By Larry Leech @LarryJLeechII

A few days ago, blogger guru Heather Kreke wrote about the benefits having a writing coach. She wrote that she and her coach during their bi-weekly meetings will often brainstorm ideas for scenes and different directions for the story as well as help her weed out crutch words, such as “was.” She also mentioned she likes the accountability.

So how does one find a writing coach?

While there may not be as many ways as there are stars in the sky, a writer looking for a coach does have ways to find one. Let us count the ways.

The best is word of mouth. If you need a coach, ask another writer if they have one. If they do, ask how they like working with the coach, what does the coach do for them because not all coaches are created equal. Some specialize in fiction, some in marketing, and others excel at nonfiction books and articles.

Agent extraordinaire Bob Hostetler offers this advice: “But when I give it a bit more thought, I give the same advice as when people ask me about getting an agent: ONLY by recommendation. Don’t just look up someone in a directory somewhere. Ask around among your writer friends, ask for their recommendations/referrals, and compile a short list from that. If you can’t get a couple/few names that way, widen your circle of acquaintances (at writer’s conferences, for example, which is a great place to start asking people about their experiences with writing coaches) until you can.”

Bob mentions writers’ conference. That is another great place to find a coach. Typically, a number of the faculty, along with writing and speaking, also coach. The faculty member might list this in their bio for the conference, include the option on their business card, or place fliers on the freebie table. At most conferences, faculty member usually know who coaches and can make a recommendation, if you want one.

Also, some publishers offer coaching as an added value to writers.

And a few companies in the inspirational market offer coaching, such as Brookstone Creative Group. 

If you decide and feel led to hire a coach, ask these questions of a perspective coach:

What is their area of expertise?

Do they have any availability?

How often do they meet with a client?

Do they meet via phone call, email, Zoom?

What is their plan in terms of sessions and financial requirement?

While you ask those questions, try to get a sense if the person has a heart to help writers. For many reasons, this is the most important question.

Happy hunting, and don’t hesitate to ask if you want help finding a writing coach. There are a lot of great ones out there.

Writing coach of award-winning novelists, Larry J. Leech II has spent nearly 40 years working with words. After a 23-year journalism career that began in 1981, Larry moved into freelance writing and editing in 2004. He has ghostwritten nearly 30 books and edited more than 250 manuscripts. Larry teaches at numerous conferences nationwide and can be found online on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and his website, www.larryleech.com.