About Coaching

The coaching relationship is fluid. Many people start out with a project and end up in a long-term coaching relationship, or we move from project to project. I’ve been working with some of my writers now for three-plus years, and the relationships continue to change. People have babies and take time off; people finish books and start the next one; people sign up for a short program and end up continuing for months. It is up to you! Because I work with only a few people at a time, our relationship is able to be flexible and fit your needs, availability, goals, and financial situation. We just keep talking.

Coaching is for the writer who believes in the importance of craft, who’s stuck on process, wants to deepen their writing practice, or all of these. Practice, process, and craft are the pillars of the work we do together, and we strengthen them through discussion, interview, exercises, planning, guided revisions, expert editing from me and live or ‘partner’ editing, a technique I’ve developed in this practice to help writers hear their own voice and style, and improve their craft.

My coaching is often project-prompted—you have a book you want to start or finish, a newsletter you need to scope, a book of poetry you want to order, a manuscript to structure, a website that needs to connect you to the right clients and community for your coaching business or your company—these are all projects that I have significant experience in and would be excited to help you with.

Coaching is also a significant journey, for those who want to free their writing voice. In this journey, we’ll understand, and deepen or alter your relationship with writing, develop your craft skills and practice, face challenges, understand your creative blocks, dismantle them, and develop your personal writing philosophy. This is truly the heart and drive of this work.

I’ve laid out options to the right to get you started—you can dive right into regular coaching (I bill on a monthly basis so you’re never tied down or overcommitted), or go for a single or double session to unblock you and get you writing or clear on what you’re doing.

But this work is intimate and based on your needs, style, and schedule. If you have another idea of how we might work together, reach out. The best way to figure out what you want to do or what you need is to talk with me about it, we’ll figure it out together.

I also think the best way to learn about this work, besides talking with me directly, is to read what the writers I have worked with have written in their testimony.

I also suggest reading my newsletter, You Are A Writer, for more on my writing philosophy and my approach to coaching.

choose your path

  • The Regular is for writers who are really stoked to (or urgently must) get something off the ground — starting a newsletter or finally figuring out their book’s structure and getting started drafting. This weekly or biweekly cadence is also appropriate for writers who are working through intense creative blocks, a powerful longing to make some shifts in how creativity lives with them, or who just work at a faster pace, with lots to review regularly.

    Writers I meet with weekly frequently start at this rate and then move to biweekly as they begin drafting or we get on a regular publication cadence for their newsletter or chapter work, for instance.

    This is where the long-term coaching work happens, and big projects like your first book go from ‘what is it?’ to ‘I actually did it!’

    Weekly sessions are $2,000 a month; biweekly $1,200 (sliding scale). I work with only a few one-on-one clients at a time, and pricing is based on a number of factors, including meeting frequency, volume of work produced, and your financial reality.

    While most of my clients pay around $1,200 for biweekly sessions, I’ve discovered many writers who just want to talk about their projects and writing twice a month, and don’t want or need editing help or pages reviewed. These clients pay just $500 for that time and my follow-up notes and assignments, and I love doing these.

  • The one-month program begins with a 10-question writing exercise, where we’ll learn about your relationship with writing and unearth important parts of your writing story—your blocks, your inspiration, your motivation, your values. This experience will help you begin to change your relationship with writing, whether that’s a repair, a turning-toward, a strengthening, or a balancing. I’ll provide notes and specific ideas for your next steps.

    I’ve gone through this month-long experience with writers and it has never failed to be extraordinary. All you have to do is show up!

    The short program costs $750.

  • If you have a chapbook, essay or short collection, or any reasonably sized project that you want to make significant progress on and break through some major blockers on / find your motivation on again or clarify an important question about, I promise you we can do incredible work in 1.5 hours + I’ve reviewed the thing.

    Base $250, dependent on length of work.

  • A weekend or two-day of coaching, 1.5 hours a day. You bring a creative block or confusion about why you’re creatively blocked. Through a writing exercise and interview, you’ll leave day 1 with a short assignment to complete before the next day. On day 2 we’ll discuss the whole thing and develop a positive, generative relationship with your voice. We work to free it Day 1, and Day 2 we hear what it sounds like and free it some more.

    $500

coaching

  • If you have a chapbook, essay or short collection, or any reasonably sized project that you want to make significant progress on and break through some major blockers on / find your motivation on again or clarify an important question about, I promise you we can do incredible work in 1.5 hours + I’ve reviewed the thing.

    Here’s what ANNIE said. I read her chapbook, and discussed it with her and the creative blocks she had to sharing her work.

    Base $250, dependent on length of work.

  • A weekend or two-day of coaching, 1.5 hours a day. You bring a creative block or confusion about why you’re creatively blocked. Through a writing exercise and interview, you’ll leave day 1 with a short assignment to complete before the next day. On day 2 we’ll discuss the whole thing and develop a positive, generative relationship with your voice. We work to free it Day 1, and Day 2 we hear what it sounds like and free it some more.

    $500

  • The one-month program begins with a 10-question writing exercise, where we’ll learn about your relationship with writing and unearth important parts of your writing story—your blocks, your inspiration, your motivation, your values. This experience will help you begin to change your relationship with writing, whether that’s a repair, a turning-toward, a strengthening, or a balancing. I’ll provide notes and specific ideas for your next steps.

    I’ve gone through this month-long experience with writers and it has never failed to be extraordinary. All you have to do is show up!

    The short program costs $750.

  • The Regular is for writers who are really stoked to (or urgently must) get something off the ground — starting a newsletter or finally figuring out their book’s structure and getting started drafting. This weekly or biweekly cadence is also appropriate for writers who are working through intense creative blocks, a powerful longing to make some shifts in how creativity lives with them, or who just work at a faster pace, with lots to review regularly.

    Writers I meet with weekly frequently start at this rate and then move to biweekly as they begin drafting or we get on a regular publication cadence for their newsletter or chapter work, for instance.

    This is where the long-term coaching work happens, and big projects like your first book go from ‘what is it?’ to ‘I actually did it!’

    Weekly sessions are $2,000 a month; biweekly $1,200 (sliding scale).

    While most of my clients pay around $1,200 for biweekly sessions, I’ve discovered many writers who just want to talk about their projects and writing twice a month, and don’t want or need editing help or pages reviewed. These clients pay just $500 for that time and my follow-up notes and assignments, and I love doing these.

  • I read your entire book. It might be your first draft or your final draft. I’ll write a detailed editorial memo for you with feedback on structure, themes, ideas, clarity, all the elements of your books. We’ll meet once for a 1.5 hours to discuss it together and any questions you have!

    Many manuscript reviews have turned into long-term coaching relationships.

    Base $1,000 depending on length of work and depth of need.

  • I read and edit your book. If you think this is you, the first thing we’ll do is have a big conversation about what you really need! Base $1,500 up to $10,000 depending on length and state. First call on me.