People often assume that hiring a writing coach implies that you’re incapable of writing on your own and need someone to hold your hand. That may be true, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But a writing coach relationship extends way beyond encouraging you, holding you accountable or even teaching you about the craft of writing. It’s like having a partner on your creative team who has managed to retain the perspective that can so easily be lost when immersed in a big project. As the writer, you’re in the trees by definition. Your writing coach still has a sense of the forest as a whole.

Not all writing coaches are created equal, however, and not all coaches and writers are a good match.

How do you choose a writing coach who will work for you?

First, you want to find one who shares your vision. That’s why I always suggest that clients who have already been writing hire me to critique their work before they bring me on as their writing coach. I read through their material and write a memo detailing my sense of what works, what doesn’t and what needs to be done. If they agree with my analysis, we not only know we’re on the same page, we have a plan of action. If they don’t, they’ve saved themselves a lot of time and frustration.

Second, you want to find a writing coach who fulfills your needs. Just as no two writers work the same way, writing coaches have different styles. I’ve heard of some who don’t even read what their clients write, which puzzles me to no end. That’s like writing about food that you don’t taste.

I tend to treat my clients the way I do my friends, offering an ear, feedback, encouragement and an occasional reality check when absolutely necessary. And though each writer has his or her strengths and weaknesses that need to be addressed in a manner befitting the person and the situation, there’s one piece of advice that I give each and every one of my clients: Quit judging yourself and your work so harshly.

I believe that a writing coach should:

• Critique pages you’ve already written and provide ongoing feedback re: the growing pile of new ones;
• Help you organize your thoughts, enrich your work and find your voice—whether you’re just beginning or have a full draft;
• Facilitate your project’s development, including brainstorming about ideas, story arc, plot, character development and more;
• Help you design a realistic schedule and hold you accountable to target goals and dates;
• Keep you motivated and focused;
• Give you perspective when you become derailed or discouraged;
• Provide writing tips to help you focus as you work on your next installment;
• Direct your rewrite(s)—a fact of life for every writer, no matter how experienced;
• Guide you through the publishing (or self-publishing) maze, including helping you find the right market, and assisting with query letters, book proposals and marketing once your work gets published;
• Encourage you every step of the way.

That’s what I do.