Plus a Valentine’s Day coaching call deal you will love!
Happy Valentine’s Day to all the autobiography, memoir and biography writers out there!
Sitting down to write a life story to be shared among friends and family can be a glorious act of love.
But while you may have started the writing year full of enthusiasm, sometimes the romantic writing glow wanes and you need a hand.
Working with a writing coach can help you recover your writing mojo!
Here are three questions you should ask before you book a date with a writing coach.
Plus keep reading as I share the love with a special coaching call offer for Forever Young Autobiography followers …
1 Working with a writing coach: What is your past writing experience?
Before working with a writing coach it is essential to find out what experience your coach has in the life-writing field.
How can they help you become a better writer if they aren’t already one themselves!
Just like you wouldn’t get your car fixed by a person off the street with no mechanical knowledge, so too you shouldn’t obtain writing advice from someone unfamiliar with the craft.
Taking suggestions from a poorly qualified coach not only impedes your writing progress but it can waste your time and money!
Always make sure your writing coach has the writing chops to back up their coaching claims.
Related article – Everything you need to know to get your beloved involved with your life story
Related article – Writing accountability: Personal accountability + accountability partners
2 Working with a writing coach: What does a typical coaching session look like?
Working with a writing coach can vary from coach to coach.
There are many different types of writing coaches with different specialties.
Some are experts at helping you to plan and write a book while others are ninjas at pitching a book to a publishing house or planning a book marketing campaign.
Furthermore, coaching sessions can take many formats: one-on-one, group sessions, face-to-face, over the phone, via email or message apps.
Other considerations are a coaching session duration and frequency.
For example this could be anywhere from a 15-minute check-in accountability chat to a weekend strategising event.
When picking a writing coach make sure you know exactly what you are signing up for and can expect.
Related article – Surefire tips to end feeling overwhelmed about writing your life story
Related article – New course! Introducing the Setting Writing Goals Guide for life-story writers
3 Working with a writing coach: How will you help me during a coaching session?
Finally when choosing and working with a writing coach you must ask what will happen during a session?
If the coach has no idea it is a pretty sure bet they can’t help you effectively.
A good coach will go into a coaching session with a plan.
For example, when I hold a 30-minute coaching call with a writer I focus on their expectations.
That is: what I can do to help them achieve a WIN with their writing.
Typically I’ll start by asking what is on their mind and what is bothering them writing wise.
Then we will step back to identify the challenge and what the writer wants to achieve.
The final step is coming up with ideas for a writing solution.
And to finish, I’ll will ask for feedback on my performance.
This is because I believe a successful coaching relationship works both ways!
Related article – Writing motivation: How to finish writing a book about your life
Related article – Writing and editing: 3 things your writing teacher is looking for during a coaching call
Final say
A relationship with a writing coach can be extremely valuable to help you plan, write, polish and publish a life-story book.
But just like in love, you need to be able to spot the heartbreakers!
When choosing and working with a writing coach make sure you ask: what is their past writing experience, what does a coaching call look like, and how will it help?
So if you get solid answers to these questions you will be on your way to a ‘happily ever after’ book-writing journey.
For Valentine’s Day I am offering my much-loved readers a 30-minute coaching call for $25.
Normal coaching calls are available for $50 per 30 minutes.
This 50% off offer is for a limited time so make sure you act right now!
I’m excited to help you record, share and cherish life stories you love.
Happy writing!
Free gift!
Don’t miss my free structure success training video to help you plan your book’s chapter outline. Get clear on what your book is going to be about! Sign up here or fill in the form below.
Your say
What is one quality your writing coach must have? I always love hearing from different people. Drop me an email or leave a reply in the comments section at the end of this article.
Get in touch
Got a question about working with a writing coach or an idea for a future article? You can let me know here!
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This article first appeared on the website Forever Young Autobiographies.com.
