Customline Wordware: Coaching for Writers
Have you always felt that you could write a book, if only you had the time? Well – if you can find the time, we can help you write the book!
Many would-be authors find themselves immobilized by a general inability to organize information, which in turn makes it impossible to, metaphorically at least, put pen to paper. We work with writers, helping them outline the project and thereby have some control over the roadmap – and some sense of where that roadmap leads. At each stage of the journey, there are new roadblocks, new reasons to go off the path, and we are there to talk about the impasse, to work through it or devise ways around it.
What generally happens is that we are contacted by the writer in need of assistance. We spend time finding out exactly where the client's problems and strengths lie, what his or her goals are for the project at hand, and other similar information. Then, together, we set up a plan for arriving at that goal.
The plan will involve many components, which may include using the microcosm of an edited passage to teach a skill that the writer can use thoughout the book –– work on transitions, for example, or on possible POV problems. There will be times when the coach will indicate a need for additional work, or the client will feel blocked, confused, or overwhelmed and will ask for assistance. In every case, we work in such a way that the client feels empowered, creative, and in control.
Writing is not, as many people might think, an individual endeavor. At its best, writing is a feedback loop between the writer and the reader. This is true in everything from newpaper stories to romance novels. For that communication to work, the feedback has to be part of the creative process. We provide that ongoing feedback to help you see your work through someone else's eyes... before it reaches someone else's eyes!
Customline Wordware offers coaching on an hourly basis, at a cost of $100.00/hour. Most of the work is conducted by email, with telephone calls as needed for discussion or support. In some select cases it can be done in person. Many clients use several hours at the beginning of a project, then find themselves requiring fewer and fewer as they are able to independently implement the information and insights that they have learned from the coach.
As we have helped others, we can help you:
- structure an article, short story, or book
- determine the central dramatic question of your story
- learn how to use POV to best tell your story
- find out what topics to write about
- practice the art of rewriting
- tell a backstory without boring your readers
- use all of the resources at your disposal
- write what you know
- find your unique voice
... and much, much more! Customline Wordware can help — ask us how!