Personal Writing Coach

It's not so far-fetched these days to find a good personal writing coach: someone who can serve as a midwife for your inner expression. I've had the good fortune of serving as a writing coach for a number of people of all ages and backgrounds; perhaps one of the most interesting was a woman who just celebrated her 80th birthday.

Writers, Authors & Dream-Weavers: I Heard Your Call for HELP! How to Write Non-Fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Memoirs, Children's Stories... and More

You can probably see the parallel here. Margie was looking for her own identity. Before she passed away, she needed to do one thing she was proud of. Only one problem: she couldn't write, and she knew she had to prepare her research in the form of an article or small book.

If anyone ever needed a personal writing coach, it was Margie! She was scared out of her wits—but determined to complete this piece of writing. I set a flat rate fee for each "lesson" or coaching session and we corresponded by email. I critiqued her writing, showing her how to focus and organize the material, and then I sent her examples of re-written passages. I also showed her some basic writing usage techniques. Margie loved to joke about punctuation; for some reason, she could never keep the rules straight for commas and semi-colons!

Rewards for Margie's efforts (and mine) were an invitation to attend an event at Yale University where she received a special citation for her research. Some of the world's most esteemed academicians in attendance at the event informed Margie that she had indeed restored the existence of this "forgotten woman." Margie's work was published in a segment of a notable historian's book and in several reviews.