WORD JOURNEYS PRESENTS:
The Writing Life Coach
The Basics
The Writing Life Coach offers you direct one-on-one tutelage and assistance where you need it the most—within your current writing projects and objectives. We provide enormous expertise gained by authoring eight books, editing nearly 100 others, teaching more than 100 workshops throughout the United States and spending more than 30 years in journalism, non-fiction, poetry, essay, memoir and fiction writing. There isn’t a writing issue or concern we haven’t helped writers and authors to solve. Whether you’re trying to expand your writing skills, shooting for publication or switching over from journalism to book writing, sign up for our simple program and let us give you the direct assistance that will produce rapid results—and fill your days and nights with adventure and fine writing.
How It Works
The Writing Life Coach program specifically designed for your needs and pays special consideration to your budget. You can opt in or out whenever you’d like. Here’s how it works:
1) Contact us if you’re interested. We’ll run down the program for you.
2) Choose the service program that works for your goals and budget.
3) Once you’ve chosen a plan, fill out the writer’s profile so we can further assess your objectives and what you hope to attain from the program. Download the Writer Life Coach Questionnaire
4) We’ll get you started with writing exercises specifically chosen to meet your needs or areas of requested development.
5) When you have a manuscript to show us, we’ll give it our TLC editing approach, and provide you with a thorough evaluation—no matter the stage of progress.
6) You can sign up for as long as you’d like. There are no minimum requirements (we do require payment at the start of each month of service). You can also drop the coaching at any time, then resume at a later date.
7) If you’re satisfied (and we suspect you will be), tell a friend. If that friend signs up, you’ll receive 50% off your next month’s coaching! If you find two or more friends who sign up, your next month is free. Let word-of-mouth work for you!
COACHING PLANS
Each month, you receive:
(Full descriptions are linked to bottom of the page)
Author’s Plan — $30/month
• Initial consultation and assessment of writing goals (from profile)
• Manuscript, story or article reading and evaluation (maximum 15 pages/month)
• 3-5 Writing exercises, provided by e-mail
• Monthly consultation by phone or e-mail
• Subscription to The Write Stuff, monthly e-newsletter
• 30% off purchase of Writes of Life: Using Personal Experiences in Everything You Write or The Write Stuff, a writing exercise day calendar
A-List Plan— $50/month
• Initial consultation and assessment of writing goals (from profile)
• Manuscript, story or article reading and evaluation (maximum 30 pages/month)
• 5-10 Writing exercises
• Bi-weekly Consultation by phone or e-mail
• Complimentary autographed copy of Writes of Life: Using Personal Experiences in Everything You Write
• Subscription to The Write Stuff, monthly e-newsletter
• 50% off next Writes of Life workshop in your area
Bestseller Plan —$100/month
• Initial consultation and assessment of writing goals (from profile)
• Manuscript, story or article reading and evaluation (maximum 60 pages/month)
• 5-10 Writing exercises customized for your needs
• Self-editing tutelage
• Weekly Consultation by phone or e-mail
• Development of query letters
• Assessment of publications, publishers, agents and marketing opportunities
• Complimentary autographed copy of Writes of Life: Using Personal Experiences in Everything You Write
• Subscription to The Write Stuff, monthly e-newsletter
• Free Writes of Life workshop in your area
Masterpiece Level — $250/month
• Initial consultation and assessment of writing goals (from profile)
• Manuscript, story or article reading and evaluation (maximum 150 pages/month)
• 10-15 Writing exercises designed for your needs
• Self-editing tutelage
• Regular Consultation by phone or e-mail
• Development of query letters
• Assistance outlining and structuring book proposal or novel synopsis
• Complimentary autographed copy of Writes of Life: Using Personal Experiences in Everything You Write
• Subscription to The Write Stuff, monthly e-newsletter
• Free Writes of Life workshop in your area
• 25% off other Word Journeys services
• Invitation to signing party for The Voice and Write Deep Heal Deep, forthcoming books by Robert Yehling
ADVANCED PROGRAMS
Book Editing
We work with you to outline, develop and assist in the writing of your book, then take your completed manuscript and give it the high-quality professional editing you would receive from a major publishing house. Our timely editing services include all phases of the process: content editing, revisions, proofreading and galley checks. To date, we’ve edited and polished nearly 100 novels, topical non-fiction and how-to/self-help books, memoirs, essay and poetry collections prior to their publication. Base fee: $4 per manuscript page. Email or call us for more information.
The Final Page: Book Proposal Writing and Agent/Publisher Submission
For many writers, the hardest part of writing a book has nothing to do with the actual writing. It concerns the book proposal—your book’s business plan. We specialize in writing and assisting authors with non-fiction book proposals and fiction synopses that catch the eyes of top-flight literary agents and publishers. Our format and quality is highly respected in writing circles, and we have a growing list of authors for whom we’ve either initiated literary agent representation or publishing contacts. As successful house-published authors who’ve sold proposals on a wide variety of topics, we know precisely how to present sales, marketing, promotions, public relations and editorial content plans that secure deals. Email or call us for more information and rates.
From Journalism to Fiction & Creative Non-Fiction
This is a customized coaching program for newspaper, online, broadcast or magazine journalists who are making the leap from objective (journalistic) writing to subjective (creative/fictional) writing. We provide all of the benefits of the Masterpiece Plan, while adding tutelage on deconstructing journalistic practices and replacing them with inside-out writing—the heart of successful fiction, memoir and creative non-fiction. This coaching program is individually tailored. Base fee: $350/month. Email or call us for more information.
Ready to reach your fullest potential as a writer—and uncover a lifetime of discovery and enjoyment?
Email or call us—and sign up now!
FULL DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
Initial Consultation and Assessment of Writing Goals
First, you fill out a comprehensive writer’s profile (we provide the downlink when you express interest in signing up). Then, we discuss and pinpoint the areas and goals you’d like to address as part of our program. Whether you’re writing for fun, for your service organization or for publication, our objective is to create the best possible program to further develop your writing…and to thoroughly enjoy yourself in the process.
Manuscript, Story or Article Reading & Evaluation
We take your material and give it thorough, professional editing, followed by a written evaluation in which we point out strengths and weaknesses of your work, and suggestions for further development. Such topics as story structuring and sequencing, changes in word or sentence choice, character development, dialogue, plot and theme are covered.
Writing Exercises
After evaluating your work, we provide you with specific writing exercises to bolster or expand the areas in which you would like to improve. We choose from our more than 600 original exercises to find exactly what you need. For the Bestseller and Masterpiece plans, we develop customized exercises for you.
Consultation by Phone or E-Mail
We consult with you by phone or e-mail to further evaluate your work and assist with your writing. Phone/e-mail consultations also include additional exercises, specific tips, and referrals to authors and styles of writing to provide greater insight into your work.
Self-Editing Tutelage (Bestseller and Masterpiece plans)
Successful writing starts after your manuscript, story or article is finished. The editing process is often overlooked, but it is vital to produce the best possible work. We provide specific tips, suggestions and strategies for the revision, polishing and fine-tuning of your piece. The importance of becoming an editor of your own work cannot be overstressed.
Development of Query Letters (Bestseller and Masterpiece plans)
The query letter is one of the most crucial activities you can undertake as a published author. On that one-page letter, the editor decides whether your idea holds merit for his/her audience, if your presentation of the article or story will suffice, your expertise to write the piece, and the quality of your writing. We provide a specific tutorial based on 20 years of magazine and book editing, and the writing of 1,500 published articles in more than 60 different publications and websites.
Assistance Outlining and Structuring Book Proposal or Novel Synopsis (Masterpiece plan)
Book proposals are the business plans of your non-fiction book. They require innovative marketing, sales and public relations strategies, attention to other books in your subject area that exist on the shelves, and a concise “sneak peek” of the book-in-progress through sample chapters and outlines. We provide an outline and structure of a book proposal, based on proposals we’ve presented and sold. For fiction writers, we provide an outline for the 5- to 20-page synopsis that the publisher uses to determine whether to see your full manuscript and buy your book. Also, if your concept and writing are strong, we will help you to locate literary agents equipped to sell books in your field or genre
