“I came to Ink Academy with a few thousand words written and a desperate need for some structure and guidance.

“I was paired with a teacher who I liked from the start. Her methods were so useful … She was very fair and constructive in her criticisms and I found having a new perspective immensely helpful.

“I walked away from the 6 months with 30,000 words and the start of a story that I really wanted to finish. Now the book has been published. The course was essential in giving me the perspective and guidance I needed to write a novel.”

“I (still!) don’t have words for how much this course has helped me. It’s been an immeasurable relief to be able to talk about storytelling and writing with you over the past months; your positivity and encouragement helped me feel more confident and optimistic about sharing my writing, and inspired me to take time to really refine my ideas and experiment more.”

“I embarked on the Ink Academy course with only a fledgling idea of what I wanted to write, and emerged 6 months later with a completed novel. My tutor, Philip, was a very good match. He provided just the right combination of encouragement and critical feedback, and helped me to find and refine my voice as an author. After the course, Marina and Philip continued to offer guidance and support in my quest for an agent.

“I wholeheartedly recommend working with Ink.”

“I strongly recommend Ink Academy … I immediately loved Marina’s style, which was much more about coaching than editing. What I felt was that she was trying to train me to be a writer and, by doing that, improve my book, rather than to do the work for me.

“I should also say that I have thoroughly enjoyed every session I have had with Marina – she has that rare knack of telling you that you are doing something totally wrong without making you feel hopeless about it. Indeed, I have walked away from every meeting I have had with Ink Academy inspired to write more.”

“This is ‘literary therapy’. If you write, or want to write and are struggling to find your voice and technique, an hour discussing your work with Ink Academy makes you feel better, not only about your work, but life in general.

“Marina is meticulous and sympathetic, providing constructive and detailed feedback on the arc of the story and how to tell it …

“Ink Academy has not only guided me to improve what I want to say and how I say it, but given me encouragement to look at my writing in an entirely new way.”

“Marina is a fantastic, diligent and insightful editor. Her work on my manuscript was invaluable helping to tighten and homogenise the book’s style and focus. I’d commend her services to everyone.”

“Marina Kemp is an incisive and thoughtful editor.  She worked with me on a 100,000-word non-fiction manuscript, to a tight deadline.  She was focused, fast and, whilst attuned to my voice, was adept at marking up cuts and suggesting clarifications.  She has a keen attention to detail and, crucially, she made the editing process enjoyable rather than daunting.  Her feedback was considered and substantive.  Invaluable.”

“Before I had my Ink Academy consultation, I was ready to give up on my novel. But that hour completely turned it around for me … Wonderful advice and suggestions not just on the novel, but also the synopsis and cover letter.

“From the detailed feedback it was apparent that Marina understood my characters and my writing style as well as I did. By the time I left, I was motivated to work on my novel and send it out again, especially now that I was equipped with insightful feedback and words of encouragement.”

“Ink Academy understood my novel in a way that nobody else had. Marina discussed the novel with such huge intelligence and sensitivity that I felt inspired to continue. But beyond that, with meticulous detail and inspired suggestion, she showed me how I could continue to work on the novel to make it what I wanted it to be.

“Thanks to Ink Academy, I have a timeline, a solid plot, a close editing of the text, heightened dramatic tension, characters that have started to write themselves and the great pleasure of being able to continue to do what I love the most, which is write.”

Ink Academy has played an integral role in my writing journey. After winning a Twitter pitch contest, I met with an incredible literary agent, Silvia Molteni. She provided ideas, advice and important writing feedback, which consequently have improved my writing. With Marina’s help and guidance, I have found the whole experience to be invaluable, and I am forever grateful. Thank you. I strongly recommend Ink Academy to everyone, including those (like me) from underrepresented backgrounds.

“Six months ago, I would not have thought of myself as a writer … I looked at various writing courses but none of them resonated with how I wanted to go about this particular project. Then I came across Ink Academy – from day one, Marina was armed with practicality and a sixth sense of how to extricate exactly what I was trying to do.

“I have enjoyed every single moment – any doubts and difficult moments have been soothed away by carefully considered advice, which Marina gives in the most individualised way.

“With Ink Academy I have learnt how to structure a book, how to develop my own writing style, and more importantly Marina has never allowed me to get away with lazy writing, always encouraging me to dig a little deeper. I love her delicate honesty, because it has pushed me far beyond what I think I could have done on my own.”

“The Ink Academy course with Marina was exactly what I was looking for. I found Marina to be thoughtful and insightful and encouraging, and we developed a fantastic rapport from the beginning. She was able to identify weaknesses quickly and help me to eliminate them from my writing. She also helped me to think more deeply about my characters and story structure.

“She always read my submissions with great care and attention — and, perhaps most importantly, with a great deal of sympathy as well. She often seemed to know more about my characters than I did. She truly helped me bring my work to the next level, and I came away with a much deeper understanding of my work and the craft of fiction writing.”