Coaching and how it can help

I’ve sometimes had writers approach me who need some help with their writing, but who aren’t quite sure what coaching involves or if it’s for them. I like to think of coaching as providing support that doesn’t fit into actual editing.

This might look like:

❇ Helping a writer brainstorm their way through a tricky plot point or helping them come up with new ideas to explore.

❇ An in-depth discussion about an author’s characters and how their motivation (or lack thereof) is affecting the plot.

❇ Looking over an outline, story synopsis or list of ideas and providing feedback and encouragement.

❇ Helping an author organise their writing by setting goals for when certain chapters/scenes in their work-in-progress will be written, then helping them to stay accountable for these goals. This could be through weekly check-ins, feedback on their manuscript as they write it, and joint problem-solving sessions to overcome any issues that might arise.

❇ For historical fiction authors this might also look like help planning and organising their research.

❇ An intensive lesson in some aspect of writing craft that the author is having difficulty with. This lesson would be tailored to the author’s work and would include homework to enable the author to practice what they’ve learned.

As you can see, there are lots of ways that writers can use coaching to help them reach their writing goals!

What are your writing goals, and what have you found helpful in terms of reaching them? I’d love to hear, so please feel free to comment below.

And if you currently need some help with your work-in-progress, I’d love to hear from you! You can learn more about my coaching services by visiting my Coaching page, or contact me by clicking on the button below.