I am a writing coach and offer one-on-one coaching to writers of all levels.
Contact me for help with:
- Writing a new book (fiction or nonfiction)
- Writing a self-help book (based on your life experiences)
- Improving upon a book you’ve already started
- Going from idea to outline
- Getting “unstuck”
- Starting a blog or improving upon your current blog
- Article and/or magazine writing
- Establishing a regular writing practice
- Publishing your book
- Journaling for ideas and/or personal growth
- Starting a freelance writing career
I have over 25 years experience as a full-time professional writer and I’ve been coaching writers for over ten of them. I can help you build on your strengths and improve your weaknesses while encouraging you to follow the dreams that speak to your heart.
“Your advice and guidance and redirects have been most helpful and appreciated! I work really well with having knowledgeable people around me who can see down the line when I got into the weeds of bringing the vision to reality. You have been that person for me in this process. This spurs on my inspiration. I am deeply appreciative of your encouragement and support.”
~Michelle A. Jones, Self-Help Book Writer
Coaching Packages
I offer three money-saving coaching packages that are convenient for many writers, as they provide three types of coaching (calls, assessments/edits, and video lessons) for a discounted price. I also provide some á la carte options for those who prefer them.
One month will be considered 4 weeks (28 days). A one-month package can start on any day of a calendar month but will end after 4 weeks (28 days).* Payment for a one-month package is due in full before the coaching begins. You can request a 50% refund up until the 10th day of the one-month package. If you cancel after that, you will not be entitled to a refund.
“Colleen’s positive energy and enthusiasm is powerful. A gifted storyteller and writing coach, her prescribed structure enabled me to strengthen my work in progress. It is both a privilege and a gift to work with her.”
~Ritu Anand, Children’s Author and Historical Fiction Writer
Gold Plan
- Starts at $775/month
- Four 30-minute phone coaching sessions (or equivalent)
- Up to 4 hours of manuscript reading & assessment, editing, and email exchanges per month
- 3 personalized writing lessons (delivered as videos) made just for you, based on the skills you need to improve; if you are working on a longer piece like a book or story and don’t need the videos, you’ll receive this in equivalent writing feedback
Silver Plan
- Starts at $550/month
- Two 30-minute phone coaching sessions per month (or equivalent)
- Up to 3 hours of manuscript reading & assessment, editing and email exchanges per month
- 2 personalized writing lessons (delivered as videos) made just for you, based on the skills you need to improve; if you are working on a longer piece like a book or story and don’t need the videos, you’ll receive this in equivalent writing feedback
Bronze Plan
- Starts at $275/month
- One 30-minute phone coaching session per month (or equivalent)
- Up to 2 hours of manuscript reading & assessment, editing and email exchanges
- 1 personalized writing lesson (delivered as a video) based on the skills you need to improve; if you are working on a longer piece like a book or story and don’t need the videos, you’ll receive this in equivalent writing feedback
Quick Writing Assessment
- $75 one-time charge
- Send me up to 10 pages of your writing—I will send you back (via a document) an evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses and provide you with some instruction on where to go next
- You can also send a book outline/synopsis (up to 5 pages) for the same feedback
Á La Carte Options
- 30-minute call: $65
- One-hour call: $95
- Manuscript review/edits: $100 per hour
- Video lessons: $150/lesson
* The period ends after 28 days regardless of whether you use all your time. I find this helps encourage writers to get the writing done—it’s a form of accountability. If you need to work at a slower pace, contact me—we may be able to work out a 42-day period. Accommodations for vacations can be made on either side—if either of us is going to be gone for more than two days for vacation, we can black out those days from the schedule so that you still get your full 28/42 days.
With any of these packages, additional reading, evaluations, and email exchanges extending past the agreed-upon time limits are available upon request and will be charged at $75/hour. (I will inform you ahead of time if you are going over your time allotment so we can adjust as needed.) If you must reschedule a call, a 24-hour notice is required or the call will be forfeit.
If you have any questions or requests, please feel free to let me know. I’m happy to work with you.
If you’d like to move forward with any of these plans, send me a message telling me a little bit about your writing goals and I’ll get back to you.
What does a writing coach do?
As your writing coach, I will work with you on a one-on-one basis. We’ll start with an assessment of your current skills and goals, after which I’ll suggest a learning plan that we might follow to help you reach those goals. You can take a look at that learning plan and if it looks good, choose one of the packages above to continue.
I have a broad range of experience as a writer and can help you with:
- Writing a new book (fiction or nonfiction)
- Writing a self-help book (based on your life experiences)
- Improving upon a book you’ve already started
- Going from idea to outline
- Getting “unstuck”
- Starting a blog or improving upon your current blog
- Article and/or magazine writing
- Establishing a regular writing practice
- Publishing your book
- Journaling for ideas and/or personal growth
- Starting a freelance writing career
I also offer:
- Editing services (proofreading, copy editing, developmental editing): These are offered within a writing coaching plan. I will regularly edit what you’ve written so you can learn from those edits. I don’t offer editing for your finished manuscript—I recommend hiring a professional editor for that.
- Ghostwriting services: I am an experienced ghostwriter and can either write the book for you (based on interviews with you) or work in a partnership to help you put the book together.
Who needs a writing coach?
Whether you’re just getting started on your first story or you’ve written several books and want to up your game, I can help. I’ve been a full-time professional freelance writer for over 25 years and have published six books so far—three novels and three nonfiction. My novels were traditionally published and my nonfiction books self-published, so I have experience with both.
If you’re serious about becoming a better writer, I highly recommend you invest in your own writing education. I hesitated to do so and all it did was slow me down.
“But I don’t have the money,” I said to myself. Finally, I got frustrated because I wasn’t getting the publishing contract I wanted. I hired a writing coach and that’s when my career finally started moving forward.
You need a writing coach if:
- You’re feeling stuck on a story
- You’re just getting started and aren’t sure what to do
- You don’t know you’re writing strengths/weaknesses and need some feedback
- You’ve been writing for a while but your career is going nowhere
- You haven’t written a book before but you have life experiences you think could help other people
- You’ve published a book but it didn’t do very well and you think the writing wasn’t as good as it should have been
- You want to start a blog
- You have a blog but no one is reading it
- You want to improve your grammar/sentence structure
- You just want to be a better writer
When should you hire a writing coach?
Regardless of where you’re at during your writing journey, a writing coach can help you improve.
Just like a CEO of a successful Fortune 500 company may a business coach on the side, a writer may do the same to reach his or her full potential. Few become successful on their own. We all need mentors and coaches to take us to our highest level.
Is it worth it to invest in a writing coach?
I know that once I finally hired a coach, I wondered why I took so long to do it! It was certainly worth it. If I hadn’t done it, who knows if I’d be where I am today?
As your coach, I’ll help you improve your skills, grow your confidence, find your writing voice, and discover your writing strengths. Step-by-step, I’ll help you stay engaged while assisting you in overcoming self-doubt and discouragement.
My job as a coach is to guide you to become the best writer you can be—while inspiring you to find true fulfillment in your work.