The Confessional

Preorder 10 copies of Girl Gone Wild to join The Confessional—a live memoir writing residency during the launch of Girl Gone Wild

I’m not a traditional gal, and I don’t want a traditional launch. I want to write with my students and people who are supporting this book.

So I’m opening a special memoir cohort—part craft class, part writing residency, and part real-time publishing transparency as I launch my debut.

For five weeks, we’ll meet on Tuesdays and Saturdays while the book enters the world. You’ll be working on your own life story as I’m releasing mine.

This is ideal for writers in the idea, draft, restructuring, or pre-publication phase of a memoir.

And instead of charging $400, which would be in line with my typical pricing, all you have to do is preorder 10 copies of Girl Gone Wild.

XO,
Courtney

How to Join

Preorder 10 copies of Girl Gone Wild from:

Submit your receipt via this Google Form, and that unlocks access to the full cohort. If you have issues with the form, contact me at hello@courtneykocak.com.

The Logistics

Doors open: February 26th
Doors close: March 20th
Publication date: April 1st
First session: April 7th

For 5 weeks—April 7th through May 9th—we’ll meet live via Zoom.

Tuesdays — Craft Lecture
5:00–6:30 PM PT / 8:00–9:30 PM ET

Saturdays — Writing Room + Q&A
8:30–10:00 AM PT / 11:30 AM–1:00 PM ET

The gameplan: learn → write → ask questions → repeat.

Week 1 — What’s the Real Story?

Not just what happened—what it means

Most memoirs fail because they recount events instead of interrogating them. We’ll find your narrative spine and thematic undercurrent that makes a reader care.

We’ll cover:

identifying the narrative engine
situation vs. story / event vs. theme
determining your “why now”

Week 2 — Scenecraft

How to write moments that feel alive on the page

The best memoirs read like novels. Scenecraft is vital to writing a memoir that immerses the reader in a three-dimensional lived moment with dialogue and movement. I’ll show you how to turn flat recollection into something cinematic, embodied, and emotionally charged.

We’ll cover:

scene vs. summary (when to slow down and when to compress)
writing embodiment
using concrete detail and sensory anchors
balancing action, dialogue, interiority, and reflection

Week 3 — Writing the Scary Parts

Shame, sex, family, addiction

This is where most writers stall—not because they lack craft, but because they feel like they need permission. We’ll talk about how to tell the truth without blowing up your life.

We’ll cover:

how to write what you’ve been avoiding
emotional distance vs. immediacy
which details to include
legal and ethical boundaries

Week 4 — Structure That Holds It All Together

Why memoirs collapse halfway through

Great pages don’t automatically create a great book. Structure carries the reader from start to finish.

We’ll cover:

episodic vs. narrative arc
engineering tension
braided essays vs. linear storytelling
how to tackle chronology

Plus, we’ll discuss some of my best tips for writing and revision.

Week 5 — Publishing Reality + Platform

The business behind your book

I’ll pull back the veil and break down what I learned taking a memoir from idea to publication and launching it out into the world—what mattered and what didn’t. I’m sharing my behind-the-scenes case study during my debut launch. This session is worth the price of admission alone.

We’ll cover:

agents vs. indie vs. self-pub
what platform really means and how to prioritize building yours
how books actually sell
behind the scenes of my launch

What You Get

5 weeks of live teaching
5 guided writing sessions
weekly prompts
live Q&A access
a community of memoir writers
recordings of all sessions (for 30 days after the class ends)
full publishing & platform transparency during my debut launch

What to Do With 10 Copies

Here are real uses:

gifts for friends and fellow writers!
book club
social media giveaway
content props/photos
little free libraries

You’ll be surprised how quickly they go. But don’t give away your books right away—I’ve got some extra goodies planned for when your orders arrive.

The Bottom Line

This isn’t a typical class.

You won’t just learn memoir techniques—you’ll get really intentional about the most important aspects of your memoir while watching a book launch from the inside.

By the end, you’ll have:

new pages
a clearer story
and a plan for where it lives in the world
plus, new writer friends you could swap writing with

Preorder 10 copies of Girl Gone Wild and join The Confessional—a live memoir cohort where we turn your real life into a story that pops off the page. We’ll be doing this together while my debut enters the world.

Submit your receipt via this Google Form, and that unlocks access to the full cohort. If you have issues with the form, contact me at hello@courtneykocak.com.

The Writer’s 60-Day Platform Glow-Up

$59.00

Build your platform in 20 minutes a day—without the cringe or burnout

A step-by-step system to grow your audience, polish your presence, and create real momentum in 60 days.

What it is:

A guided 60-day sprint. Each day: one clear, 20-minute task that stacks into visible progress—no perfection required.

Miss a day? Start fresh the next day and save the missed task for the end of the challenge.

Who it’s for:

Debut & emerging authors building from zero or rebooting
Writers with big dreams who want a sharp online presence to build from
Busy, ambitious creatives who need sustainable structure

How it works:

One task/day (~20 min). Progress > perfection.
Catch-up days built in. No guilt, just momentum.
Start within 48 hours. Buy today, you’ll be on your way in two days or less.
Writer-centric. Everything serves your writing—building an audience of readers while protecting your writing time.

Testimonial:

“This program was exactly what I needed to get out of my head and start taking action in building my writer's platform. There are so many "experts" out there telling us all the things we should be doing to build a platform—Twitter/X, Threads, IG, Facebook groups, Substack Notes, podcast pitching, newsletter sending, ugh! It’s completely overwhelming. The genius of Courtney’s program was its simplicity—one small daily action, every day. It never felt hard because she told us exactly what to focus on every day—no more decision fatigue. And all we had to do was that one assigned thing and keep chipping away, 1% at a time. But 60 days later, looking back, all those tiny daily actions together really moved the needle! Without Courtney’s program and coaching, I would've for sure stayed stuck and paralyzed by overwhelm from all the things I “should” be doing. But now I know that platform-building doesn’t need to be soul-crushing and can absolutely be done in a sustainable way. Thanks, Courtney!”
- Alison Heilig

(No refunds.)