The Coop's One-on-One Coaching Program
for Writers
Do you want to crack open your writing ability? Consider taking a trip to the “writing hatchery” with a professional writer as “Coach”. If you are a beginning or emerging writer who would like a professional writer to coach you, then this program could be for you.
This program is open to Coop members only, so if you're not yet a member, please click on this link to join the Coop.
A 2-Step Journey
Step 1: Setting Up A Test Drive (Coop helps match you with a Coach)
Step 2: The Journey Itself (You and your Coach motor on without Coop)
STEP 1—To Set Up a Test Drive
- Review the Writer Coaches list (see sidebar) and determine your preferred Coach; in evaluating the options, note that the stated fee and feedback format for a Test Drive varies somewhat from one Coach to another;
- Email to the Coop (coaching@writerscoop.org) a sample—up to ten pages—of the writing you would like to work on with a Coach; include this sample as an attached pdf file or as an attached Word document;
- Be sure to include in your email message the following information:
1. The names of your 1st and 2nd choice for Coach;
2. The genre of your writing (poetry, short fiction, nonfiction...);
3. The type of coaching you would like: online, phone or in-person;
4. The expected size of entire project you’d like to work on with the Coach (i.e.: how many pages of prose, how many pages and number of poems);
5. Your contact information including email address, phone number and street address.
The Coop’s Role in Step 1:
- The Coop will contact your preferred Coach, forward your work sample, and confirm the Coach's availability to undertake the Test Drive with you;
- If the Coach agrees, the Coop will provide the Coach with your contact information so the Coach can communicate directly with you to confirm the fee and arrange the details of your Test Drive;
- If your 1st-choice Coach declines, the Coop will try the Coach of your 2nd choice;
- In the event that both of your initial choices decline, you are welcome to suggest still further choices, including a coach who is not currently on our list, for Coop to contact on your behalf.
The Test-Drive Event Itself:
- Following the Coach’s preferred format for your Test Drive, you will either meet face-to-face for the feedback, or receive the feedback only via email and phone conversation, or both; expect the written feedback to be at least one-half a typewritten page;
- Keep in mind that, during the Test Drive, both you and your prospective Coach are evaluating one another before committing to a longer Journey; neither one of you is obligated to continue the relationship beyond the Test-Drive interaction;
- To complete the Test-Drive interaction, you will pay the Coach the required Test-Drive fee.
STEP 2: Continuing the Journey with your Coach:
- If, following the Test Drive, you both agree to continue your journey, then you will negotiate between you (without the Coop’s involvement) the subsequent timelines and fees;
- In the interest of improving this program, the Coop may occasionally contact either or both parties for evaluative feedback.
What the Coop will not do:
- Collect, or be responsible for, any fees.
- Mediate, or be responsible for, any disputes.
Who's on the Coaches list?
Click on a name to find out more about the people who have agreed to coach fellow writers:
Here’s how to register:
Email the Coop at coaching@writerscoop.org
Include the following in your email:
- Your 1st and 2nd preferences for a particular Coach from the Coop’s list;
- The genre in which you’d like coaching;
- the type of coaching you would like: online, phone or in-person;
- The size of the project you’d like to work on with the Coach (i.e. how many pages of prose, how many pages and number of poems). And check the Coach's bio and fees - some Coaches may have a maximum number of pages they are able to look at;
- Your contact information including email address, phone number and street address.
Attach a pdf or Word document (rtf preferred) of up to ten pages of the writing you would like to work on with a Coach. The entire piece can be longer, but at this point the Coop only needs about ten pages. We will share this with potential Coaches to help ensure a good match.
