The question I’m always asking is: what’s the best approach for this author, for this manuscript, and for this story?

Now this is a widely quoted stat, and likely unprovable but WOW! Even if it’s 50%…

One thing I’ve learned after working with words, in various educational roles from international education to university creative writing instructor, for over a decade, is that every wordsmith is different!

Every writer has their own voice, their own reasons for writing, and their own goals. Some are seeking fame and fortune, and some are searching for solace and comfort in putting their thoughts and ideas onto paper, and they might be the only readers.

There is no right way.

As much as there is no right way to craft fiction, there is no correct way to work with editing professionals.

My approach has been to offer a narrow focus of genres: gay fiction, queer romance, crime, historicals, and memoir because these are where I can add value.

So why is creative writing coaching different to editing?

A) We are focused on the craft elements, building, constructing, rather than revision and refining. This might mean looking at sentence structure, sentence patterns, parts of speech, and phrase or clause types. There are so many building blocks to writing fiction, but we can delve into the finer parts during the process of getting your novel off the ground. Don’t let line craft hold you back; we can always improve!

B) We are working together on ideas, drafts, plans, and outlines; this is different to an editing job where you might receive a manuscript back with lots of tracked changes, red ink, and possibly suggestions you aren’t sure what to do with! This is where coaching is incredibly effective because we can work together through the process and you can ask questions and feel confident moving through each stage of the novel revision process.

C) There might be elements of teaching and education involved depending on your needs. I’m happy to go back to basics and work through those early elements. I’ve done the legwork in learning how people learn and also covered fiction craft from all its angles! At the developmental level this might mean working through main characters’ background, motivations, goals, internal and external conflicts, wound, and all the other good bits that bring characters to life on the page.

D) And a final difference between this writing coaching service and a traditional editing service is we set goals, and this helps keep you accountable, and writing the words, in whatever messy, rough way they are! Coaching is all about transformation and change, so we can set a lofty goal. Do you want to publish in six months’ time? Or do you want to deepen your knowledge of the treasure trove that is structure and substantive craft principles?

We can combine any number of the above and I work to listen to your plans and make a coaching programme that meets your writing needs.

So let’s get that book finished, from wherever you are now.

Every ideal story starts with an idea, a flash of a character’s profile, an emotion, a theme, or a message that you want to convey; but you don’t have to do it alone.

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay