What is a Writing Coach and How Can One Help You?
By Jessica Brodie
I’m a writer, an author, a blogger, a journalist, and an editor. But I’m also something you might not have heard of: I’m a writing coach.
This begs the question: What is a writing coach? And how can one help you?
A writing coach is someone who is with you in the middle of your writing process, walking alongside you as you craft your book. We coaches guide you, encourage you, point you along the way, steer you to resources and how-to’s, and hold you accountable when you pause mid-project. (Because we all know it happens!)
I’ve been a writer and editor for decades, and one of the most common things I see with my editing clients is people struggling with overall plot structure, or basic writing issues such as overexplaining or telling instead of showing or just general lack of action. With one client when he read over my extensive edits, he told me “I wish I would have hired you while I was writing the book instead of after!” Inspiration hit, and I realized I could be helpful not only AFTER a book is finished but right in the actual writing itself.
I started taking on writing coach clients, and since then, I’ve discovered working as a writing coach has been one of the most rewarding things I do. It’s a real opportunity to help people.
Some of the people I work with need a ton of coaching help and some need just a little. I help with both fiction and nonfiction, as I write both and understand the processes for both. Fiction is my favorite, but I love nonfiction too.
Writing can be lonely, and it’s nice to have someone alongside you in the process. That’s where I come in.
Here are examples of some of the writers I work with:
1. Accountability needs
I work with a few writers who need help either in disciplining themselves to write or getting started in the writing world. Recently I worked with a writer who needed coaching to help him stay accountable in finishing his book. He’d been trying to finish for years and, under my coaching, finally achieved his dream. In fact, he also hired me to edit his book (I personally give a discount for that, but not all coaches do), and now we’re focusing on finding a literary agent.
2. Emotional needs
Other writers need encouragement and cheerleading the most. A writer I worked with wanted to write a book so badly. God put it on her heart and kept after her, nudging her to write her story to help others, but she had no idea how to do it. It was a story about a painful family situation, but she had so many doubts, and so my primary job with her was to encourage her to keep going, to be obedient to God, to push her devil-led doubts aside and just trust that if God calls us, God equips us. Her story was really good, and I knew it would make a great book… all she needed was a supportive someone in her corner to speak the words she couldn’t hear on her own.
3. Time management needs
Other writers are tremendously busy and have major problems with time management, and they need help with practical things like carving out time. A writer I worked with had a number of terrific books in her, but between children and home demands and her full-time job, she was not able on her own to get things done. She consistently put her writing projects on the backburner. She was overwhelmed with the demands of life, and devoting time to writing felt extraneous, except she knew in her heart it wasn’t. She needed help making it a priority.
We worked on time management, assessing her day, identifying when she had time, when she had the most creative energy, and what sort of timing to aim for initially. For her, it was five minutes, then fifteen, then eventually longer. We looked at whether it would also be helpful to take one day to do big chunks of writing and the rest of the days she just did smaller things. When things got in the way, we looked at why and how to prevent that in the future. Was it an isolated incident, like an illness or a death in the family, or was she not setting appropriate boundaries? Also we worked on how to set boundaries. Bottom line: We worked on prioritizing writing in her life. Now she’s produced one book and is working on the second.
Do I need a writing coach?
Not everyone needs a writing coach. I would say coaches are helpful to everyone but not necessary for everyone.
If you are self-motivated, if you understand the basics of writing in terms of storytelling and crafting scenes and dialogue, showing versus telling, if you have no trouble carving out time to write daily or regularly and actually sticking to it, and if you have figured out a way to shut down the negative voices and press on even when you hit a wall or get discouraged, then you might not benefit from a coach. Instead, a good writers group, critique group, or network of supportive friends might be the thing for you. (I personally love my local Word Weavers International group. You can learn more about them by clicking here.)
But if you genuinely know yourself, and you know you truly need an accountability partner who will hold your feet to the fire and make sure you do what you need to do, or you’ve gotten to the point where you are tired of slow gains and need someone who can help guide you past hurdles or stopping points, a coach could be exactly what you need.
How does coaching work?
Every coaching relationship is different. I use Zoom and find it is effective and helpful.
Some of my writers want to connect once a month; others prefer weekly check-ins, and some prefer email only.
If you’d like to chat about coaching and how it might help you, I’m here. Email jessicajbrodie@gmail.com
WANT TO HELP SPONSOR JESSICA BRODIE’S WRITING MINISTRY BY BECOMING A PATRON? CLICK HERE.
THANKS TO MY SPONSORS: MATT BRODIE, EMILY DODD, KATHLEEN PATELLA, BILLY ROBINSON, AND LANNY TURNER.
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