The Playbook

The day you submit your first pages through the form. Not the day you enroll, not the day you sign — the day pages arrive. Every milestone on the map counts forward from there.

A few emails asking you to fill out short forms so we can support you better. Don’t stress about missing one — we’ll follow up. Put your energy into the first module of the Savvy Fiction Writer’s Field Guide and meeting your Advisor. If you haven’t been assigned an Advisor within three business days, email hello@aprildavila.com.

Up to 12,500 words — roughly 50 pages — each month, through aprildavila.com/p2p-pages, at least two weeks before your meeting. Reminders go out 18, 14 and 13 days beforehand. Thirteen days is the final cutoff; after that you’ll be asked to reschedule so your Advisor has time to read thoughtfully. Always use that link — it’s what routes your pages to your Advisor.

Your Advisor will read up to 13,000. Anything beyond that rolls into next month’s submission. Extra words don’t add an extra meeting — one session a month covers it during Draft 1.

Yes, and they’re welcome — just know they count toward your 12,500 words, so keep them brief.

No, and that’s deliberate. Your Advisor walks you through the edits live so you stay focused on finishing the draft instead of revising early. The edited document and a written summary come by email afterward.

Monthly pages: a Word document (.doc or .docx), within the word limit. Full manuscripts: Word, 12pt, double spaced, emailed to your Advisor as an attachment.

No. During Draft 1 you only ever send monthly pages. The first full-manuscript submission happens after Draft 2, when a new Advisor reads the whole book.

Three options:

• Revise the pages you haven’t submitted yet.
• Start your author platform work early.
• Submit more than 12,500 words in one round — if your Advisor has capacity and agrees.

Tell John or your Advisor. Once your final meeting for that draft has happened, it’s official: a congratulatory gift goes in the mail, your daily texts pause for a month, and the 30-day break begins.

Ninety minutes, recorded for pod members only and never shared outside the room. Everyone gives an elevator pitch and a short progress update, then the remaining time is divided evenly for focused coaching — each writer brings a question. You close by setting one goal to hit before the next meeting.

Come to at least one Meditate & Write session a week for eight consecutive weeks and you earn a token, good for feedback on up to 4,000 words and valid for a year. Use them as you earn them or save them up. In your first draft phase that means sending 16,500 words in a month; later on, use them for revised pages. Tokens aren’t required — they’re just a nudge toward steady practice.

No. Advisors work through your scheduled Zoom sessions and follow-up emails. Daily texts come only from John, your accountability buddy — and they’re for encouragement, not coaching or edits.

Yes to both. Email hello@aprildavila.com and tell us you’d like to change and why — the why matters, because it’s how we find you a better match. Schedules change; changing pods is routine.

No. Most writers pick two to four days a week and build a rhythm that fits their life. The Wednesday Q&A is recorded, and you can email a question ahead if you can’t make it live.

All course material lives in your Kajabi library — that’s where you’ll also find the community and your pod. Advisor meetings happen in a Zoom room we host, so a free Zoom account is handy. Meetings are booked through zCal by your Advisor; watch your email for the invitation with the Zoom link.

That’s expected and planned for. Join the Next Step Collective at month 9 and continue seamlessly with the full support of your team, submitting your draft whenever it’s ready. If you step away and return later, there’s a six-month wait before submitting a draft for a full set of notes.

21 months from your official start date — the nine months of the program plus a full extra year. The course material itself is yours for life, including future updates.

Email hello@aprildavila.com and we’ll send your fully executed copy.