them. Once accepted, the initial two hour session will be organised and that will give the young writer a good idea if this is something they want to commit to moving forward.