Raise Your Voice, Write Your Story & Become a Published Author
Write Yourself Out
Mentorship & community for queer memoir & nonfiction writers.
Imagine what it would feel like to have an experienced LGBTQ+ book coach and published author by your side wherever you are in your book-writing journey—and a community of like-minded peers to support you.
Does any of this resonate?
🏳️🌈 You’ve always dreamed of writing a book and are determined to do so before you die.
🏳️🌈 When you first came out, you were desperate to hear other people's stories, to understand that you weren’t the only one who felt the way you did, to believe that it was possible to get to the other side and thrive. Now you want to share your story to support others.
🏳️🌈 You believe that representation matters and that your story matters. You care about helping people understand the world and themselves differently. You want to use your voice to inform and educate and also offer support, hope, and understanding to others who are navigating similar situations.
🏳️🌈 You've been silenced for far too long—you want your voice to be heard!
🏳️🌈 You want to establish or elevate yourself professionally. You know that having a book will open doors to speaking engagements and help you get your message out.
If writing a book is something you’ve always dreamed of doing, here’s a question to ask yourself:
What’s holding you back?
I'M READY TO WRITE MY BOOK
Why you may be struggling to make meaningful progress on your book:
🏳️🌈 You don’t have time or you don’t know how to make the time to write: You are busy–oh so busy with kids, your job, all the responsibilities that are calling for your attention—and writing always seems to come last.
🏳️🌈 You really, really want to write your story, but you’re also afraid of judgment and of hurting other people. It’s scary and hard to be so vulnerable.
🏳️🌈 You feel overwhelmed by the task in front of you. You’ve never written a book before, or if you have, you’ve never written a book like this! You don’t know what’s involved. You’ve heard a lot of conflicting advice about craft and structure. And how to get your book published? You don’t have a clue.
Some of the common mistakes that hold people back from raising their voice & writing their story:
🏳️🌈 You think that there's a "right time" to start your book—but the right time never seems to come.
🏳️🌈 You trust people who tell you that your story isn't valuable/unique/meaningful enough to share ... more than you trust yourself.
🏳️🌈 You've patched together free resources from the internet and taken one-off writing courses, and you find yourself in paralysis analysis, without a process or a guide to support you for the long haul.
If you've made some—or all!—of these mistakes, don't judge yourself. They've happened to the best of us! Here's the good news: There is a solution.
Say hello to accountability, professional support in a judgment-free zone, and a step-by-step process designed especially for queer memoir & nonfiction writers to meet you wherever you are in the journey from idea to publication.
Now more than ever, queer stories matter.
Representation matters. YOUR story matters.
Let me tell you a quick story that involves a rickety staircase & a blow to my ego ….
One night many years ago, I climbed the stairs to the top floor of a historic building on the eastern end of Long Island. I was there to attend my first meeting of a weekly critique group, led by a prominent published author.
I was nervous but I felt pretty confident about the pages I was about to read to the group. After all, I’d be writing most of my life. I was a “good writer”—everyone told me so!
After I read my pages aloud to the group, the opening salvo came from the stern and intimidating leader: “This is a very pedestrian treatment of a potentially interesting subject.”
In case you aren’t sure, Merriam-Webster defines “pedestrian” as “commonplace or unimaginative.” Ouch. Talk about being shut down.
That night, I felt small. Judged. Overwhelmed. The mountain to get from where I was—a newbie memoir writer—to become a published author felt impossible to climb—especially without someone more experienced to guide me on my journey.
You don’t want to feel the way I did that night—and maybe you do right now.
Here’s the story of how I went from newbie writer to published author and certified book coach—AND created a program that works for queer folx like you who want to fulfill their dream of writing a book.
Shortly after that first painful night at the critique group, I hired a book coach who provided me with accountability, constructive feedback, and craft knowledge.
With her help, I learned about the power of deadlines and how to make the time for my writing. I got clear on what my story was really about, wrote a first draft, went through several revisions, and eventually landed a book deal with a university press for my midlife coming-out, coming-of-age memoir, The Only Way Through Is Out.
In the midst of it all, I upleveled my freelance editing business and became certified as a book coach myself, eventually choosing to primarily work with LGBTQ+ memoir and nonfiction writers.
I took what I learned from my own memoir writing journey and my professional training as a book coach to develop a process that works for writers like you.
People who feel an urgency to raise their voice and write their story but feel overwhelmed by the road ahead, wherever they are in their writing journey. Unclear about where to start. Feeling like they have to get Chapter One “right” before they can move onto Chapter Two. Mired in the messiness of revision. Discouraged and frustrated by the complexities and competitiveness of the publishing landscape.
Here’s the good news: I learned how to commit to my writing. How to get the support I needed. How to figure out what it takes to write a story that impacts readers. How to get a book published.
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I raised my voice, wrote my story, and became a published author.
Now let me help you do the same.
I WANT THIS!
What is Write Yourself Out?
Write Yourself Out is a group mentorship and coaching program exclusively for LGBTQ+ memoir and nonfiction writers that provides accountability, professional support, community, and the knowledge you need to raise your voice, write your story, and become a published author.
Inside Write Yourself Out, you will:
Become more confident as a writer.
You’ll learn how to fight off your doubt demons and believe you have a story worth telling. Representation matters—and your story matters too.
Find accountability & feel supported.
With a certified book coach by your side every step of the way, you’ll receive the professional support and accountability you need to get your story out of your head and onto the page.
Feel a sense of belonging.
With a community of like-minded peers joining you on the journey, you will no longer feel like you have to explain yourself or your story. Imagine not being the only queer writer in the room! LGBTQ+ writers are better together.
Feel empowered.
You’ll no longer feel stuck in analysis paralysis or feel like you’re flailing, not knowing what you should do first or next.
With a proven, step-by-step process designed exclusively with queer writers in mind, you’ll know exactly what you need to do and when you need to do it. And if you do feel lost or overwhelmed at times, you’ll have an experienced & supportive coach by your side to help you get back on track.
How the mentorship works:
We start with a Foundations Strategy Session:
In this session, you meet with me 1:1 and receive personalized help to plan your book. You will get crystal clear on your why for writing, the point of your book, your audience, and your genre so you can hit the ground running when you officially join the Write Yourself Out group mentorship and coaching program.
After the Foundations Strategy Session:
You enroll in Write Yourself Out,* which gives you access to coaching, community, and online content tailored specifically for LGBTQ+ memoir and nonfiction writers.
*Most writers enroll in Write Yourself Out after the Foundations Strategy Session. In special cases, some writers may choose to work with Suzette 1:1 or be offered a different next step.
Inside Write Yourself Out, you will:
🏳️🌈 Get live, laser-focused, individualized coaching during our twice-monthly group coaching calls.
🏳️🌈 Workshop your writing in a judgment-free zone in our “Not Red Pencil Club,” a safe online space to get feedback. Unlike “red pencil” edits, this is an invitation to ask for constructive, strengths-based feedback and an opportunity to learn how to offer constructive feedback to your fellow writers in the community.
🏳️🌈 Make regular and meaningful progress writing in community with your fellow writers during our weekly co-writing sessions and our special writing sprint weeks.
🏳️🌈 Connect with your fellow writers and your coach and receive ongoing support, feedback, & accountability inside our online community group (off of social media).
🏳️🌈 Gain knowledge about craft and the path from idea to publication with four online courses where I share insider tips & the step-by-step process I used to get a book deal for my midlife, coming-out memoir, The Only Way Through Is Out (University of Wisconsin Press, 2024).
Four Self-Paced Online Courses
Plus, I host monthly bonus deep dive conversations on mindset, craft, accountability, and other topics to supplement the content in the four online courses.
Hannah S.
“You really can't beat having a small group of talented, insightful queer authors! I love having that space to dig deeper into the trainings and see them applied to each book idea during the hot seat coaching. I leave each call so inspired!”
Your Investment*
One payment of $500 for the 1:1 Foundations Strategy Session + a monthly payment of $300 (6 month minimum)
*This is the investment for 2024.
Prices may change in the future.
Write Yourself Out IS NOT for you if:
The writers who are successful in Write Yourself Out are ready to do the work, are open to coaching, and believe that LGBTQ+ writers are better together.
Does this sound like you?
👉🏻 TAKE ME TO THE APPLICATION 👈🏻C. Rizleris
"You should know that Suzette isn't some random person from the internet. She’s the real deal with a real process—a real professional with expertise, a certified coach, and someone who genuinely cares about her writers and their success."
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the 1:1 Foundations Strategy Session exactly and how long does it take?
How many writers are in Write Yourself Out? Can I expect to get the attention I need?
How much progress can I expect to make inside Write Yourself Out?
How much time will I need to commit to the program each week?
How do I know Write Yourself Out is a safe space?
How long can I stay in the mentorship?
What is your refund policy?
Can I work with Suzette 1:1?
How do I join Write Yourself Out?
Here’s what you get:
🏳️🌈 A 1:1 Foundations Strategy Session, where you get personalized help to plan your book.
🏳️🌈 Access to coaching, community, and online content tailored specifically for LGBTQ+ memoir and nonfiction writers.
🏳️🌈 Live, laser-focused, individualized coaching during our twice-monthly group coaching calls.
🏳️🌈 Feedback on your writing in our “Not Red Pencil Club,” a judgment-free virtual workshopping space.
🏳️🌈 Bonus live sessions focused on mindset, accountability, and craft.
🏳️🌈 Co-writing sessions and writing sprint weeks where you write in community with your fellow writers.
🏳️🌈 An online community group (off of social media) where you receive ongoing support, feedback, & accountability.
🏳️🌈 Four online courses with insider tips & the step-by-step process I used to get a book deal for my midlife, coming-out memoir, The Only Way Through Is Out (University of Wisconsin Press, 2024 ):
- Foundations: Strategies to plan your book and save time and frustration in the long run.
- Your First Draft: Strategies and craft knowledge to write a solid first draft instead of re-writing Chapter One over and over again.
- Your Revision Plan: A step-by-step process to revise your manuscript and save yourself from revision hell.
- Pitch & Publish Your Book: Everything you need to pitch your book and decide on your publication path.
MAKE NO MISTAKE:
The world needs your story. Representation matters. Your story matters.
You want to write that book. You've tried to write that book. But you haven't written it—YET.
Which leaves you with three choices:
- You can continue to go it alone and piece together free resources and one-off classes hoping they will be enough to get you started and eventually to the finish line.
- You can invest a ton of money and work 1:1 with an editor or a book coach who may or may not understand the LGBTQ+ experience.
- Or you can follow a step-by-step, proven process to get your book written, inside a community of like-minded peers—led by a queer book coach and published author who gets it, at an accessible-price point!
