What Do You Do, Anyway?
I hear this a lot:
“You’re a coach, huh? You work with writers mostly? Yeah, that’s nice, Anne, and it sounds cool, but, uh….I have no idea what you actually do. How about a few examples?”
Okay, then. Here goes!
Recently, my work as a creativity coach and editor has included:
Coaching
A strategy session with a returning client
We had worked together some years before, and she got back in touch to discuss her several new writing projects. We talked about the market competition out there, we brainstormed expansions of the draft she’s been writing, and we zeroed in on which next steps are the most important for her to take, and in what sequence, agreeing to talk again in a month or so. Her new project is quite different from the one we worked on a few years ago. She inspires me to keep the new ideas coming.
No, not that kind of coach. Photo by Nguyen Thu Hoai on Unsplash
Monthly coaching session with a creative writer
In our sessions we follow up on her ongoing concerns, we free associate about interesting ideas and share the places we’ve found them, and I make sure we follow the threads of previous conversations. In response to the pandemic and other changing circumstances, she has adjusted her daily schedule to suit her situation. Over the months she altered her routine several times, tweaking it so that it works best for her, allowing her to book open time for herself regularly. Whether she writes, reviews her existing work, reaches out to publications, or sits and ponders, she consistently gives herself that open creative time. She has come to see it is essential. Honoring it as a priority has meant gradually disentangling herself from other competing obligations. She has been purposeful about streamlining her calendar to support the things that matter most – including her creativity. She inspires me to be flexible and pay attention to what’s working and what needs work.
Wait, not that kind either. Photo by Katarzyna Pracuch on Unsplash
Coaching when the writing is difficult
Another returning client has begun coaching to support her as she drafts a nonfiction book that tackles her own difficult personal history in order to demonstrate to readers how to deal with generational trauma, from the inside out. She has discovered that she needs to allow plenty of time after a writing session, to rest and recover her equanimity. She inspires me to notice how I’m feeling and how my work affects my wellbeing.
No, no, no, no, noppity nope nope – that’s not it. Photo by Lucia Lua Ramirez on Unsplash
Zeroing in on the approach to a new topic
A client who mostly works with me via email scheduled a zoom call. He wanted to talk over his new idea for an essay. It’s fascinating, nuanced, subject matter which calls on his expertise accumulated over a long and distinguished career. It was a pleasure to think through how to approach the topic and how to characterize the audience he’ll be writing to. We agreed that writing this piece will be challenging because each word will matter. In light of this, he agreed to doing a shitty first draft (PDF) for the first time. He also was open to viewing his writing as a possible source of delight. We talked about immersion in the joy of the craft. He inspires me to stay open to the possibility of joy in the work itself, especially when it demands extra care.
Okay, now that’s more like it.* Anne Carley Creative offers coaching services. Yeah, that works.
Editing
Starting to edit a nonfiction manuscript for a new client
I’m responding to his desire for a more conversational tone in this project than he’s accustomed to in his previous writing for an academic audience. His initial feedback to me is that he loves the changes I’ve recommended. This is why I edit for my coaching clients – after we get acquainted through coaching, it’s so much more likely that I’ll get their voice right, from the beginning of the editing process.
An editor’s famous blue pencils. Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Review another editor’s work
A coaching client asked me to take a look at his article for publication on a professional association’s website. Because I worked with the client on an earlier iteration of this material, he wanted my feedback on the many editorial notes populating the margins of the Word document received from the publishing organization. It was easy to see why he’d been a bit alarmed by the publisher’s suggestions, which made false assumptions about his purpose with the piece. I helped him keep the focus on his voice and his point of view.
A first draft. Photo by Andrys Stienstra on Pixabay
Get to the heart of the matter
After completing my first pass of edits for a new book manuscript, I realized there was an unanswered question undermining the entire book. In my editorial letter to the client, I opened up the substantive question so that we can look at it, and answer it, together, constructively.
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Whether it’s creative coaching or editorial work, my clients keep life interesting. There’s always something new to learn.
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*If you’re curious about the new logo, it combines the Maori symbol for life (water) with a lotus blossom. Water is linked to intuition, an important aspect of the creative work my clients and I do, and the lotus is famous for thriving in muddy water, anchoring its roots down into the muck, in order to grow and produce astonishing beauty above the water, open to the sun and sky. The Maori symbol also resembles a heart, and a seed – both of which I associate with this work.
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Anne Carley offers creative coaching to writers and other creative people at annecarleycreative.com