Coaching Writers
“Suzy challenges writers while lifting them up.”
– Jennifer Presley, coaching client
When I tell people that I coach writers, they usually ask me what that means. It means that I try to help writers become better writers.
Specifically, they give me their manuscript. I read it, while sitting at my dining table with a glass of water or a Styrofoam cup of Diet Coke. As I read, I make notes on each page in a Ticonderoga #2 pencil with a black eraser. Don’t ask me why I want the black eraser. Maybe it’s because black has been my favorite color ever since I saw my first beatnik when I was five years old.
Sometimes my notes will say “GREAT!” Sometimes they’ll say “needs work” or “talk to me about this.” Sometimes I’ll mark out lines that are redundant or go off track – perhaps lines like “while sitting at my dining table with a glass of water …” or “because black has been my favorite color since … I was five years old.” I might ask questions such as are these lines imperative to the story? Do they move the plot forward? Do they add characterization?
Other times I’ll write that there needs to be more detailed description, or there’s too much description, or the dialogue goes on too long, or the story meanders off course, you’ve changed tenses in the middle of the paragraph, or you’ve used the same words too many times, you need to vary your sentence structure, or “Wow! You’re rockin’ here!”
I praise, I critique, I talk about structure, I comment on pacing, I try to expand the author’s thinking and creativity, I harp, I encourage, I berate, and I motivate … all to make writers more confident and comfortable with their words and abilities.
For writers who aren’t in greater Austin, Texas, I then insert my notes on their digital manuscript and email them. After they’ve studied my comments and suggestions, we discuss them over the phone. I explain why I made the suggestions I did, I listen to why they did the things they did, and we discuss. I answer any questions they might have. Along the way, we talk about how to find agents and how to get the book published. I relay my experiences in the industry in the hope that they can learn from my mistakes and successes.
For writers who are in the Austin area, I do pretty much the same thing only it’s in reverse order and face-to-face. I sit down with them, go over the most important notes, try to explain why I made the suggestions I did, answer any questions they might have, and probably discuss the ins and outs of the industry for a while. Then I hand them their marked up manuscript, which by now has a few dribbled watermarks on it from the ice water or Diet Coke I sipped while reading it.
Whether the writers are in town or out of town, they then go off to rewrite. If they want, I look at and critique the rewrite – praising what they got right, congratulating them on improving, and instructing them on what still isn’t working.
Most of all, I tell them the truth … because, to me, giving false kudos is stealing a writer’s money.
Now that I’ve told you what I do, let me tell you what I don’t do. I’m not a line editor or a copy editor.* I’m more of a big picture person. I look to see if they have a marketable book idea and if they pulled it off. And if they don’t or didn’t, I’ll try to help them get there. I’ll work with them on their manuscripts, book proposals, query letters and/or pitches and platforms.
I’m not a life coach. Sure, I’ll be glad to help them set goals and monitor them to see if they’re reaching them. And I’ll try to help them through writer’s block, if they’re suffering it (and who doesn’t at some point). But my goal is to help them determine whether they really have that all-consuming desire that it takes to become a successful writer. In other words, I’m the right writing coach for the authors who are willing to embrace harsh critique if it will make them a better writer, because they want to succeed, dang it!
And though they may become depressed and disheartened if they receive a rejection from an agent or editor – and believe me, every quality, professional writer suffers rejection and bad reviews – they eventually climb off the floor and back into that chair, stretch their fingers over to that keyboard, and start typing again, because, dang it, they’re writers!
And you know what? I’m going to be there to help them off that floor. I’m going to ease that keyboard closer to their fingers. I’m going to remind them that YES! YOU CAN DO THIS! And you know why? Because I’ve gone through it. And I know what it takes to get back up there and to succeed. I’m their coach, their mentor, their friend, their teacher, their cheerleader, and the person who believes in them and what they have to say. And I’m going to tell them to go, go, go, go, go, ‘cause you can do it. Yes, YOU can.
“Suzy’s worth her weight in gold.”
– Frances Townsend, coaching client
Contact Suzy at suzy@suzyspencer.com
*I can recommend copy editors and line editors.