THE METAMORPHOSIS YOUR STORY HAS BEEN WAITING FOR
Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.—Pablo Picasso
Traditional editing approaches extrude your words through a lengthy process before you’re even certain you’ve got a good thing going on. That’s a lot of time and money on your story before you’re sure it’s on solid ground.
There’s a better way.
If writing workshops, classes, and books have left you lost in the weeds, discover the difference of working one-one-one with a book coach.
Book Coaching: The On-Ramp to an Edit-Ready Manuscript
If you’re all about the credo “move fast and break things,” you may feel confident diving from writing into self-revision and then editing. But if you like to get the lay of the land before trying new things, or if you’d appreciate having an experienced guide to call on as you’re writing, a book coach could be just what you need.
Book coaches have been described as consultants, mentors, teachers, and personal trainers for your writing. Book coaching shares a lot in common with developmental and line editing, especially from experienced editors who provide customized approaches beyond critiques or edits. Generally speaking, book coaching is more ongoing and interactive than editing, but one-to-one comparisons don’t paint the entire picture.
Read: What the difference between an editor and a book coach?
COACHING IS FOR YOU IF:
This is the first novel you’ve written.
This is the first novel you’ve written.- You’re a seasoned writer hoping to break out to the next level.
- You want to write using best practices and proven, classic techniques.
- You’re seeking a more collaborative, long-term editorial relationship.
- You want the process of editing your book to teach you more about writing it.
- You need efficient, effective methods for turning the big-picture story into scenes on the page.
I work only with writers I believe I can help reach specific writing, editing, and publishing goals. A complimentary assessment helps us both determine what you and your book need. Interested in exploring the possibilities? Let’s talk about working together on your book.
Lisa is undoubtedly some manner of sorceress when it comes to identifying and fixing the dissonance that can so easily creep between the story you thought you wanted to tell and the one that landed on the page.—Luke R. Mitchell
Story Coaching: A Developmental Edit in a Bottle
I love how you’ve distilled all these approaches … into a practical guide. Your material takes it from theory to practice. Brilliant!—Scott Jarol
Plot Accelerator story coaching gives you insight into the form and theory driving your instinctual storytelling choices.
Find out how to stop writing for yourself and start writing for the readers you want to buy your book.
Choose the point of view that supports the story, not the one that “feels right” or that you just like best.
Find out why narrative tense works precisely opposite of the way you probably assumed.
Discover the two elements that drive every aspect of your story.
Pull your protagonist out of the pit of passivity by discovering how stories are about characters happening to the plot, not a plot happening to the characters.
I love using the Plot Accelerator prior to drafting a book. Based on my experience, it results in faster, cleaner drafting and reduced need for major revisions and edits. Reader reviews of my first Plot Accelerator-planned book are a full star level higher than its predecessor, making it a valuable part of my process.—K.A. Wiggins
Develop a character arc that reveals the story behind the plot—or find out why your story doesn’t need a character arc of change and what to do instead.
PLOT ACCELERATOR STORY COACHING IS FOR YOU IF:
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- You want to understand what makes a story work and how to apply those principles to your manuscript.
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- You’d like to launch your next draft from a developed, informed foundation.
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- You’re uncertain that your story or characters are on the right track.
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- You’ve received conflicting feedback from readers or editorial professionals.
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I work only with writers I believe I can help reach specific writing and publishing goals. A complimentary assessment helps us both determine what you and your book need. Interested in exploring the possibilities? Let’s talk about working together on your book.
Here’s to words that grow organically! Stories shouldn’t be forced. Motivation drives the characters. Characters drive the action! Action and reaction IS the story.—J. C. Thomas
I highly recommend the Plot Accelerator to authors as one of the best investments you can make in your writing career.—Vikki Walton
Scene Accelerator: Getting the Story Onto the Page
Getting your story from outline to scenes is another one of those processes that can seem inscrutable until you learn the technique to the madness. The Scene Accelerator takes the mystery out of building effective scenes that move the plot forward and deepen characterization and setting.
In How Scenes Work, you’ll learn the anatomy of different types of scenes and how to avoid the number one mistake new authors make when planning their scenes.
In Scenecraft, you’ll learn techniques such as the 3 W’s of kicking off a scene, the screenwriting tactic of going in late and getting out early, and how to find your book’s sweet spots for scene and chapter length.
In Scene Construction, you’ll learn about the five types of writing that build scenes and find out how to decide when to use scene and when to use summary (the infamous showing versus telling).
Remember, coaching isn’t the same as learning in a class. You get one-on-one help applying the techniques in your manuscript.
SCENE ACCELERATOR COACHING IS FOR YOU IF:
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- You’re having trouble moving from the story in your outline or head to scenes on the page.
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- Your book includes a lot of exciting events, but readers don’t seem to be engaging with the story.
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- Your book is all talk and no action, or all action and no thought.
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- The manuscript reads like a report instead of a story.
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- Your story is solid, but your manuscript is too long or too short for its genre.
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I work only with writers I believe I can help reach specific writing goals. A complimentary assessment helps us both determine whether scene coaching would help your book. Interested in exploring the possibilities? Let’s talk about working together on your book.
One-on-One Consultations
A face-to-face conversation with an editor from the comfort of your home could be just the thing to keep your writing moving forward. Spend time with me on a video or phone call to pinpoint issues, brainstorm through knotty issues, or plot your next moves.
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- Get face-to-face, real-time feedback to shake free from creative blockages
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- Discuss how to apply writing advice and techniques to your book
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- Establish a collaborative connection for future coaching and editing
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Before our call, you can send me up up to three questions, along with background material to help me grasp the issue: an excerpt from your manuscript, a query letter and submission packet, your synopsis, an outline—whatever will give me a sense of what you’re struggling with. All feedback is delivered during our consultation; written edits or comments are not included.
Book your consultation: CONSULTATIONS CURRENTLY CLOSED
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions About Book Coaching
The popularity of story coaching is soaring as more authors realize the importance of getting the strongest possible start for their writing careers.
Story coaching is designed to help you develop a compelling story and tell it in a way that readers can't resist. We talk about your story idea itself and how it fits into today's marketplace. We examine the techniques and creative choices you've used to tell your story. We work together to tune the plot, character arcs, and themes of the story. We may also hone techniques for handling scenes, point of view, narrative modes, and more.
Story coaching is not the sort of book coaching that walks alongside you as you write your book (a process that could be seen as a sort of incremental editing). Story coaching positions your first draft to do the work of several early drafts, getting you closer to an edit-ready manuscript sooner in your writing and revision process.
This is not motivational or accountability coaching, which is designed to keep you on track with deadlines and completion goals. To be a good fit for story coaching with me, please arrive with your creative energies and motivation fully and amazingly ablaze.
You could—but I don't recommend it.
Many new writers figure they'll begin with a simple proofread—“just clean it up,” they’ll say. They want to see how the book does before they invest significant money, or they figure it’s not worth spending a lot of money until their books begin selling enough money to make back the investment in editing.
This is flawed thinking. A novel isn’t a weekend crafts project. This project will consume months or even years of your time as you vie to get noticed among the tens of thousands of books published every week. Welcome to Thunderdome—thousands of books enter, few books leave. Why waste your time and effort writing an entire novel with anything less than an intelligent, informed approach?
I love using the Plot Accelerator prior to drafting a book. Based on my experience, it results in faster, cleaner drafting and reduced need for major revisions and edits. Reader reviews of my first Plot Accelerator-planned book are a full star level higher than its predecessor, making it a valuable part of my process.—K.A. Wiggins
Not every author needs story coaching. If you’re a seasoned author who’s already mastered the techniques of storytelling and writing fiction, coaching or multiple rounds of editing could be overkill.
Even so, most of my established clients run a compressed version of Plot Accelerator coaching before or after their first drafts. It's an invaluable way to ensure your story is on track.
Story coaching is not designed to help you create your story from scratch or from early ideas. Before you begin working with me, you should already have a complete story in mind. You may not yet know all the road bumps or how's and why's, and you may be stuck at some point in the writing, but you should be clear on where the story is headed and how it ends. You're probably ready for coaching if you can write a coherent one-page outline or synopsis of the story, even if that includes some uncertainties at points along the way.
My fees align with the industry-standard rates published by the Editorial Freelancers Association. Your quote will be based on our conversations about your publishing goals and the needs of your manuscript.
Individual coaching sessions start as low as $50. Monthly plans range from $499 to $999 per month—about what most people consider for a monthly car payment.
Now I can’t imagine working with another editor . . . I really felt I was being pushed in the right direction from start to finish.—J.C. Thomas
Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom. You rock.
Looking for an editor to accelerate your journey from new writer to emerging author? That editor could be me. Or maybe you want a story coach to steer you through story development and writing; I can help you with that, too.
If you’re ready to accelerate your novel, let’s work together.