The Complete Guide to Writing Coaching

This guide will help you learn all about writing coaching so you can decide if it’s right for you - and if it is, how to go about finding a coach that fits your needs. 

Table of Contents

Who is Writing Coaching For?

What Does a Writing Coach Do?

Benefits Writers Get from Working with a Writing Coach

Practical Ways Writing Coaching Can Work for You

Where Do You Find a Writing Coach?

How to Choose the Right Coach in 4 Simple Steps

What Happens During a Writing Coaching Session? 

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Who is Writing Coaching For?

Writing coaching is a great option for people who want to: 

• Improve their overall communication

• Start a new writing project

• Get creatively unstuck or out of a writing rut

• Finish a writing project

• Feel more confident in what they say and how they say it

Who it’s not for people who: 

• Think they already know everything about writing and want confirmation of that

• Believe you can’t improve at things by practicing 

• Aren’t willing to show up to sessions and try new exercises and tasks

As a coach, I tend to work with women who:

• Like to help other people, maybe even as their career

• Want to write a nonfiction book

• Have an idea but don’t know where to start

• Have some writing done but don’t know how to organize it

• Want my help - of course I have specialties, but my biggest goal is to help everyday people tell their stories

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What Does a Writing Coach Do? 

Writing coaches are professionals who can help you improve your writing. Similar to a teacher, coaches can give you advice, action steps, and encouragement as you work through a writing project. Unlike a teacher, coaches take on a limited number of clients, which allows them to provide better feedback and more support to each person.

Writing coaching tends to happen in two primary ways: in a group or 1-on-1. 

Group coaching consists of getting together with a coach and other individuals to work on a project over a period of time. Many coaches do group coaching for a set number of months with live sessions, Q & As, and periods of time where they’ll give feedback to each member of the group. Having peers to work with over time can be great for getting and receiving feedback, as well as having other like-minded writers to support you on your journey. It’s almost like coaching plus peers.

1-on-1 or private coaching means that it’s just you and your coach during coaching sessions. 1:1 coaching tends to be pricier than groups because of the dedicated time you get with your coach. Usually private coaching comes with customized tasks to work on between sessions, check-ins with your coach, and other ways they let you know that they’re there for you. For many people, this is what they think of as “coaching” more so than a group.

Writing coaches tend to focus on one of three areas: development, skills, and publishing.

Sometimes you’ll find a coach who does more than one if they’ve had extensive experience in more than one part of the writing process, but mostly, we pick one area that we like to work with writers on the most. 

Developmental writing coaches, which is what I am, work with the ideas. We love helping you begin a project and figure out where it’s going and what it can be when it’s done. We work with you on organizing your thoughts and beginning to write. 

We love hearing about all of your wild ideas and we can help you begin to put them on the page with some kind of coherence - because let’s be honest, our brain is great at thinking about things about a mile a minute and not always great when it comes to actually writing said ideas down. 

Some of the major things I work with clients on are creating habits, writing schedules, and organizing their thoughts so the writing process works for them. I also love working with clients who have some writing but aren’t sure where to go next. Above all, I work on confidence - you can do anything you like after the writing is on the page, but you have to be able to get it there first!

Writing coaches who focus on skills are probably the most prevalent. These coaches can work with you to hone your message through the more technical aspects of writing. 

They enjoy working with you on identifying plot holes, developing characters, and figuring out the language of the story (i.e. tone, voice, etc.). They can help you identify patterns to improve your writing, such as words or phrases you overuse or the difference between passive and active voice. For nonfiction, they can help identify areas that might be confusing or where readers might get stuck. 

Sometimes these coaches offer editing services, which is great if you want to eventually share your writing with other people. This also means they can show you how to do an effective edit on your own writing.

Writing coaches who focus on publishing are also called book coaches. There seem to be a large number of book coaches, which is awesome, if a little intimidating. Book coaches help you get your manuscript and proposal ready to query with the hope of getting published by a traditional publishing house. 

They can also help you get a book ready to self-publish if you’re interested in going that route. These coaches are talented in the marketing and networking aspects of publishing. They can help most when your ideas are all shined up and ready to get sent out into the world, as they don’t focus on writing skills or development. 

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Benefits Writers Get from Working with a Writing Coach

It’s one thing to understand what coaching is all about, but why do people want it? What’s the point? 

The short answer? To write better. (Hah!)

The realistic answer: there are a number of things writing coaches can help you do, depending on your goals. Everyone has a different mindset when they come to coaching, whether it’s a project they’ve been thinking about for years (more common than you might guess) or they want to write a book to get more clients.

It all begins with the confidence to start somewhere, which you can get from working with a coach.

Some of the other awesome benefits of working with a writing coach: 

Workshop your Writing

Any writing coach should be looking at your writing with you, no matter which stage you’re at. Actively working on your writing with a coach can help you navigate new ideas, ask questions in real time, and grow as a writer. Writing is a skill, not a talent, so practice really does make perfect, or rather, practice makes a pretty good finished project. 

Writing Organization

One of the most difficult things about writing is organizing it so that it makes sense to others. That’s where a writing coach can be extremely helpful. It’s completely okay if you don’t write a project or book from beginning to end (I definitely don’t). That doesn’t mean you don’t need a system for filing your writing so you can find the pieces you’re weaving together. You’ll also eventually need to put it in beginning, middle, and end order, so it’s helpful to develop a way to store things for when you’re finalizing everything at the end of the project. 

Writing Goals

Even if you don’t want to write a whole book right now, having writing goals keeps you moving. Writing coaches work with you on setting short- and long-term goals, whether that’s sharing your wisdom with your inner circle or becoming a NY Times bestseller. Your writing goals are unique to you, and your coach should meet you where you’re at, even if you want to write a few pages and see how it goes. Talking through it, setting achievable goals, and checking in on them can do a world of good for your writing.

Accountability

Here’s the thing - people procrastinate. For writers, “tomorrow” can easily become a year from now because they don’t feel their writing is as important as other things in their life. Or maybe because they’re scared. Or they simply don't have anyone to keep them accountable for what they want to get done. Coaches are the ideal people to keep you accountable because they’re there for you. Most coaches check in between sessions and create tasks for between sessions, particularly with 1:1. Having an accountability partner can really help confidence, too, because if you’re working on the tasks, you can stop feeling bad that you pushed your writing goals back again. (Not that I have experience with that at all….haha)

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Practical Ways Writing Coaching Can Work for You

One of the best (and worst?) things about writing is that it’s incredibly expressive. This is awesome because we get a release of everything that builds up and all of our amazing ideas. It’s also the worst because it can make sharing our work scary as hell. No one really wants to get criticism on such a vulnerable and personal thing. Alas, it’s something we have to do if we want to grow as writers. 

So imagine how nice it would be if an experienced writer read what you’ve written and gave you feedback in a way that doesn’t feel like you got chewed and spit back out. This is where a writing coach comes into play. 

Here are some ways writing coaching can work for you: 

1. You’ll have a dedicated person to look at your writing and give you feedback that won’t make you want to cry ugly tears the rest of the day. I can’t speak for other coaches, but I don’t do the “tough love” thing because I’ve never seen any evidence that it actually works. There will always be things to improve, but it doesn’t have to be a painful process to work on them.

2. You’ll have a mentor to guide you. Someone who knows a heck of a lot about writing is there to help you get to your goals in a way that’s doable for you. Coaching is one part of your life that’s all about you, and having a mentor can open up a lot of opportunities for growth learning. 

3. You’ll be accountable for your writing. It’s easy for writing to get moved to the bottom of your priorities list because it doesn’t always feel important. Even if it does, who’s really going to be keeping tabs on your progress besides you? Having an accountability partner (like your coach), helps you prioritize your writing.

4. You’ll begin to actually get writing done. Having a writing coach is really great for getting writing done on a regular basis because in the back of your mind, you know someone’s waiting to hear what’s next. Someone is excited to help you move forward.

5. You won’t have to face the emotions of writing alone. Writing can be lonely, there’s no avoiding that. Sometimes you might feel stuck or overwhelmed. Sometimes you just don’t know what’s next or where to start. A coach can help you work through these emotions and give you a place to start.

6. You’ll have achievable tasks to work on between sessions. Whether you want to do one coaching session or get coaching on an ongoing basis, a good coach should help you figure out what to work on to keep moving forward. That might be specific tasks between sessions or a next steps list after a single session. You shouldn’t be walking away wondering what to do next. 

7. You don’t have to figure everything out on your own. Will something “work” in a book? How do you do XYZ without the reader getting confused? Having a sounding board is one of the best parts of coaching because it’s a way to distinguish the good ideas from the ones that aren’t really working. Plus, it’s hard to see what will work. Usually simple is best, but sometimes talking through it is just what you need to get to the next step. 

8. You’ll get a built-in hype person. No one needs a “yes person” but we all need a “hype person” - someone who believes in you and keeps cheering you on whether or not you feel like what you’re doing is good enough. Your coach should believe in you and encourage you regularly, not just to make you feel good but because it’s actually true. 

9. You’ll have support when you’re not feeling confident. I’ve been the writer who pretty much gave up because I thought I wasn’t good enough…for a LONG time. So when I say that I understand my client’s hesitations, I really do get it. A coach is there to build that confidence and make sure you feel good about your writing. Yes, there are other factors, too - skills, plots, etc. But it really all starts with being sure enough in your voice to put something on the page. Everything else comes with it. 

Where Do You Find a Writing Coach?

Typically I would probably say doing a Google search, and that might still be a good idea. After all, you do want to know who’s out there and what they have to offer! Looking on LinkedIn can also be a good place to start your research. 

With that being said, there are a lot of conflicting messages out there and it can be overwhelming. It can also be hard to tell if someone would actually be good to work with when you’re reading website copy designed to get you to buy. 

So, what I recommend is, after you’ve looked around and seen what’s available, ask your friends if anyone knows anyone (usually someone knows someone, especially if they’ve been working on writing, too. Personally, I feel like a reference from a trusted friend is always more comforting than copy on a website or even other reviews. 

If you don’t have a reference, or you found someone who’s really promising, reach out to them! A few emails back and forth or even a quick Zoom call for a question-and-answer session can go a long way in helping you feel comfortable. 

One other thing to note - watch out for the term “best.” It’s subjective, and honestly, what’s best for you may not be what’s best for others. If there’s anything I’ve learned since I’ve been writing professionally and coaching it’s that there’s always someone who’s been working longer or has more extensive experience than you. There are always people who offer services at low prices and luxury prices - neither of which is necessarily bad if they’re providing you with what you need. Coaching isn’t about finding the best coach, but finding the right coach for you. 

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How to Choose the Right Coach in 4 Simple Steps

Before you look for a coach:

Decide your main goal/purpose for getting a coach

When you’ve identified a possible coach:

Step 1: Read some of their recent content to see if it resonates with you.

Step 2: Find them on social media and see what they’re saying. Look at what others are saying about them & how they interact with their audience. Watch videos if they have any to see what they’re passionate about and how they speak to people.

Step 3: On their website, look further into their personality, experience, and prices. What are they promising? How long will you work with them to see these results?

Step 4: If available, book a complimentary session with them to see how the conversation goes. If they don’t have a free call, reach out to them or apply to coaching. Only take this step when you’re ready to get started - you probably don’t want to get on a ton of calls with people if you already know they’re not a good fit.

Notes on Choosing the Right Coach

• Choosing a coach doesn’t have to be that complicated, but make sure you do your due diligence to know as much as you can about who you’d be working with.

• It’s okay to “pick” someone and wait to work with them. Get involved with their content & community! Use it as an opportunity to learn from them before you work with them.

• If you get any vibes that something isn’t right, whether that’s from copy, content, video, etc., choose another coach.

• If you’re not sure about your first impression, read more about them. Interact with their content, wherever that is (blog, podcast, etc.)

• Budget is important (obviously), but it shouldn’t be your only consideration.

More experience doesn’t always mean “better.” You need to be comfortable with their experience, whether that means education, years of experience coaching, or a specific kind of knowledge that you don’t have yet. Figure out what you will be comfortable with and remember that as you’re learning about them.

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What Happens During a Writing Coaching Session? 

Writing coaching can vary based on what you want and/or need for each session. By and large, though, what we do is have conversations. These are the things that typically happen in my coaching sessions, and I would imagine them to be quite similar for other coaches. 

Before we dive into strategy and working together on your writing, we first set goals. These goals are what help your coach create the best and most helpful sessions for YOU, because you’re what it’s all about. 

Knowing that everything is centered around your personalized goals, there are several things we’ll talk about each time we meet. They vary in proportions depending on the day and what you need or ask to focus on.

We’ll talk about your project & your writing. I’ll ask how it’s going, what progress you’ve made, what questions you have - all the stuff that’s going on with you right now (even if you didn’t quite live up to your own high expectations - don’t worry, we’ve all been there). This sets a conversational tone for the session, which is how it works best so our time together stays relaxed and productive.

We’ll talk about if or where you’re stuck, what your blocks are, and how to get unstuck. We all get stuck sometimes. It’s a when, not an if. Part of what makes this frustrating is that many times the reason is different each time! It’s not always easy to figure out why you were feeling extra creative on Thursday and completely blocked on Friday.

So we’ll talk about it. Whatever it is, we’ll find it and figure it out. I’m here to help you bust through your blocks like a writing ninja. Well, I’m really more of a Bob Ross: paint your way out of your writing blocks with a happy little cloud (because let’s be honest, I’m definitely not a ninja). 

We’ll talk about your goals & work on them. We’ll check in and see how your goals feel and your progress toward them. We don’t want goals that don’t feel good or don’t feel aligned with what you want to do. We’ll check in on your tasks between sessions and anything good, bad, or ugly that came up while you were working on them. And, we’ll choose a piece to work on during our time together.  

If we need to adjust your overall goals, we will. If you’re still feeling good about them (woohoo!), we’ll talk about the next steps you can take to achieve them - always keeping things doable, of course. For my clients who like to do single sessions, we set up the next three steps they can take to keep moving forward. 

I’ll give you tasks to work on between sessions. Some people call this “homework.” As a teacher, I can tell you from experience that giving homework to an adult, especially a professional, doesn’t always sit well. After all, coaching isn’t school. I’m not there to grade you on how thoroughly you completed an assignment. During coaching, I’ll guide & mentor you (hopefully inspiring you to keep going!), but it’s collaborative, not a teacher/student relationship.

Everything we do is designed to help you based on your goals and what you’ve shared with me. I do give tasks between sessions to remind you of what you’re working toward when we’re not together, and to help you make progress. If you decide not to do them, that’s your choice; but, I think you’ll be intrigued enough to try them out (and you’ll be amazed when the weird stuff works).

No matter what we do, or where the conversation leads, the 3 most important things that will happen in each session are that:

1. You’ll feel good about your project.

2. You’ll have action steps to take to move forward. 

3. You’ll be more confident than when we started (even if it’s just a little).

Strategy does matter. Logistics and goals and all the things that you do to write your book are important. But I’ll let you in on a little secret: you can already do those things. Sure, they might be a little less targeted or take longer. But you don’t need me to write your book - your brilliant ideas and your words will do that for you. 

What you do need is to feel confident about being able to write that book. You need to believe in yourself enough to start even when you’re hesitant and work through it when you’re stuck. You need the best you to write your book, and that’s what I’m here to help show you. 

Yes, I give you strategies because there are plenty of things you learn as a professional writer & writing teacher that might not occur to you to try if you're working in a different industry. But the best thing I can do for you is encourage you and show you how awesome you are so you can continue on your way. That’s what coaching sessions are really all about.

Want to talk more about coaching? Reach out today - let’s have a chat.

There’s No “Easy Button” for Writing: 5 Lessons I’ve Learned the Hard Way

I was on a Teams call with a colleague the other day and we were working on copy for a new web page. It’s going to be a great resource (if you’re in the healthcare provider world, it might even be for you!).

As we were chatting about the brand style, I mentioned that it irritates me to no end that our brand at work doesn’t use the Oxford comma. Also called the serial comma, it’s the one that separates lists. For instance, it makes me sad, annoyed, and huffy when I have to take them out of all the writing I’m editing. It’s that comma before the and.

Anyway, so we were talking about it and laughing about how many nuances there are, but also he thought it was a funny writer’s rant. After all, no one really cares that much about commas besides writers, right? It is kind of a funny thing to get annoyed about. The funnier thing is that I have this conversation a lot. Like, every time I write for a new client or edit someone’s work. IT’S A CLARITY THING.

Later that evening I was thinking about the conversation because even though I’ve been writing most of my life, there are still things that get me. For instance, I almost always spell the word “professor” wrong the first time, and “restaurant.”

You probably have some of those, too, don’t you?

It’s kind of assumed that the more skilled you become and the more you practice writing, it’ll just somehow get easier. Sure, some things do. Your voice feels more natural, and you can start self-correcting small errors or noticing patterns you don’t like faster. But the truth of it is that writing is actually pretty damn hard, even for those of us who love it and practice it all the time.

Because it’s hard, a lot of people are intimidated by it. Like, who wants to have an intentionally difficult hobby or set themselves up for a career where they literally won’t ever know everything about it?

There’s quite a bit of nuance in writing, though. It’s creative, ambitious, and completely wide open. On the same day you can write about healthcare eligibility and benefits AND cool things the practice of writing has taught you. I mean, that’s pretty neat, right?

All of this is to say that, if you’re looking for an “easy button” for your writing, it doesn’t exist. Part of writing is the process of doing it (sometimes badly), learning, and improving. (And no, ChatGPT does NOT count as an easy button because it’s not you doing the writing.)

When you approach it that way, it becomes a lot more palatable because learning about something you like is fun. Doing something you love, even if you’re not the best at it, is enjoyable and freeing.

If you’re on the fence about whether you want to start writing, here are a few lessons I’ve learned that will help. From one writer to another (even if you haven’t quite named yourself that yet), you can do whatever you want with your writing! But please, for the sake of everyone involved, use the Oxford comma. ;)

Writing is Different for Everyone

There are many writing conventions available to help guide the technical aspects of your writing. I’m sure there are a million videos on YouTube about how to write this or that, too. I’d caution you to be careful with the ones that say you’re going to write a full book in a weekend that will be publishable - that’s likely to end in disappointment.

No matter how you want the writing to look once it’s done, everyone has a different process and habits that work best for them. Some considerations to keep in mind to help you find your groove:

• Do you want to write by hand or type on a computer/laptop/tablet?

• Do you want to be alone when you’re writing? Or does a communal place like a coffee shop inspire you to get creative?

• What kind of mindset do you need to have to feel good about your work? Do you want to accomplish a certain task or write a certain part of the story?

• How often do you want to work on your project(s)?

• Will you be sharing your writing? Or do you want to keep it private and enjoy the feeling it gives you to express yourself on the page?

By the way, there’s not a right or wrong answer to these questions! All are valid. You get to decide how you approach your writing.

There’s More Than One Reason to Write

When we’re in school, it feels like all we do is write essays and research what other people tell us to. Even if we pick a topic, there’s still an element of worry because someone will be grading it. Having been on both sides of the classroom, I can tell you it’s a little nerve-wracking on both sides! Teachers have to figure out how to give kind, but useful feedback on the writing no matter what’s there.

Writing out in the big wide adult world doesn’t have to feel like this at all. People write for any number of reasons, and most of them aren’t tied to school at all! For instance, people write:

• Memos and emails to their colleagues

• Articles that other people will read

• Social media posts (+ videos! There’s quite a bit of wordsmithing done in those, even if you can’t see it in the finished product)

• Poems & Short stories

• Books - for fun and for business

• Journals

• Love notes

• Lists of all kinds

No matter what kind of writing you want to do, there’s a place for it. And you know what? Your nightstand or desk drawer is a perfectly fine place if you want to write just for you. It’s not all about other people.

There’s Not a Right Way to Write

This might be a little contentious, but writing doesn’t always have to be “right” by Western English standards. First of all, that doesn’t take into consideration any regional dialects or accents. But also, people don’t actually sound like that when they talk, so why would all of our writing need to follow those rules?

Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely some places where following the rules is necessary. But if you’re just starting out or writing for fun, they’re not really that big of a deal. If it comes up when you’re finished drafting, you can always edit it.

Some fun rules to play around with in writing:

• Dialogue - how people talk and how you can show the way they really speak with words (Alice Walker does an awesome job with this in The Color Purple)

• Capitalization and form (if you want to know how that might look, check out e.e. cummings and bell hooks)

• Ending sentences however you feel like it (not ending a sentence in a preposition isn’t a real rule anyhow)

My advice is to figure out how you want to sound and what sounds like you, then worry about rules that might apply - or not.

Writing is Hard 

The act of writing itself is hard. It’s difficult to build worlds and express feelings and explain the world. There aren’t a whole lot of other activities that require so much of us as writing. Plus, a lot of times it’s lonely because we’re working on our own project or story.

• Putting words on the page that literally didn’t exist before you put them there

• Finding the “right” words

• Saying what you want to say and having others understand it (i.e. “It sounded good in my head but not on paper)

• Our words are powerful, so we have to be aware of that if we choose to share it

• Words can be shared faster than you can blink and say, “Wait, what?”

• You can’t control how others might interpret what you’re saying

• Creating with your emotions can be draining

I think creatives, and especially writers, don’t give themselves enough credit for the amazing things they do. Not everyone is willing to give so much of their time and talents to bring new things into the world. We sometimes take it for granted that we’re drawn to writing as a habit, a lifestyle, or a calling even. Words and stories are what connects us all as people - to be able to figure out what that means and looks like in your own life is incredible.

Writing is a Skill, Not a Talent

This is one of the first things I tell any class or workshop I’m leading. Writing is a learnable skill. You’re not born with it (we’re not Maybelline over here), even if you discover you like it as a young person.

The people who are really good at writing practice…and practice…and practice again. A few other things that can help you grow your writing skills:

• Reading and looking up words you see that you don’t know

• Listening to/watching interviews with authors you admire

• Talking through your ideas out loud either on a recording or with a friend

• Do word puzzles/play word games

• Work on how you think about writing

You can learn to write. If you want to be a “good” writer, you totally can. Or, if you just want to enjoy it without having to go through the annoying “why should I even bother, I’m no good at this” thought process.

Just because there’s no “easy button” for writing doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and enjoy it. I’m constantly surprised and delighted by what I learn through words and I’ve been at it for almost 30 years! Take a deep breath and give yourself a chance - who knows what you’ll be able to create.

If you find you’re stuck, this book for anxious writers might help. :)

Why We’re All a Little Scared of Success (But Need to Act Anyway)

We’ve all felt the fear of failure at some point. It can hang over any task no matter how small or seemingly mundane. 

But, have you ever been afraid of what might happen if you succeed? It raises bigger questions like: What would I do if I got the promotion? What would I do if I wasn’t drowning in debt? How would I feel if my book did get published?

If you’ve thought about these things (or something like them), you’re not alone. It’s okay to worry about what might come with success, or the burdens that would bring. It’s okay to want to be successful, but also be scared of success. That doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t still succeed.

Why Success is Scary as Hell

No matter what you’re doing, new things can be scary. No matter how many times you’ve succeeded in other areas of your life, each success brings about tasks and feelings you’ve never encountered before. Let’s be honest, newness and change aren’t always exciting, even when we desperately want them to be. 

And even when changes bring great new things into your life, there’s still the fear of the unknown. You don't necessarily know how success will look until you get there. It could look like opportunities beyond your wildest dreams. But it could also look like hardships and stress you don’t yet know how to handle. Sometimes it’s the not knowing that’s the scary part. 

Success also creates a new normal. You’ll probably see and feel a lot of changes as you grow (we sometimes lovingly call these growing pains). The reality is that your life will be different. That’s the goal, though, right? Leaving our current routine and comfort zone so we can get to somewhere better. Not that saying it out loud makes it less terrifying, but it’s real. 

Scary, But Important

Success brings a lot of amazing opportunities into our lives. As you work toward your goals, you gain knowledge of what leads to success and how to do it again. More specifically, you learn about yourself and what you can do. As you make leaps and bounds past your goals, you learn what works and what doesn’t, what keeps you motivated, and what brings you to a screeching halt. 

With the inevitable trial and error it takes to succeed, you’re also gaining experience. Experience helps you to feel more confident in yourself and your skills, and showcase that to others. When you’re trying to find a job or, as a writer, find someone to support your writing, people want to know about your “experience.” We’ve all had that interview question that went something like this: Tell me about yourself and what experience you would bring to the role. With each new goal you reach and success you achieve, you’re building this much sought after experience. 

Experience and knowledge are great, but what’s most important isa actually growth and personal development. Every time you learn something new, develop a new skill, fine tune an old skill, make an error, correct yourself, or reach a goal, you grow as a person. You’re becoming a better version of yourself, which, really, is the ultimate success. 

Do the Thing that Scares You, Even When You’re Terrified (You Won’t Regret It)

If you stay in your comfort zone forever, you won’t succeed. At least not as much as you dream of because you don’t grow without fear. And if you’re not growing at least a little, you’re probably not succeeding in the way you want. 

When you can take even tiny steps outside of your comfort zone, you get experience. For writers, this might look like finding a trusted friend to read a little of your writing even though the thought makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up like you’re in a scary movie. It might not seem like a big deal, and once you send the writing, it might even seem like a small step. But every step forward is progress, no matter how small. It’s one step closer toward your goals, and success. 

If you don’t take these steps, you’ll never know how far you could've gone. Would you rather spend your one and only life stuck in your comfort zone wondering what could have been? Or take small steps that scare the living bejeezus out of you and actually find out? Give yourself the chance to find out how you can become a published author or the CEO of your dream business, or whatever dream you’ve been holding onto. 

4 Ways to Conquer Your Fear

We here at Capturing Your confidence (all of us) have been afraid, especially in our writing lives. We’ve been the ones who had to close our eyes before pressing send on an email with our beloved book attached on its way to get feedback. We’ve been the ones who were afraid people wouldn’t like our writing, so we kept our most exciting projects to ourselves. We’ve even been the ones who’ve contemplated throwing drafts away or redoing them because we felt like they just weren’t good enough. 

The only difference between us and anyone else (because ultimately we’re all humans) is that we didn’t let those fears hold us back. And you don’t have to either! We’re not promising that fear will go away - it won’t. But, we are promising that you can handle it. You can move forward anyway, and that’s what it’s all about.

Write down your worries & fears.

Writing down what’s weighing you down is a great start to understanding how to overcome your fears. Writing them down is helpful to pinpointing what’s causing the fears, why they’re happening, and how to deal with it. Sometimes they’re irrational, or sometimes they’re extremely real. Either way, you have to have a space to think about it in order to work through them.  

Talk to someone. 

Getting your fears out in the open and out of your own head helps as well. Sometimes we just need a listening ear and we can solve our problems mid-talk. Sometimes we need an objective outside opinion to remind us that we’re not crazy for being scared of these big goals and dreams. Often, the act of talking to someone we trust is soothing, and even if you don’t “solve” the fear, you can figure out ways to better manage it. 

Focus on your goals.

Let your motivation drive you, not your fear. Remind yourself regularly why you want this and focus on the goal. This alone can sometimes be enough to get through momentary fears that feel paralyzing. This is probably the most difficult, and most effective way to get through your fears.

This is HARD. It’s not something you’ll want to jump out of bed and do (at least not right away - it’ll get easier as you practice). But it’s okay. It’s okay to ask for help, and it’s okay if you can only take the tiniest steps in the world. These tiny steps are still progress, and you can do this.  

Break down your goals.

Make your big goals and dreams more manageable. It’s hard as heck to publish a book or start a business! But you know what those things start with? Small steps like deciding on a main theme or idea. Deciding what you like and feel passionate about, and then putting your ass in the seat and writing it down. 100 words is more than none - it doesn’t even have to be a good 100 words.

A list of people doing what you dream of doing is one step closer to being your own boss because you can start learning what’s possible. Breaking down your goals makes them less daunting and wears down your fear of the unknown and newness. Anyone who’s worn patent leather shoes knows: those damn things are painful (but pretty) when you start, but they become more comfortable as you break them in! You can do the same with your fears and successes. 

Remind yourself of your goals & start taking control of your fears. 

If you need help, reach out. We’re here to help.

Have you ever been afraid of success? What fear is holding you back right now? What’s one way you overcome your fear of the unknown? We’d love to hear about your experiences! Find me on social media, drop a comment below.

Let’s chat because you, my friend, are on your way to great writing.

6 Steps for Growing Your Business Using LinkedIn

I’ll be the first one to say: I’m not super into social media. 

I definitely like seeing friends and family updates, and I like being able to share things with more than one person at a time (particularly with photos), but most times I find social media overwhelming...even for business. 

And look - there are a lot of ways to have a successful business, I’m sure without social media. But using the tools almost everyone is using online is, well, kind of important. Even though I sometimes find myself anxiety-ridden after spending too much time scrolling, social media can be fabulous for business both for networking and finding clients.

My *favorite* social media, if you can even call it that - in fact, let’s just say the least overwhelming social media (and one I don’t click on ads to buy random junk that’s adorable but I definitely don’t need) - is LinkedIn. 

You might be surprised that more than 75% of Capturing Your Confidence clients come from LinkedIn! So when I say it’s helpful, I mean you can make connections AND money, which is kind of the ideal for business, right?

What is LinkedIn & How Does it Work?

LinkedIn is a social media platform meant for business and professional networking. Similar to Facebook, the posts are text-driven, although there are also interactive ways to connect with your audience, like polls. 

As a user, you create a profile and posts. In your Home feed, you can see posts from people you follow and posts the people you’re connected to have interacted with. For instance, if you connect with a co-worker or friend, you can see posts they’ve liked, shared, or commented on even if you aren’t connected to the original poster. It’s a great way to meet new people and see posts from companies and professionals you admire.

The primary difference between LinkedIn and other social networking sites is the professional aspect. People typically use LinkedIn to:

• Find jobs

• Hire and/or recruit for their company

• Grow their professional network

• Meet people doing what they want to do
  Contribute their expertise

• Learn from others 

The atmosphere is different from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok (and any others I may have missed). People are generally positive, share employment and education milestones, and ask for help to get jobs or clients or whatever professional advice they need. There are personal stories, but on the whole, they’re framed within the work and business environment - not for drama’s sake. 

Why LinkedIn Works for Business

LinkedIn is a good place to grow professionally, but it’s also a pretty nifty business tool! For business owners, consultants, and freelancers, LinkedIn can help you find clients and grow your business without some of the busywork it takes on other forms of social media. 

For starters, LinkedIn is more professional. There will always be people who want to interact with their professional network in unprofessional ways, but in general, people on LinkedIn are there to do business.

They expect to connect with people, potentially do some job recruiting, and learn about business topics like marketing and copywriting from their network. The goals and audience expectations are different from Facebook, even for businesses using Facebook for business. 

Knowing the intention is to connect with people for business purposes, it feels less weird to connect with people you don’t know - especially when they’re doing something really cool you might also like to do. For instance, I love connecting with other writers and creative business owners because they offer a lot of interesting and creative ideas!

LinkedIn is a great place to learn what’s possible because there are others doing almost anything you can imagine. And, as long as you’re not connecting to someone and immediately selling to them in their DMs (don’t do this on ANY platform - it’s irritating!), people are usually happy to connect, which means it’s pretty simple to grow your network. 

Probably the best thing about LinkedIn for business is that you can get your name and business in front of A LOT of people fairly easily because of how the connection network works. You have people you know and are “connected with” - like Facebook or Instagram “friends.” Easy peasy. Search for them, connect with them, and once they accept, they’re in your network! 

The cool thing is that the more people you connect with, the more posts you see from outside of these connections. How it works is that your connection, say your work best friend, likes a post from someone she follows and/or is networked with. Because of your connection with your friend, you can see the posts she likes (or comments on). Because you can see the posts, you can interact with them as well, even if you’re not connected with the original poster. 

This is a fantastic way to meet smart people you want to connect with! You get a preview of their content, and when you interact with it, they can also come and see your profile and content, depending on how you set up your privacy settings. It’s a low stakes, organic way to grow your network of professional contacts - with the added bonus that there’s not usually an expectation of “follow for follow” like there is on other sites, especially Facebook groups. 

People on LinkedIn will connect with you and you can connect with them, but it’s not one of those things where you’ll see a ton of posts about “let’s all follow each other!” 

6 Steps for Growing Your Business with LinkedIn

If you’re sold on LinkedIn (heck yeah!) as a less stressful way to grow your business, especially for you creatives, I’ve got good news for you: It’s not hard. 

In fact, there’s really only 6 steps you need to take to start growing your LinkedIn presence (and therefore your business):

1. Make sure your profile is filled out all the way. Take the time to write a good headline, add a nice photo of yourself (NOT the bathroom selfie you took yesterday), and write an engaging bio. Remember, if you’re using LinkedIn for your business, you need to be clear about what it is you do and what you’re good at. 

2. Make sure your work history is up to date. Fill in your recent job history to the best of your ability and showcase the skills you want people to know about. You don’t need to include every job you’ve ever had, or old jobs that aren’t relevant to what you’re doing or want to be doing. For instance, jobs you had in high school probably aren’t doing you any professional favors.

3. Make sure you have a business page for your business. This is important, although can be easily forgotten! Create a business page for your business and then in your Work History section, make sure that your “job” is tied to the business page. This will help you gain credibility - and show your future network and clients exactly what you offer. 

4. Participate & comment thoughtfully. Think about what would happen if you walked into an interview and just sat there and said nothing. Or showed up at a work event and stood in the corner on your phone the whole time instead of interacting with others. It’s kind of a waste of time, right? That’s because you need to interact with people for networking to work. On LinkedIn that means commenting thoughtful and participating with your network. Get into real discussions and engage with people! Spend some time thinking about what your connections are posting - you never know who you might meet, or what clients might come of these kinds of interactions. (You’d be surprised by how often this actually happens!)

5. Post meaningful stuff & testimonials. When you make posts on LinkedIn, consider what’s relevant to your business and what people might want to know about your areas of expertise. For instance, tips and strategies for things that you’re really good at that other people aren’t. And when you do get awesome clients, share what they’re saying about you! There’s nothing more effective for drumming up business than a solid review or testimonial from someone who worked with you. 

6. Tag people, even if you don’t really “know” them. When you start tagging people in your network, it can feel awkward. It can sometimes feel like “I don’t really know them, so will they really care?” Tagging people is a great way to interact with your network and meet new people, though. And honestly? If you’re tagging someone in a post that’s relevant to what they do, they’re likely to respond in some way or another. It’s a thoughtful interaction - not that you want to be picking 5 random people who won’t get value from what you’re saying - and often leads to good conversations. 

My challenge to you is to get on LinkedIn (if you’re not already) & start using it for your business! 

Are you on LinkedIn? How have you used LinkedIn for business? (If you want to connect, find me here). I’d love to hear about your experiences! Find me on social media or drop a comment below.

Let’s chat because you, my friend, are on your way to great writing - and business.

The Most Important Thing You Need to Know About Coaching Sessions

The other day I was nervously awaiting a meeting with a new client and I was trying to figure out why I was so nervous. I mean, it wasn’t my meeting - I wasn’t going to be running it at least, and the whole purpose of my being there was to get information so I could work on a new project. Exciting! 

After the meeting was over, I wasn’t nervous anymore. So, clearly, the nerves were about the meeting. I went on about my day, tooling around the house doing the dishes, working on some other writing projects - a pretty average day. 

As I stood washing the pots and pans (one of the most common places for big realizations in my world), I managed to figure out what was going on. I was nervous about what I didn’t know. It wasn’t the work, or the scope of the project, or even meeting new people (although 8 people in a Zoom meeting with a new client is kind of a lot, even for me). It was the fact that I didn’t know what would happen or what was expected of me. 

As I was standing there, I thought to myself that new coaching clients probably feel a lot like this, too. After all, you’re making an investment in yourself & your dreams, which is already kind of nerve-wracking, especially if it’s your first time. 

I know I get nervous the first time talking to a new coach! Even when I love the work they do and they’re obviously a great fit for what I need. So I thought maybe if I demystified what a coaching session looks like, or at least what’s involved, it might allay some fears and get you excited instead of nervous - because the excited part of you is the one who should be making the decision, and the one who’s ready to get your book written!

The Gist

What we do in coaching is have conversations. Before we dive into strategy and working together on your writing, we first set goals. These goals are what help me create the best & most helpful sessions for YOU, because you’re what it’s all about. 

Knowing that everything is centered around your personalized goals, there are several things we’ll talk about each time we meet. They vary in proportions depending on the day and what you need or ask to focus on.

We’ll talk about your project & your writing. I’ll ask how it’s going, what progress you’ve made, what questions you have - all the stuff that’s going on with you right now (even if you didn’t quite live up to your own high expectations - don’t worry, we’ve all been there). This sets a conversational tone for the session, which is how it works best so our time together stays relaxed and productive.

We’ll talk about where you’re stuck or what your blocks are. We all get stuck sometimes. It’s a when, not an if. Part of what makes this frustrating is that many times the reason is different each time! It’s not always easy to figure out why you were feeling extra creative on Thursday and completely blocked on Friday.

So we’ll talk about it - maybe it’s about what’s going on in your life or your business. Maybe it’s the part of the novel or book you’re working on. Maybe it’s that you’re kind of freaked out because you had a super powerful thought you’ve never had before (which is awesome, by the way). Whatever it is, we’ll find it. 

We’ll talk about ways to get unstuck. I’m here to help you bust through your blocks like a writing ninja. Well, I’m really more like Bob Ross: paint your way out of your writing blocks with a happy little cloud (because let’s be honest, I’m definitely not a ninja). 

Either way, once we figure out where you’re stuck, we’ll talk about ways to work through it. I’ll recommend some strategies for you to try between sessions - some of them (like having a conversation with the main character in your novel) might seem funky, but they work. 

We’ll talk about your goals. Goal-setting and progress, no matter how small, is always top of mind. We’ll check in and see how your goals feel and your progress toward them. We don’t want goals that don’t feel good or don’t feel aligned with what you want to do. 

If we need to adjust goals, we will. If you’re still feeling good about them (woohoo!), we’ll talk about the next steps you can take to achieve them - always keeping things doable, of course. 

I’ll give you tasks to work on between sessions. Some people call this “homework.” As a teacher, I can tell you from experience that giving homework to an adult, especially a professional, doesn’t always sit well. After all, coaching isn’t school. I'm not your teacher, and I’m not there to grade you on how thoroughly you completed an assignment. During coaching, I’ll guide & mentor you (hopefully inspiring you to keep going!), but it’s collaborative, not a teacher/student relationship.

Everything we do is designed to help you based on your goals and what you’ve shared with me. I do give tasks between sessions to remind you of what you’re working toward when we’re not together, and to help you make progress. If you decide not to do them, that’s your choice; but, I think you’ll be intrigued enough to try them out (and you’ll be amazed when the weird stuff works).

The Most Important Thing

No matter what we do, or where the conversation leads, the 3 most important things that will happen in each session are that:

• You’ll feel good about your project.

• You’ll have action steps to take to move forward. 

• You’ll be more confident than when we started (even if it’s just a little). 

Strategy does matter. Logistics and goals and all the things that you do to write your book - fiction or non - are important. But I’ll let you in on a little secret: you can already do those things. Sure, they might be a little less targeted or take longer. But you don’t need me to write your book - your brilliant ideas and your words will do that for you. 

What you do need is to feel confident about being able to write that book. You need to believe in yourself enough to start even when you’re hesitant (or full out terrified) and work through it when you’re stuck. You need the best you to write your book, and that’s what I’m here to help show you. 

Yes, I give you strategies because there are plenty of things you learn as a professional writer & writing teacher that might not occur to you to try if you're working in a different industry. But the best thing I can do for you is encourage you and show you how awesome you are so you can continue on your way. THAT’S what coaching sessions are really all about. 

My challenge to you is book a session and see the amazing things we can do in just one hour. 

Have you done a writing coaching session? How did it go? What would make you ecstatic to book a session TODAY? I’d love to hear about your experiences! Find me on social media or drop a comment below.

Let’s chat because you, my friend, are on your way to great writing.