Having worked with literally hundreds of aspiring authors over the years, I have witnessed what works – and what doesn’t – when it comes to real progress being made with writing.
As I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear, there needs to be a mix of inspiration, information, guidance, feedback and support in varying degress according to each person’s individual requirements.
The one single factor which seems to make the most difference to most writers is having an on-going working relationship with a professional who knows the writing journey inside out.
Yet is it enough for a teacher to teach without being currently engaged in the writing process themselves?
Walking the Talk
In my view, the answer to that question is ‘no’.
The reason is that I know from experience the support I offer writers on the Writer’s Journey Mentor Programme is all the more powerful because I write regularly myself.
I am ‘walking my talk’ rather than just teaching what I remember or know ‘in theory’.
This means that I am constantly coming up with new ideas, new ways of supporting people to overcome their resistance, move through blocks and reach the deepest levels with their writing … all as a result of my own personal and professional writing experience.
The value of this is reflected back to me time and time again through the progress which people make on this particular programme of on-going individual coaching support.
Structure and Accountability
The other criteria which are crucial for so many writers to turn up to the page regularly - and successfully – are structure and accountability.
Most of the people I work with are writing alongside many other commitments including full or part time work, family, friends and a range of leisure activities.
However strong the motivation is to write, often it just doesn’t happen unless you have a deadline to meet for submitting your work to someone who is expecting it to arrive on a certain date.
Deadlines work wonders when it comes to prioritising your ‘to do’ list!
In addition, knowing that you will receive constructive feedback on what you have written and agree tasks to aim for over the next few weeks provides a sense of structure and accountability which results in more confident and regular action.
It is for all of these reasons that I created the Writer’s Journey Mentor Programme which has now supported a large number of writers to:
- nurture their creative spirit
- clarify their ideas and decide on which one to develop
- begin and/or deepen their writing practice
- craft the individual components of the book proposal
- and make progress on their platform building activities
If all of this sounds like something you might be interested in, registration is now open for a new series of Mentor Programme coaching starting in February 2010.
This is a 6 month programme of individual coaching and is restricted to a maximum of 10 writers.
For more information, including comments from some previous Mentor Programme graduates, click here to read all about it …
If you’d like to arrange a time to discuss whether or not this programme might be right for you, I am offering FREE 15 minute consultations at the moment. All you need to do is send an email to Julia@JuliaMcCutchen.com and we can arrange a time to speak.
Ultimately, seeking out the right kind of on-going support for your writing will make a difference to the results you achieve and your experience along the way.
I’d love to hear your views on regular support with writing so do feel free to post your comments below.
Tags: author, guidance, inspiration, mentor, support, Writing
