Writing Coach
Writing Coach
I added Writing Coach to my list of services because I love helping writers improve and polish their writing. I love to talk writing with writers and everyone who likes, or wants, to write.
My love of coaching writers comes from my many years of teaching English composition at the college level and from working with individual writers in different genres. As a teacher, I helped students tear down walls and prove to themselves that they could successfully write the semester’s assigned essays. I like doing the same with writers who have stories to tell.
As your Writing Coach, my purpose is to help you successfully tell your story. I love sharing resources and writing techniques. I love watching the lightbulb come on. I succeed when you, the writer, succeeds.
A writing coach helps writers when they’re stuck. A writing coach:
- Help writers improve their skills.
- Develops a specific writing plan for the writer that includes goals, strategies, and timelines.
- Discusses timelines and helps writers set them.
- Holds the writer to timelines.
- Helps the writer identify their fears and discusses ways to challenge them.
- Values each writer and answers questions quickly.
- Offers guidance on brainstorming and other writing techniques; helps the writer come up with ideas when they’re stuck; provides guidance on research and other topics if requested.
- Understands that there will be times when the author is frustrated and wants to quit, discusses the reasons for the frustration, provides motivation.
- Reviews the writer’s writing and offers feedback.
- Collaborates with the writer and offers discussions and assignments on writing techniques and strategies, such as audience and writing to that audience.
- Most importantly, writing coaches continuously offer encouragement and support.
During our first meeting we’ll discuss your goals. We’ll decide on the times we’ll meet—weekly, biweekly, or once a month. We’ll discuss the length of the meetings, the type of meeting—online, by phone, or by Zoom. Before we end our first meeting, we’ll set a time and date for the second meeting. We’ll also discuss the topic and assignment for the second meeting.
After we have set the guidelines for the meetings, we’ll talk about the kind of help you need. We’ll talk about your goals. We’ll talk about where you are in the writing process—at the beginning, the middle, or haven’t even started.
We’ll talk about how I can help you. We’ll talk about timelines and deadlines. I’ll explain how I work and I’ll share examples of the types of assignments I expect you to complete and send to me before the next meeting.
Assignments may focus on different writing techniques or they may ask you to send completed pages from your manuscript. I’ll read each assignment and provide feedback during our next meeting. The assignments are individualized and based on each writer’s specific goals and needs.
A writing coach’s job may overlap with the jobs of other editors, but a writing coach’s primary purpose is to collaboratively work with the writer on their distinct writing project. A writing coach helps the writer successfully achieve their goals.
Writing coaches can’t do it alone. It takes commitment and dedication on the writer’s part to succeed, to learn about the publishing process, and to get their manuscript ready for publishing.
It also takes hard work and drive to succeed. If your goal is to successfully tell your story, and if you’re willing to do the work, I can help. Let’s talk.
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