4 Signs You're Ready to Hire a Book Writing Coach
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Years ago, I was stuck writing and rewriting my draft, having been previously traumatized by a couple of fiction classes that left me bewildered and discouraged.
I felt I needed...someone. I wasn’t sure who. Like a friend, but a friend who was a good writer, and willing to meet with me regularly and talk through my book progress and writing struggles. I wanted someone to read my new pages and give me feedback but not edit them yet.
I basically wanted someone to hold my hand as I tentatively stepped back into this book project.
I had writer friends, but this was too much to ask of one person, and I didn’t want to feel like I was asking a favor every time I reached out.
I didn’t know what it was called at the time, but what I wanted was a book writing coach.
Eventually I found one—a great one—and she helped me find joy and confidence in writing again.
Do you need to hire a book writing coach? Let’s consider the reasons you might—but first, who doesn’t need one?
3 Signs You Don’t Need to Hire a Book Writing Coach
If you ask me, you don’t need a coach if:
The story is flowing out of you.
You are never “stuck” for more than a day.
Your biggest uncertainty is what comes after you finish your draft.
If this is you, you’re totally in the right zone and don’t need to distract yourself by hiring help right now. Keep going!
I always say that flow should trump everything.
“Then why am I reading an article about whether I need a book coach, Mary? Isn’t it like what some say about alcohol—if you’re asking the question of whether you have a problem at all, you do?”
Not necessarily. You might just be experiencing some resistance—which happens to all of us—and using this as a distraction from your work. If so, I give you permission—and encouragement—to leave this article right now and get back to writing. :)
But if you are thinking, “No, Mary, I really think I need one,” trust yourself.
Your gut is right, whatever it’s saying.
4 Signs You Do Need to Hire a Book Writing Coach
A better heading might be “4 signs that you would benefit from a book writing coach.”
Regardless, here they are.
Sign #1: You have wanted to write a novel or memoir for over a year and can’t seem to get started.
If you’ve wanted to write a novel or memoir for a long time and either haven’t started or can’t seem to finish, you are like 50% of the writers I work with.
You aren’t alone!
It’s far more common than you think. Much of my course The 12-Week Book Draft is designed with you in mind—we talk a lot about resistance, and tools for combatting it so that that you can reach that last page of your draft.
This is what a good book writing coach will do—work with you not only on craft but also on process, so that you can get to the end of your draft without wanting to murder someone or having to sell your house.
Sign #2: You have started several drafts of your book but haven’t finished any of them.
The next 25% of people I work with are in this category.
Here’s a letter I got from a writer in this category about a year ago:
Dear Mary,
HELP! My problem is I always start projects but I can never ever seem to finish them. I probably have a dozen or more half-written novels on my computer. Some are short (less than 10,000 words), others are significantly longer (50,000 words). I'll feel inspired for a while, spend countless hours working on something, then I'll either lose interest, or second guess myself, or just get distracted by life. WTF do I do to stay focused on one project and see it through to the end? (For the record, I do NOT struggle with commitment in my daily life. I'm actually a Libra, so committing comes very naturally to me. Except when it comes to novels. I cannot seem to commit to them.)
Sincerely,
Lost in Literary Limbo
This guy could definitely benefit from hiring a writing coach—and did! Here’s a text from the same person after he took my course:
Do you know what I did? I just coached him through the process. He did the rest—he wrote—I can honestly say—an incredible draft that he’s now seeking representation for.
Sign #3: You have written one or several book drafts but are stuck on this one.
I was actually surprised when I started coaching to discover how many writers fall into this category.
But I shouldn’t have been!
If you’re a writer who is just looking for some help finishing the next project, or to change up your writing habits and process, hiring a writing coach could help you.
Even if you have written several books before, if you’re stuck on the latest, a good coaching plan could be beneficial.
Sign #4: You just prefer the expert guidance and accountability.
This was me.
I knew I could finish on my own, but I also knew that I preferred to do it well, and with someone to keep me company.
And I’m so glad I found a good coach, because it’s how I broke through.
Let’s talk about one other situation that comes up a lot for writers.
A Gray Area: You have finished your draft but aren’t sure what comes next.
What if you already have a draft and you aren’t sure where to go from here?
You have a couple of options. First, you need to revise. You may not want to hear this—I know that when I was starting out, I really hoped I was the exception to this rule. You just write a whole effing novel. Can’t you just send it out and get a publisher already?!
Yes, you could, but it would be a mistake. You only get one shot with agents, and you don’t want to use it up on your first draft, trust me. Your draft can be better.
Either you can work through a rewrite—again, with a coach is an option, especially if you aren’t sure how to approach the rewrite—or, as the more premium (read: more expensive) option, you can hire a professional editor to give you a developmental edit, which means offer notes on your overall manuscript.
For the former—shameless (truly shameless, because it’s good :)) plug, my course can be helpful—it includes an entire bonus course, Revise Your Book the Right Way.
For the latter, I recommend New York Book Editors, which I personally used and is the only editing company I vouch for wholeheartedly.
But you may not need to hire the editor or a writing coach—if you return to your manuscript and, after reading it, have a clear vision of what it needs, super!
Regardless, you’ll want to revise and have at least one trusted reader provide feedback prior to sending it out to agents.
In sum, does hiring a book writing coach excite you?
What’s the energy you feel when you think about hiring a book writing coach? Positive and excited? As you read this article, did you feel eager to get to work, or hesitant without knowing why?
Follow your energy. If you’re not ready, your body may be telling you. If you are, it will, too.
