Wendy Coblentz knew she wanted to be a writer. So she tried really hard to become just that. It seemed like the harder she tried, the further she strayed from writing that actually sounded like her and felt genuine.
Wendy recently posted a seven-part blog series about discovering her writing voice that is as funny and insightful as the book It’s Your Fault: My Journey Through Back Pain, a Teenager and Self-Discovery she published earlier this year. I’m delighted to say that as her writing coach, I played a central role in Wendy’s writing process as well as in the development of that elusive writing voice.
From sloppy writing to brainstorming, Wendy’s series chronicles the work we did together along with all the hard work she did on her own. Her creative journey from wannabe to author is one that any prospective writer—indeed any writer period—should read.
In a blog post I wrote about Wendy and her memoir, I concluded that “It’s Your Fault manages to bring a humorous spin to both back pain and raising a teenage son. As Wendy’s writing coach, I couldn’t be happier with It’s Your Fault or prouder of its author.”
I’m definitely not the only one raving about It’s Your Fault, which could well have an impact extending far beyond entertainment. “Wendy’s story may serve as an inspiration for other chronic pain suffers who are lost in the maze of traditional and alternative healing modalities,” wrote a reviewer for the American Society for the Alexander Technique AmSAT Journal. “The trick may be to give up just being a patient in order to learn the appropriate skills for taking better care of oneself.”
Of all the elements that contributed to Wendy’s success, four stand out:
1) She recognized that she needed help.
2) She recognized when that help wasn’t working and kept looking until she found the right fit.
3) She persisted until she wound up with a written voice that truly reflected her viewpoint, her sense of humor and herself.
4) Instead of short-cutting the process, she wrote, she rewrote and she wrote some more, and then she edited and polished her words until the book was perfectly and utterly right.
I feel privileged to have been part of that ride.
Thank you to a fabulous, brilliant writing coach, and more.
You rock, Wendy! I can’t wait for you to jumpstart your next project. I need your steady dose of humor.