Hello, my friends! Many of you have reached out to see if I am still writing, whether short stories or working on a novel. The quick answer is YES! I have been consistently working on my novel Conjoined. Even going so far as to hire a book writing coach to help with accountability. Is there such a thing as a writing coach, you ask? You know, I wasn’t sure there was, but I decided that if top athletes can have a coach to help them with specific skills building, then why shouldn’t writers have the same option? So, I went to Google…the Oracle of our times. Sure enough! There is a whole industry out there waiting to help people like me.
Do writing coaches exist?
Based on what I’ve learned from them. I need help. Not the psychological kind. Well, probably. Don’t we all, at times? More like a partner kind of help. So, I’m currently seeking a collaborator as a first reader to help with feedback. Believe it or not, especially in the first novel, but even with short stories, it helps to have someone to bounce ideas off and get regular feedback. It’s amazing how often my inner voice will tell me something is a bad idea or even complete shit. That triggers the old demons of shame, perfectionism, and overwhelm and makes it incredibly hard to open a document to create new content. Also, having a second pair of eyes to read through something helps with the details. I write in a way where I envision the story as a movie playing in my head. I may skip details that I assume are conveyed through my descriptions, but that is often not the case. And duh! Never ass-ume anything, right? If you know of someone that would fit the bill, reach out to me and let me know!
Training isn’t just for athletes!
In the meantime, to flex my writing muscle when I don’t feel I’m up to working on my novel, I’ve turned to writing prompts and journeling. I’ve published a couple of new ones on Reedsy, whom I’ve talked about before. You can refer to some older ones I’ve posted here and here. If you feel so inclined, head on over to my profile there and give me some love. In the meantime, I will try and be more active here. So make sure when you stop by to leave a comment and say Hi! Even if it’s on a story post you’ve already read.
Thanks for sticking with me. I appreciate you.
KT! You’re back. Of course you’re back. I never doubted you’d leave. The last couple of years have been hard on everyone. Not to mention a blur! I sent you a private message regarding collaborators. Looking forward to reading more from you soon.