Discover the story you want to tell, the themes you want to focus on, and why they are important to you.
Establish practices that nurture your creativity and support your well-being as you write.
Structure your plot, connect with your voice and characters, and make the writing process feel more manageable.
Explore why you write, why you make the choices you make as a writer, and how your creativity is connected to your intuition, values, and life experience.
I offer personalised writing coaching and manuscript assessments for authors of book-length works of fiction and non-fiction, especially memoir. Coaching sessions can be one-offs to help you to begin (or begin again), or we might work together long-term, with me providing ongoing support and feedback on your work-in-progress.
As a coach, I can help you to...
Testimonials
"Throughout the writing process Catherine was my rock. She provided a road map for tackling the story, challenged me to dig deep and bring my authentic voice onto every page and delivered insightful, practical feedback with empathy and enthusiasm. Catherine encouraged me whenever I lost my confidence and my way, and I’m convinced I wouldn't have completed my book without her wisdom and experience. I’m so grateful for her help and incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together."
-Lisa
"Within a few minutes, Catherine had read my piece and made some very pertinent comments. She also got directly to the nub of what had been bothering me about my writing generally, something I knew but couldn't – or didn't want to – articulate. She asked me if I had a project on the go, which I didn't, and before my hour was up I had the kernel of the long-form work I'm hammering away at now. Meantime, Catherine has coached me through some of my regular work, improving it out of sight. She is disarmingly frank but endlessly positive and encouraging. She asks a lot of questions. She is frighteningly fast, instinctively picking up on structural or thematic issues and making succinct and clear suggestions. And she is creative, always bubbling with ideas."
-Simon
"I highly recommend Catherine as a writing coach for anyone writing or editing a book. I had written my book, but it wasn't ready yet to be published. I started looking for a writing coach. When I read Catherine's writing, I knew immediately she was the writer I wanted to coach me, and I have been so
impressed with her guidance. Using her skill, creativity and her intuition, she knew just what I needed to develop my writing, and my writing skills have developed ten-fold in the process, which is so inspiring."
-Leanne
"I recently [hired] Catherine [as] a proofreader for my (soon to be submitted) PhD. What a great decision! From the start, Catherine was very professional, [copy-editing] some pages of my PhD as an example of her work before beginning. Not only was she prompt, she was just brilliant, and she had done her research and had knowledge of the specific academic writing for my university...I cannot recommend Catherine highly enough and hope to continue to work with her, maybe writing my own best seller!"
-Laurie
"I’d just completed the third draft of a novel and felt like I had lost the plot! ‘I don’t need nice,’ I said, and Catherine was honest but kind. She challenged me to go back to the emotional drivers, the why behind what I was trying to achieve, encouraging me that anything I laid to rest was fertiliser for the story to grow from. Together we drilled down to what was and wasn’t working, and Catherine suggested practical ways forward. Her clarity about how to mine for theme and conflict, and her patience while I processed this, were so appreciated. Whether you need an injection of encouragement or a slow release dose of writer’s craft, I highly recommend Catherine's expertise and process."
-Mary