Book COachING

After nearly 20 years of writing and editing for magazines, I’m turning my attention to romance, commercial, and book club fiction. After more than two years studying the ins and outs of book writing and publishing, and enrolling in a book coaching training program, plus writing two novels (and a third on the way), I am helping other women achieve the goal of writing a book.

That’s not to say I wrote two-plus novels in two years. Oh no. My first novel took more than six years, and I spent most of those years in overwhelm and beating myself up for not being able to finish the damn thing! But the truth was, I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t understand the conventions of a romance novel despite having read hundreds of them.

I was stuck in the messy middle. I had an idea for a couple of great characters and a dramatic event that brought them together, and I had written scenes as they came to me. But I had no idea how to string it all together. Even after getting some guidance and finishing my draft, it didn’t follow the conventions of a romance novel, which meant I had a lot of heavy lifting to do in revision. Revision … yeah, I didn’t even know that was part of the process.

With the second novel, I felt like I had a better understanding of what I was supposed to do. But I just couldn’t make the flow of the narrative work. Until one day, it hit me. This book was not a romance—it’s commercial fiction with romantic elements. That’s why I struggled to make it fit the “romance mold.” As soon as that realization came, so did the words to finish it. I was still learning and will continue to do so every day of this journey.

If you can relate to any of this … unsure about how to start or what to do next, unclear about how to craft a story readers will want to read, doubtful about your ability to finish … I can help. We will work together to develop your idea and characters, get through the slog of sitting your butt in the chair to write (it’s hard!), finishing your draft, and dealing with all the mindset shit that will run you off your path to a polished draft.

My 9-month Write Your Damn Book One-On-One Coaching Program is for you!

In the next 9 months, we will:

• Follow a novel blueprint for developing the crucial elements that will help guide your story to your intended conclusion
• Develop your characters and define their character arcs
• Develop your book’s “world”
• Map out the major plot points following the appropriate story arc for your genre

Additionally, you will:

• Make significant progress toward finishing a novel draft
• Learn about the entire draft process (you don’t know what you don’t know)
• Learn to reverse outline your draft to get clarity about what comes next
• Monthly manuscript review and feedback

This program is for you whether you want to continue on the path to publishing (Big 5, small press, self-publishing, or hybrid) or if you just want the satisfaction of knowing you accomplished this major milestone (yes, some people do just want to write a book just for the sake of writing a book!).

Click the link below to schedule a discovery call to see if book coaching is a good fit for your project!

Do you already have a manuscript draft, but now you’re stuck and unsure what to do next?
My Manuscript to Marketplace program will help. This 6-month program (which can be customized for your schedule) will guide you through revision, final editing, and moving into the marketplace, either pitching agents for traditional publishing or exploring the perfect publishing journey for your book.

• Manuscript review and editorial letter
• Discover the power of revision and what’s involved to craft the best possible book
• Learn about the various publishing models and which is best for you and your book
• Get-Started Spreadsheet with 10+ agents or small presses to pitch, or a Guide to Self-Publishing Checklist to get your book and business materials ready to hit the market

Click the link below to schedule a discovery call to see if book coaching is a good fit for your project!