What is Coaching?

April 11, 2025 | Blog, Learning Center

Coaching for writers is a personalized, collaborative process that goes beyond traditional editing to help writers develop their skills, overcome challenges they might face when writing, and achieve specific writing goals. Unlike editing, which focuses on improving a specific piece of writing, coaching focuses on the writer. It addresses your overall process and style as a writer, helps you build confidence, refine your voice, and develop stronger writing habits. Writer coaching is especially useful when you need guidance to improve your craft and gain confidence in your work. For a broader perspective on how coaching can transform creative practice, see this article from Psychology Today.

How Coaching Differs from Developmental Editing

While developmental editing enhances a manuscript’s structure, coherence, and content, coaching helps the writer build foundational skills and develop a more independent writing process. There are some key differences between the two services:

• Focus on the writer, not the text: While developmental editing improves a single manuscript, coaching supports the writer’s growth across multiple works or projects.
• Skill development: Coaching emphasizes building skills in areas such as planning, structuring, and revising, empowering you to improve independently.
• Long-term guidance: Coaches work with writers over time, offering insights, techniques, and accountability to guide them through the writing journey.

What Does Writing Coaching Involve?

Writing coaching is tailored to each writer’s needs.

1. Goal Setting and Project Planning
   Coaches work with writers to define clear goals, outline project timelines, and develop writing plans, providing a road map for success.
2. Skill Development
   They also help writers strengthen essential skills, such as idea generation, outlining, narrative development, and self-editing techniques. This process encourages autonomy, giving writers the tools they need to tackle future projects independently.
3. Feedback and Accountability
   Coaches provide constructive, ongoing feedback to help writers refine their work over time. They also offer accountability: check-ins help keep writers motivated and on track to meet their goals.
4. Guidance on Voice and Style
   Writers benefit from support in discovering and refining their unique voice, which bolsters the authenticity and impact of their work.
5. Overcoming Writing Blocks
   Writers suffering from specific challenges like writer’s block, self-doubt, or perfectionism will have their coaches help navigate the obstacles hindering their progress.

Who Can Benefit from Coaching?

Writing coaching is valuable for writers who need deeper support than you might find as part of a line edit or developmental edit:

1. Aspiring Authors
   New writers who have ideas but lack the experience to structure or develop a manuscript can use coaches to build a solid foundation and develop an effective writing process.
2. Academic Writers and Researchers
   Researchers who need support to clarify complex ideas, structure arguments, or maintain consistency can improve through coaching, especially if they’re new to scholarly writing.
3. Writers Working on Long Projects
   Those tackling large or multipart works, such as memoirs, nonfiction books, or dissertations, may find that coaching helps them stay organized, focused, and motivated over the long term.
4. Writers Seeking Growth in Style and Voice
   For writers who want to develop or refine their unique voice or elevate their style, coaching provides targeted feedback and tailored exercises to develop a stronger, more authentic writing style.

How the Process Works

The coaching process is inherently collaborative and typically involves the following steps:

1. Initial Consultation
   The coach and writer discuss the writer’s goals, challenges, and current projects before creating a personalized coaching plan.
2. Regular Sessions and Feedback
   During regular scheduled sessions, the coach provides writing feedback, advice, and exercises to help the writer develop their skills and advance their projects.
3. Progress Tracking and Accountability
   Coaches monitor the writer’s progress and adjust goals as needed to ensure continuous improvement and support.
4. Guided Exercises and Assignments
   Your coach may assign targeted exercises to help strengthen specific skills—such as structuring arguments, improving clarity, or refining tone and organisation—based on your current writing objectives.
5. Final Review and Next Steps
   At the end of the coaching period, you’ll work with your coach to assess your wprogress and outline the next steps you need to take as a writer to make sure you keep growing and succeeding.

Benefits of Working with a Coach

Coaching is more than just feedback; it’s a long-term investment in your development as a writer. Our coaches work with you to build transferable skills that strengthen your future projects, not just your current one. By offering regular check-ins, they provide accountability and motivation, helping you maintain momentum even when the writing process feels overwhelming. Coaching is also highly personalised—your coach tailors their support to suit your unique voice, goals, and challenges. This ensures that your growth stays relevant to you and is sustainable in the long term. Perhaps most importantly, coaching offers the tools and encouragement you need to overcome common obstacles such as self-doubt, writer’s block, and perfectionism, so you can approach your work with greater confidence and clarity.

Conclusion

Writing coaching is an invaluable resource for writers who need more than editing to reach their full potential. By focusing on skill-building, accountability, and personal growth, coaching empowers writers to overcome challenges, achieve their goals, and produce work that reflects their unique voice and vision. To explore how we can support you with our writing, editing and coaching services, contact us today.