Coaching

What is Coaching?

Coaching is a way of working with another person who is a partner in your personal and professional success. It is the fastest growing profession in the world, as more and more people realise that working with a coach can make a substantial and lasting difference to their lives.

My particular take on the coaching process is that it is a way of freeing your thinking, which allows you to remove the blocks to your own progress. By asking the right questions, the coach can help uncover what is holding you back and then work with you as you define new possibilities and take concrete action that moves you forward in new and exciting directions.

What is a Writing Coach?

As a Writing Coach, I work specifically with writers and other creative artists who are looking to move to the next stage of success and fulfilment. I am a novelist and creative writing teacher who has trained a coach in order to find the best possible ways of supporting other writers and artists who are looking to pursue a creative path in life.

How we work together is often unique to our particular relationship. Most of my clients are interested in getting to the root of any creative blocks or problems with time-management; they are looking to be accountable to somebody in their work and to discovering what aspects of their broader life – including issues with money or relationships - inspire their writing and what could be worked on to make more space for the creative process. We often look at work-in-progress too and in my role as a consultant, I give constructive feedback on the work. Other clients are entirely new to writing and want to understand the nuts and bolts of writing a book – or they want somebody with whom they can brainstorm their ideas.

Coaching works by uncovering creative blocks and shifting your beliefs around what is possible, enabling you to move forward with your work and make lasting changes in your life. I work with my clients to clarify your personal goals – in writing, creativity and in life – and I support you to take action that will bring those goals to fruition.

Who do you work with?

My clients come from all walks of life and I work internationally. Wherever you are in the world, I can coach you by telephone. What unites my clients is that they are all looking to expand their personal creativity. Whether that takes the form of writing a novel or a business book, they all wish to become more inspired, more motivated, more productive and ultimately more successful with their writing.

I work primarily with people who are writers or have a desire to write, but I have a few clients who express their creativity in other ways – for example painters and photographers. My clients are most typically creative writers or small business owners who wish to write books to establish themselves as experts in their sphere.

Many people I work with are suffering from ‘writer’s block’, lack of motivation, fear of the blank page or inability to finish a book. Others are already inspired but need more direct creative support on their writing project, including help with characterisation, plotting and structuring their work, as well as finding an agent or a publisher. I supports my clients as they carve out time for their writing, making it a part of the texture of their everyday experience, rather than something that they put off ‘for when the muse strikes’. Generally, people decide to work with me when they are ready to make their writing dream a reality. In recent times I have worked with novelists, journalists, teachers, coaches, photographers, actors, psychics, small business owners, and consultants.

My coaching can address many areas of your life and your writing, including inspiration, motivation, writer’s ‘block’, productivity, time management, making money from your writing and negotiating agents and publishers. I support you at every stage of your writing life, whether you are a beginner or an experienced author. My aim is to help you have a writing life that you love; for writing to be an integrated part of your life; for you to achieve your writing goals with ease.

We are all creative and expressing that creativity is central to our vitality as human beings.

How do I begin coaching?

I offer a complimentary 40 minute consultation to anyone interested in working with me. It gives us a chance to get to know each other and gives you a real opportunity to see how coaching might work for you. In this session, the focus is on your writing goals and any obstacles you feel are in the way of achieving them - and together we will identify your strengths and abilities to reach those goals. The consultation is obligation free and you decide how to proceed after the call. Click here to arrange your complimentary call.

What’s the next step?

If you decide to sign up for coaching you will receive a full Welcome Pack including questionnaires to complete that will help me get to know you. Coaching generally takes place by telephone, though in-person coaching can also be arranged at an additional fee. Coaching is fully confidential.

The calls take place at regular times, generally twice a month. We’ll focus on your progress, identify any current challenges and opportunities, and look at how best you can use your energy to move forward to the next stage of your writing success. Your agenda is my priority. I listen intensively. I will often make direct requests and together we agree on ‘homework’. Much of the work is about what you do in-between the sessions. I am there to keep you on track.

If you want to know more about coaching with me, contact me now via the contact page on this site. Or click through to Consultancy to find out more about my Literary Consultancy work.