What is a writing coach? Should you hire one? How to hire one?
A writing coach is a professional who helps writers develop and refine their work, whether it be fiction, non-fiction, copywriting or any other type of written material. They provide guidance to help you improve your skills and become a better writer.
Whether or not you should hire one depends on your individual needs as a writer and the level of assistance that would best benefit you at this stage in your development as an author. It may also depend on the availability of qualified professionals in your area.
If you decide to hire one, begin by researching potential coaches online or through referrals from friends or colleagues who have used similar services before. Once you’ve narrowed down the list to two or three candidates, arrange for an initial consultation with each candidate via Skype/phone/in person (whichever is most convenient).
Definition of a Writing Coach
A writing coach is an experienced professional who can help you develop and refine your writing skills. Through guidance, feedback, and support they provide customized assistance to improve the quality of your work.
A writing coach helps you improve your written material.
Why hire a writing coach?
Authors may hire writing coaches to gain helpful insights, garner constructive feedback, and to get access to tailored advice and assistance in becoming a better writer. Writing coaches can help authors develop their writing skills through one-on-one consultations and workshops.
Authors hire writing coaches to help them become better writers, faster. Writing coaches can provide personalized guidance and feedback to identify areas of improvement and offer strategies for becoming a more effective writer in both the short-term and long-term.
For some authors, a writing coach can help keep them motivated and accountable as they work on their book. For others, a writing coach can provide an outside perspective and fresh ideas to improve their work.
Top reasons to hire a writing coach:
- Help you develop a more structured writing process
- Provide personalized feedback and advice on your work
- Help you to overcome writers block and get back to work on your book
- Help you become more organized with your writing goals
- Motivate, challenge, and encourage you to write better
- Help an author to finish their manuscript
- Teach specific techniques for improving the quality of your work quickly
Whether or not you should hire a writing coach depends on your individual needs and the level of assistance that would best benefit you at this stage in your development as an author.
Authors hire writing coaches because they recognize the value of having a knowledgeable and experienced professional to help them achieve their goals. What’s important is this: writing coaches are there to help you become the best writer you can be.
How do you hire a writing coach?
Finding a qualified writing coach is fairly straightforward.
The best way to find a qualified writing coach is through referrals from other authors or professionals in the publishing industry.
You can also search for coaches online by looking at their websites, reading reviews, and researching their credentials. Once you have identified some potential candidates that may be a good match for your needs, take the time to arrange initial consultations with each one via phone/Skype/in person (whichever is most convenient). This will give you an opportunity to get more information about how they work as well as ask any questions that are important to you before making your decision on who will be the right fit for your project.
Hiring a writing coach:
- Research your options: Search for qualified and experienced writing coaches online or ask friends and colleagues who have used similar services before for referrals.
- Set up an initial consultation: Reach out to the top two or three candidates you’ve identified to arrange for an initial consultation (via phone, Skype, or in person).
- Ask questions: During the consultation, be sure to ask any questions you may have about the coach’s process and experience with other clients so that you can make an informed decision about which one is right for you and your project needs.
- Make a decision: Evaluate all of the information gathered during your consultations then
When looking for a writing coach, it’s important to do your research and make sure the person is qualified and experienced in areas that meet your needs as an author.
Start by asking yourself what kind of guidance or support would benefit you most right now; this will give you an idea of which type of coach might be best suited for your project. Do some online research into various coaches who specialize in the topics that align with yours and read reviews from other authors.
Differences between an editor and a writing coach
An editor is focused on the technical details of a manuscript, such as grammar, spelling and punctuation. An editor will read your work for errors, suggest corrections and can even provide guidance on how to better structure your manuscript.
An editor is not a coach. They are not a cheerleader. They, quite honestly, don’t care for your feelings, and simple want one thing: a perfect document, free of errors; a document that is ready for submission to a publisher or or author agent.
When an author hires an editor to help with their manuscript, they receive feedback that is limited to the manuscript’s technical details.
A writing coach, on the other hand, has a much broader scope of action.
Writing coaches provide guidance and support for authors in all aspects of their writing journey Coaches are concerned with something greater than grammar and punctuation.
A coach will read your work from different perspectives to give you insight into how it can be improved, not just technically, but also emotionally and creatively. They help with structure, plotting, world building, they are a new point-of-view, to posit new characterization, question story arc, and cheer you on as you arrive at new conclusions and develop your work further.
Coaches are there to be an ongoing source of support and encouragement; someone who will help you stay motivated while tackling whatever challenges await along the way.
