Are You on the Write Path?
A writing coach can help writers avoid common mistakes, plan out individual steps needed to reach their particular goals, and act as an accountability partner. Having a realistic understanding of the industry and what is needed to reach their goals is also part of a coach’s job.
Resist Taking a Shortcut
Writing is like any other skill. You can’t skip the steps needed to learn how to do it well, or you will just have to go around the mountain again. We would never want a neurosurgeon who paid the medical board to look the other way while they omitted essential training.
Getting ahead of yourself can only result in wasting precious time. In a rush to publication, many writers publish subpar work. Their characters wander with no goal in mind and are one dimensional, or their nonfiction book offers no solid takeaway and doesn’t appear to serve any purpose. Poor sentence structure and a plethora of typos show us they never sought out an editor. They wanted to be a published author, could afford to make it happen, and did it all on their own.
Writers of worth hone their writing skills and become proficient at turning a phrase, setting a scene, or creating memorable characters.
A writing coach can help assess these skills.
Can a Writing Coach Help Me?
Questions to ask yourself:
- Do you have a proper assessment of where you are as a writer?
- Are your writing goals realistic?
- Is your idea better suited to a book, blog, podcast, or article?
- Does your proposal include the information a publisher needs to make an informed decision?
- Can you take a complicated process and break it down into simple how-to steps for a reader?
- Do you know the ideal word count for your type of book?
- How long should your chapters be?
Coaches help with all these issues and more.
So, if you want to be a successful writer, ask for the help you need. Sometimes a simple consult with a coach can set you on a surer path.
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Diana Flegal served as a Literary Agent with Hartline Literary Agency for eighteen years where she represented fiction and nonfiction general market and inspirational titles. Her sales included Appalachian and romance fiction, cookbooks, how to, and personal stories on topics such as anorexia and Sudan’s lost boys. Diana and colleague, Eddie Jones, joined to start Reality Coaching for Writers where they offer “no fluff—just the real stuff” to help a writer succeed. Subscribe to their weekly writing tip podcast, Reality Coaching for Writers, or check out their info at www.writerscoach.us.
