How a Writing Coach Can Help Bring Out Your Story

In 2024, I had the privilege of working on 3 different books with 4 different authors, and I found some things I feel are quite common on how a writing coach can help you bring out your story. Most people would be surprised that they have a book inside of them but are daunted by how hard it is to actually get writing.

I Didn’t Know My Story Could Be That Impactful

This was a comment from an author I helped who is a doctor. He sent me two pdfs of scanned documents he had worked on over the years. We converted them to files we could work with and then went to work finding the story. Even though his book was a memoir, that was no reason not to explore the characters and tell the story of their activities around the story. The result was him telling me, “I didn’t know my story could be that impactful.”

Your story can be that impactful because it tells a story. The mistake that most people make, especially with memoirs but in other instances as well, is that they are reciting facts and events without a cohesive story being told. The key is to remember that regardless of what kind of project you have, telling a story is essential. However, it can be challenging to bring that story out, especially if you aren’t an experienced writer, that is where a helpful writing coach can really help you out.

Help! I Don’t Know Where to Start!

This question comes up so much for writers that I have an entire section devoted to it in my writing course! Getting started writing is the hardest part, even for the professionals. For most people, they have a sort of vague idea of what they would like to write about it. Whether it’s fiction, memoir, or thought-leadership, I tell people the same thing: write down those random ideas.

Once you start to write something down, you can work with it. An idea in your head will get you nowhere fast. I had this problem early in my career, and what I ended up doing (before I went all-digital) was to write down my random ideas in my notebook. Often it was a scrap of a scene, a bit of dialogue and so on. From those meager beginnings, I was able to think about what kind of story I wanted to tell. I use outlines and storyboards to help me figure out what kind of story to tell. All stories have to have some sort of inciting incident and how things changed. It doesn’t have to be dramatic, it just has to change the circumstances or the stakes involved. In memoir, this might be a marriage, a divorce, or the birth of a child. In fiction, it can be the main character being called to their mission or an event happening in their society that affects them.

For one of my clients, she needed ideas on how to write about her equine therapy facility. She uses horses to help autistic people and once I dug into her practice and experience, how to write about that started to grow. This is the job of a writing coach. A writing coach can help you with figuring out what you need to tell your story and can provide helpful recommendations to help you get started and help you all along the way through the story.

Writers Deserve Support!

I always tell my writing coaching clients that when we work together, I am one part writing coach and one part therapist. When I’m working on a book with someone, we dig deep into their lives, what they are going through and why they are writing this story. It is cathartic and sometimes hard, but often helps make things real on the page.

Alongside the improvement in writing, it can also be helpful to have some support. Writing is a solo act, and it can get very lonely at times. Having a writing coach alongside you can make the journey less lonely. If I’m working with someone as a developmental editor, then it really becomes a partnership on a different level. The nice thing about a writing coach is that I don’t have to dig into your pages but be supportive, offer advice, ideas and help you unwind those difficult writing problems. I can answer basic questions and help speed the project along. Why sit around spinning your writer’s wheels when the answer is only an email or a coaching session away?

Most writers don’t have much support for their creative endeavors in their life, and a writing coach can really help bring your project to life.

Ready to Start?

When you’re ready to get your writing project from thoughts and pages, to a finished manuscript, a writing coach can make all the difference. I know I make a difference with each person I work with. Currently, I’m offering coaching sessions, which you can buy per session or in a package. I also have my new courses out now too, which include 2 writing coaching sessions over the course of the year-long program. If you’re ready to start, let’s get to work!

The Cameron Journal Academy

If you are interested in writing a book and telling your unique story! My new writing courses: The Power of Story (fiction and non-fiction) are now available! You get year long access to the complete course as well as access to our bi-weekly writing group and 2 coaching sessions with me. To sign up today, visit The Cameron Journal Academy.