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You don’t need to get a fancy degree.
You don’t need to take all the classes.
You don’t need to read every craft book ever written.
What you need is a system to help you draft your story,
develop your manuscript (and your skills),
and get that unputdownable book done.
If you’re reading this page, it means you’re awesome!
You are an intrepid, super-motivated word nerd. You’re committed to learning the craft and writing a great book that readers will love.
But (if you’re like most writers I know), you have a gut feeling that there’s something not quite right in your story. You’ve poured your heart and soul onto the page, but when you read it back, it doesn’t work. You know you need to improve it, but you’re not sure how.
So, you do what most writers do: you take classes, go to conferences, or read every craft book you can find. I call this Good Student Syndrome, and I’ve seen so many writers fall into this trap.
You see, most writers are great at being diligent students, but cramming your head with information won’t get your book written or published. This is because all these activities—taking classes, attending conferences, and reading books—lead to information transfer, not actual learning.
The key to avoiding Good Student Syndrome is one simple formula: Draft. Develop. Done. You draft your manuscript with instinct and creative energy. You develop that manuscript (and your skills) to make it truly exceptional. And finally, you get it done, so you can put that irresistible book out into the world.
At DIY MFA, I talk a lot about instinct to intention. Writers (especially ones in our word nerd community) already have good instincts. You’ve read books and written enough to have a sense for when a story is working. You have enough good taste to identify when your story isn’t working. The problem is that your skill set hasn’t yet caught up to your taste level. Yet.
And that’s okay.
The way to write an unputdownable book is to build your skills. When you do that, you not only improve the work that’s right in front of you, but you can also apply those skills again and again to future projects. It means you can harness your talent and control the techniques, so you can replicate what’s working well and avoid pitfalls on the horizon. The ultimate goal is that everything in your book is there because you put it there on purpose. This is writing with intention.
When you shift from instinct to intention, you can reach amazing goals, like:
- Seeing your book through to publication
- Holding a finished copy of your book in your hands
- Exploring new genres and writing styles
- Finally typing those magic words “The End”
- Revising your work and getting it ready for submission
- Hearing a reader tell you: “Wow! You get it. It’s like you wrote this book just for me.”
You can try to build your skills and get these results on your own, but the most effective and efficient way to do it is with a community of like-minded writers. This is why my team and I have created the DIY MFA Members HUB.
Why the HUB?
Hi! I’m Gabriela Pereira. You already know me as the instigator of DIY MFA and word nerd in chief. For almost two decades, I have been dedicated to helping writers get the “knowledge without the college” so that anyone with a passion for storytelling can get their words out into the world. One of the main ways I do this is through the DIY MFA Members HUB.
Let me give you a behind-the-scenes look at the HUB and why my team and I created this community.
When you join the HUB…
You’ll Have a Clear Vision for What to Do Next
It can cost thousands of dollars to participate in a one-on-one coaching or mentoring program, but through the HUB, you can get feedback and laser-coaching directly from me every month in a cozy group setting. With at least two community calls each month, you can connect with me and other like-minded writers in the HUB community. There’s also an asynchronous option via our bonus HUB Facebook group, which is just about the only place where you can connect directly with me on social media.
You’ll Know Exactly Where to Focus Your Attention
The HUB is where we house our juiciest resources (like webinars, mini-courses, and Writer Igniter Summit recordings), and you get access to the whole archive the minute you sign up. But this isn’t just an archive of disjointed materials. To prevent you from getting overwhelmed or falling into “good student mode”, we provide a quarterly syllabus, highlighting a suite of resources with a common theme so you can focus your learning.
You’ll Put Skill Development at the Center of Your Learning
The HUB centers around the idea that the best way for you to write a great book is for you to develop and solidify your writing techniques. In true DIY MFA fashion, our archive of resources focuses heavily on the craft, so if there’s a skill you need to develop, you can find a resource that specifically targets it. Plus, our calls are a great opportunity for you to get feedback and laser-coaching from me on your writing, and put the skills you learn into action.
You’ll Rise Above the Noise
Millions of books are published each year, and the truth is, with AI on the scene, that number is only going to go up. AI is the ultimate form of information transfer. It can’t think critically or creatively. It can only regurgitate what it already has buried in its database. But it is making it easier for more people to put mediocre books on the market.
The chances for standing out in our industry are getting slimmer by the minute. Every month spent collecting craft books or watching webinars is a month the bar keeps going up and the goal post keeps moving further away. The writers who will come out ahead are the ones building real skills while everyone else is stuck consuming content. You can be one of those stand-out writers!
HUB is an awesome gathering of like-minded souls coming “where they’re at” in their writing, learning all things craft. We have interesting, lively discussions and only use kind, constructive words. Plus, I don’t know how she does it, but Gabriela’s superpower is bulls-eye targeted help. She can spotlight with laser-sharp focus where you need ace-in-the-hole suggestions. It’s an Amazeballs group for anyone stuck, serious, published, always learning because forward momentum will happen. I’m living proof.
Pam M.
What’s Included in the HUB:
As a member, you’ll get a login to the DIY MFA student portal, so you can access all the asynchronous HUB materials anytime, anywhere. You may be wondering what’s included in the program. Read on to learn about all the features!
Lessons
You’ll have access to the DIY MFA lessons archive, which features over 42 hours of pre-recorded webinars and mini-courses, including the Weekend Writing Sprint, the Storytelling Superpower series, Writer Igniter Con, and more. These webinars and mini-courses are designed to teach you about various aspects of writing and marketing your work. Plus, when I teach new webinars, you’ll get to participate in the live session, so you can get your questions answered in real time.
Critique Sessions
These critique sessions are an opportunity to get feedback on a short selection of your writing from me and the HUB community. This type of feedback is something I usually reserve for my one-on-one mentoring clients, but we have included a group version as part of our regular HUB rotation. Using our signature DIY MFA approach to critique, we do a deep dive into the submissions, and writers leave the sessions with concrete feedback they can implement in their work right away. This critique experience is far and away one of the most popular features in the HUB.
Library
“Read with purpose” is perhaps the most overlooked (and also most rewarding) facet of DIY MFA. This is why my team and I have created the recommended reading library. We’ve selected various short stories, essays, and poems that showcase different craft techniques, so you can put those concepts into action. We also include exclusive reprints of several DIY MFA articles that feature core concepts and craft techniques. Unless you comb through mountains of back issues from the major writing magazines, the place to find these articles is in the HUB.
Monthly Live Calls
If you’re anything like me, you find face-to-face connections are so much more meaningful than online chats. Don’t get me wrong, online is great, but there’s something about making eye contact (even if it’s only via video chat) that makes the connection feel much more personal. This is why the live calls are among the most important features of the HUB.
Each month, we have two calls—one focused on craft and one on discussion. (In the months we have a critique session, it will replace the writing clinic as the craft call.) These group calls are a safe space where you can ask me your questions about writing and publishing, as well as connect with fellow HUB members. Currently, our community is still cozy enough that you can get a lot of individualized attention during these calls. These group sessions are recorded, so if you cannot make it live, you will be able to watch the replay.
Interviews
The HUB also features an archive of our Writer Igniter Summits. We currently have over 130 interviews from authors and experts from a variety of genres and topics, including Romance, Memoir, Sci-fi/Fantasy, Poetry, Author Career, Creative Flow, and more. These summit interviews are a great way to learn from the best in the business. Plus, when we run a new live summit, we archive the recordings in the HUB, so your library of resources is constantly growing.
BONUS: Private Facebook Group
This Facebook group allows for asynchronous community building and interaction. It gives us the opportunity to connect with fellow HUB members and continue the discussions beyond the live calls. I participate in this group regularly, and it’s one of the few places on social media where you can connect directly with me.
Writing can be solitary, but you don’t have to go it alone.
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After completing the DIY MFA 101 course, I joined the HUB keen to learn more about the craft and business side of writing. The HUB is an Aladdin’s cave of mini-courses, writer forums, and other resources. I dip into the HUB regularly and appreciate that I can cherry-pick the resources in my own time and pace and according to my needs.
Deborah S.
When I finished DIY MFA 101, I knew I wanted to continue with the DIY MFA community. Joining the HUB offered me that opportunity. The resources within are amazing. Before I joined the HUB all I had was an idea of the epic fantasy novel I wished to write. From lessons learned from the HUB I wrote scenes that went into the novel as I wrote it. I have now published three books and am working on the fourth and final installment of my series. This is in part because of the information and support I received. It was within the HUB that I actually began my first draft. I am a Happy Hubster!
Casey C.
Gabriela has done for writing what others have done for the sciences and other complex fields. She has dissected it and laid it out, so it is rich yet understandable. I’ve attended several writing venues over the last few years, but I am always drawn back to DIY MFA, because Gabriela and her team make it comprehensible, encouraging, and doable without losing the rich depth of the craft.
Pam W.
I joined the HUB to continue the sense of community experienced during the Q&A calls. With the HUB I have enjoyed interacting with a supportive, kind, and diverse group of people. The Critique calls sharpen my skills as an editor and writer. They also broaden my understanding of genres outside my own when reading others’ work. Joining the HUB was the best writing business decision I’ve made.
Ambre L.
When starting the HUB, I was concerned I wouldn’t have enough time to go through the content and would end up feeling overwhelmed and give up. Yet, even with my busy schedule I was still able to go through the content, in my time, and glean from it the necessary information I needed to grow myself in my writing. My favorite part has been the Critique and Q&A calls. I feel like I have learned leaps and bounds from them and the other group members which I love being a part of and because of the HUB I have finally published my first novel; something I have been stuck on for years! Thanks Gabriela! It truly has been a pleasure being a part of the HUB.
Ivette D.