Working with a Book Coach
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In 2022, I finished a first draft of my novel—a very rough draft. It was time to revise, and I spent the first half of 2023 struggling. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I simply didn’t know where to begin. I couldn’t organize my thoughts. It was really overwhelming.
My knowledge of book coaches was limited to some online workshops through the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA), which I thought was for women who write fiction. I didn’t realize that it was for people who write women’s fiction. I’m not sure my novel fits the criteria, but I’m a member anyway.
As I continued to struggle through the summer of 2023, I thought about hiring a writing coach. The first person I worked with was great. He provided writing prompts and assigned readings, and I wrote a short story while working with him. Although I appreciated our discussions, we didn’t focus solely on my novel, and honestly, I didn’t know how to bring it up. So I broke up with him. I found someone else through WFWA who I describe as not just a writing coach, but a book coach. We only work on my novel. (Maybe “writing coach” and “book coach” are interchangeable? I’m not sure.)
Like my first coach, my current one has given me exercises that helped me outline my story and create character sketches. I’m more of a pantser, but having a map of my story helps me see the big picture and gives me a direction in which to go. Now I submit 2500 words of my novel every two weeks. In a few days (sometimes the next!), she sends her feedback, and then later that week we meet over Zoom.
I’ve benefited greatly from working with her because I no longer lack direction. She’s helped me improve my writing as far as using more interiority, inserting backstory in the right places, and making readers feel what the main character feels. Each time I submit, my work continues to improve. I couldn’t have done this on my own.