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As a national magazine freelancer and book author, I spent years writing alone. There were no writing coaches in those days. So, I would motivate myself to sit down at the computer — even when I would rather have been doing anything else, figure out what to write, congratulate myself when I got recognition for my work or a sale, and console myself when things didn’t work out. Talk about a solo operation!
These days, writing doesn’t have to be such an isolated experience, even if you’re not part of a writing team or a member of a writing group. You can work with someone like me. I’m a writing coach.
Despite originally planning to be a teacher, I never planned for my writing career to veer in that direction. I fell into the writing coach role when a literary agent hired me to help her with her book. Her problems? Procrastination and an obsessive tendency to re-write her first paragraph instead of moving forward.
During the ensuing 25-plus years that I’ve worked as a writing coach, I’ve come to realize that most writers struggle with this misplaced perfectionism, thanks to a debilitating internal voice that finds fault with anything they write and prevents them from starting–let alone completing–their books. That’s why I have my clients begin with sloppy copy. Bashing out content that doesn’t even count as a rough draft effectively silences that inner critic. After all, how can you criticize something that’s supposed to be sloppy?
Of course, every writer, whether published or not, struggles with their own, very personal set of challenges. Some need help with accountability, so they actually write instead of just thinking about it. Most people benefit from brainstorming, one of my favorite parts of the writing coach process since together we can come up with ideas neither of us could reach alone. Other folks need help understanding how all the pieces of their book fit together or how to power up their writing. So, the writing coach sessions change with each writer and at each stage of their book.
People often assume that choosing a writing coach to work with implies that you’re incapable of writing on your own and need someone to hold your hand. That may be true, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But a writing coach relationship extends way beyond encouraging you, holding you accountable, or even teaching you about the craft of writing. It’s like having a partner on your creative team who has managed to retain the perspective that can so easily be lost when immersed in a big project. As the writer, you’re in the trees by definition. Your writing coach still has a sense of the forest as a whole.
If you’re tired of going it alone — or of not even starting that book you’ve always wanted to write — email me at linden@OneStopWritingShop.com and let’s talk.
