5 Excellent Reasons to Team Up with a Writing Coach

Ever wondered what writing coaches actually do?

Okay, let me take a wild guess.

You understand what football coaches, career coaches, business coaches, relationship coaches, or even life coaches do.

But even though you’re a writer, you’ve always been puzzled about writing coaches.

And you may be wondering:

• Does a writing coach teach people how to write?
• Do they work with new writers, experienced writers, or both?
• Is a writing coach just another name for an editor?

Good news: You’re in the right place to get answers to all your questions.

To start, let’s see how Estelle Erasmus, a writing coach, instructor, and former magazine editor-in-chief of five national consumer publications, describes a writing coach in an article written for Writer’s Digest:

Imagine a writing coach as a guide through the often-rocky terrain of publishing.

Writing coaches can help develop story structure, teach craft, polish prose, offer accountability and goal setting, and share editor and/or agent information. Many, like myself, also offer editing help.

The best coaches come with bonafide credentials, have deep experience in the area of writing you are interested in, and shorten the learning curve.

But that’s not all.

A writing coach also works with both new and experienced writers to improve the quality of their writing, so they can achieve a specific writing goal or boost their writing career and business. While a writing coach is different from an editor, some of them also provide editing services.

Wondering whether you need the help of a writing coach?

Read on to discover five excellent reasons to hire and team up with a writing coach.

1. Get One-on-One Writing Guidance,Training, and Support

If you need some form of guidance, training, and support outside of a classroom or group setting to move your writing career or business to the next level, or to overcome certain writing challenges, then working with a writing coach may be your best option.

A writing coach can provide personalized one-on-one coaching services tailored to your specific needs, where all meetings, interactions, and discussions involve just the two of you, either in person, online, or a combination of both.

In a group or classroom setting, you may be anxious or embarrassed about what others may think of you, your questions, and even your writing. In a one-on-one setting, you’ll be able to speak your mind and ask questions without being concerned about others listening in. 

Of course, with one-on-one interaction, it’s easier to determine whether both of you are a good fit within the first few minutes of your first meeting or trial coaching session.

In essence, you should team up with a writing coach when you feel that one-on-one personalized help, training, and guidance is what you need to achieve a specific writing goal or to boost your writing career or business.

2. Receive Honest Feedback on Your Writing

Another wonderful reason to hire a writing coach is that you will get honest feedback on your writing. 

So, whether you’re trying to determine if your writing is good enough to be published or to be your main source of income, or you need a second opinion on a first draft, a writing coach will provide honest feedback on areas where your writing is wonderful or needs improvement. 

Unlike members of your critique group or other writers that may sometimes provide feedback in a harsh manner, writing coaches usually communicate feedback, even negative feedback, in a way that inspires and energizes you to try again.

In addition, they also spend time discussing their observations, asking questions, and even brainstorming with you to find a solution to a specific problem or to come up with options, so you leave the coaching sessions overflowing with new ideas that you can’t wait to implement. 

3. Overcome Your Writing Fears and Challenges

If your writing business or career seems to have ground to a halt simply because you’re dealing with writing fears and challenges, then consider teaming up with a writing coach.

For instance:

• Are you afraid of rejection because you think your writing is not good enough?
• Do you become paralyzed with writer’s block almost every time you sit down to write?
• Feeling overwhelmed and discouraged with all that’s required to succeed as a writer?
• Always procrastinating and finding it difficult to meet deadlines?
• Confused about the next step to take in your writing career or business?
• Do you struggle with impostor syndrome on a regular basis?

No matter the fears you may have as a new writer or the challenges facing you as an experienced writer, a writing coach will help you process and understand the root causes of these fears and challenges.

At the same time, a writing coach will also encourage and guide you through specific exercises you can do or actionable steps you can take to finally overcome your problems so you can write confidently on a regular basis. 

4. Write in a New Genre or Niche

Are you thinking of moving your writing career or business in a totally different direction, or do you want to write in a genre or niche that’s new to you?

This is another good reason to hire a writing coach.

For example:

• You have a lot of experience writing articles and blog posts but now want to become a professional author.
• You’ve always been a nonfiction writer but now have a strong desire to write fiction or vice versa.
• You’re a freelance content writer but you want to add copywriting to your services.
•  You want to start writing movie scripts but so far you have stuck to novels.

By teaming up with a writing coach who has a lot of experience in your new genre or niche, you’ll gain a writing mentor and partner that can help you navigate this new terrain successfully, so you can achieve your goal. 

5. Achieve Your Writing Goals Sooner Rather Than Later

Whatever your goals are as a new or experienced writer, working with a writing coach will help you achieve them at a faster rate.

And it’s because a writing coach will:

• Help you avoid information overload so you can learn the important things faster.
• Ask thought-provoking questions so you can understand your strengths and weaknesses and how to manage them.
• Work with you to develop an effective process that you can use to hit the ground running.
• Make sure you avoid mistakes that can discourage you and waste your time, energy, and resources.
• Help you overcome obstacles you may encounter while trying to achieve your goal.

When you take all these into consideration, it’s obvious that working with a writing coach will help you achieve your writing goals much faster than you would going it alone.

Get a Writing Coach and Succeed Quickly

According to Ryan G. Van Cleave, writing teacher and author of 20 books, bringing in a writing coach can be a great choice if you’re interested in breaking through the ceiling of your writing career, moving past baggage that’s getting in the way of your success, or transforming the entire process into something more enjoyable and effective.

For best results, take some time and identify the reason or reasons why you are looking for a writing coach before you hire one. 

Also, do your research and choose a writing coach with relevant and up-to-date experience and expertise in your area of need. Remember to look for past student testimonials and don’t be afraid to ask for a trial session so you can decide if both of you are a good fit.

So, team up with a writing coach to overcome your writing fears and challenges, enjoy one-on-one personalized training, guidance, and support, write successfully in a new genre or niche, get honest feedback on your writing, and at the end of the day, achieve all of your writing goals a lot faster.