The Benefits of Working with a Fiction Writing Coach

by Kerry-Ann McDade · Published July 3, 2023 · Updated July 3, 2023

The Benefits of Working with a Fiction Writing Coach – How To Write the Future, podcast episode 52

“As fiction writers, we are sharing parts of ourselves onto the page, and that can be very scary.”

In “The Benefits of Working with a Fiction Writing Coach” host Beth Barany, creativity coach, and science fiction and fantasy novelist discusses the benefits and outcomes of working with her as a fiction writing coach that will help you get to know your own creative process, plus she shares a special shout-out for reaching the one year anniversary of the How To Write the Future podcast.

RESOURCES

Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

Get support for your fiction writing by a novelist and writing teacher and coach. Schedule an exploratory call here and see if Beth can support you today: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/discovery-call/

ABOUT THE HOW TO WRITE THE FUTURE PODCAST

The How To Write The Future podcast is for science fiction and fantasy writers who want to write positive futures and successfully bring those stories out into the marketplace. Hosted by Beth Barany, science fiction novelist and creativity coach for writers.

Tips for fiction writers! This podcast is for you if you have questions like:

How do I create a believable world for my science fiction story?
How do I figure out what’s not working if my story feels flat?
How do I make my story more interesting and alive?

This podcast is for readers too if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.

Transcript for The Benefits of Working with a Fiction Writing Coach

Are you looking for a way to dig into your world building for your story?

Then I recommend that you check out my World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers. Now available.

It’s at How To Write The Future.com.

Just head on over there. Click, sign up. Put your name and email, and there you go.

That workbook will be delivered to your inbox straightaway.

Welcome TO THE PODCAST

Hey everyone Beth Barany here for How To Write The Future podcast.

The focus of this podcast and the focus of my work is to support science fiction and fantasy writers to create positive optimistic stories because when we vision what is possible we help make it so.

This podcast is also for anyone who cares about the future and who cares about making the world a better place for future generations.

Some of the Benefits and Outcomes of Working with Beth Barany, Fiction Writing Coach

I am super inspired to share with you some of the benefits and outcomes of working with me. I should let you know I am recording this while I am in Saudi Arabia. I have just spent eight days, nine days here, teaching on how to start your own creative business. That was last week. And this week it’s teaching creative writing.

I am passionate, passionate, passionate about helping writers take what is nebulous outside of their head and putting it into form. I have tons of tools for that.

When people come into my classes, when people come into my programs, when people come to work one-on-one with me, it’s because they have a story that won’t let them go. They have a story that they have maybe partially written. Maybe they’ve written the whole thing, but they still feel lost or not really sure… Now what? How do I turn this first draft or even a draft you have worked on multiple times into something that you are truly, truly proud of? Truly in your heart, so excited, maybe nervous, but really excited to share with the world –to publish, to market– that it will be part of your author career.

I have people come to me, having worked on their manuscripts a lot. That first draft. Or they’ve written it, and they put their whole heart and their whole soul and their whole guts into the story. And they want to know: now, what do I do?

So I say, breathe. Take a deep breath. And know that you can take this beautiful, beautiful messy first draft into a polished book that readers will buy. I believe that.

Now is the road straight? No. Is the road very curvy with lots of twists and turns just like your amazing story? Yes. And there are processes. There are step-by-steps that you can be guided through.

The outcome of working with me is not only a finished book that you are proud of. It is making friends with your creative process. It is getting to know how you actually work best. That is the outcome. That is a very important part of this outcome because I work with people who have a long-term dream. They’re in this for the long haul.

This is not a get quick, get rich quick scheme. This is not let me be a bestseller and do all the things that are trendy. Those things actually have a place. And that takes a certain constitution, certain physiology, a certain mindset to go after that, in that way.

Now I help people create page turners, rip-roaring reads books, people love to read at the beach on a long flight, you know, hold up in bed because they’re sick or they just need to stay in bed or want to stay in bed because they’re reading, reading, reading. I’ve been there. Staying up all night, not wanting to go to sleep.

If you want to create those unputdownable experiences for your readers, and you want to create a story that maybe the world hasn’t seen yet. So it’s cross genre. I like to call it a genre mashup of different things in different quantities, not seen by other people or maybe your perspective is not what’s trending right now. That’s totally fine.

I believe there’s a place for everyone and I believe your voice matters and your vision matters.

So one of the benefits of working with me is that I will help you get to know your own creative process really really well, as well as your best friend. This creative process is what’s going to serve you, is what is supporting you to get to this point.

Let’s shed some light on it. Let’s pay attention to your best working times. Let’s really dig into how your mind works to help you in the editing process. Let’s really pay attention to even the blocks and the issues that hold you back because they’re actually part of the creative process. Let’s include them.

When we do that, when we include all of you in the creative process, then you are able to fully show up, bring all of you into this next stage of edit, revise, sometimes rewrite.

It is not a straight line. Everybody is different. And yet there are some standard processes. That you can apply to editing your book. There are many standard problems that I see. Sometimes people are weak on their characters. The characters lack depth. I will help you create fully fleshed out characters.

What happens when the characters lacked depth is the middle of the book falls apart. That is one of the reasons why the middle of the book falls apart is because the characters aren’t deep enough or well-drawn enough. You don’t know them well enough. They’re there. They’re like halfway there and the plot is there, but there’s something missing.

So one of the areas I notice is weak when that happens is the characters are not fully fleshed out. I help people figure that out. And we have processes and steps and how tos and all the good stuff there. It’s highly tailored. I have a very big toolkit.

But I don’t know until I work with you what is going on. Then I can diagnose it. Once it’s diagnosed, then you get to work.

The thing is your book is not as good as it could be. And you know that, but you can’t make it better.

Why can’t you make it better?

Because there’s a lack of awareness, a lack of knowledge, a lack of operating the tools that make fiction fiction.

Fiction is a craft and an art. And I work on both those levels. Fiction is also an expression of you.

So, if you lack the vocabulary, if you lack the awareness, if you lack the skillset, that shows up on the page, and I can tell. I can read someone’s manuscript and I can see where the lacks are, and then I can teach you and coach you how to bring all of you. To the page, so that you can fix your manuscript to be the kind of thing that you see in bookstores.

It is possible. It is absolutely possible. There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s just a lack of skill, experience, and awareness.

So one of the benefits of working with me is that I make room for the human experience. It’s not easy being an artist. Fiction writing included. As fiction writers we are sharing Parts of ourselves onto the page, and that can be very scary. You could feel really vulnerable. Totally understandable.

And, there’s nothing wrong with you.

I’m not trying to fix you. I’m only trying to teach and guide and facilitate.

So working with me is right for you if…

So, working with me is right for you if you’re up for that adventure. Because it is an adventure. It’s exciting. The terrain that you’re exploring in your story is also the terrain that you’re exploring inside of yourself. So I bring that awareness into the creative process, into all the how-tos and the step-by-step and the processes.

And we have fun. We have serious fun.

Working with me is right for you if you’re up for that. That’s the way it is. That’s who I am. That’s what I’m interested in. That’s what I’ve been passionate about for over 25 years. And, I believe in you. I absolutely believe in you.

All right. Come join me. If this is your cup of tea, if this is the soup you want to swim in, come join me. I would love to talk with you and see if my group coaching program is right for you.

A Special Shout-Out: Wow! One year anniversary of this podcast

A very special shout out to all of you that this is the one-year anniversary of running my How To Write The Future Podcast, as this is our 52nd episode. Wow. I am so grateful for the feedback I’ve received, students and clients that have come to me as a result of my podcast. And I’m also very grateful to my team: Kerry-Ann McDade who edits the podcast and writes my show notes.

Also a big thank you to my marketing team of Marsha Hayworth and Jasper Ezekiel, and lastly, a huge shout out to Michelle Geary who helps me on my business backend.

I’m also very excited looking forward into the next year. I plan to do more interviews with futurists and other writers and writing experts who are doing innovative things.

If you have a topic you would like me to cover, please, please let me know.

Lastly a big, thank you to you, the listeners for your positive feedback and excitement about the podcast.

I want to think everybody I’ve interviewed in this past year, all the writers, all the futurists. I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface. So thank you. Thank you so much, everyone. And I look forward to my year two.

Ciao for now, everyone.

Have a fabulous fabulous week. I look forward to connecting with you next time in our next How To Write The Future episode.

Thanks for Playing!

Thank you so much, everyone for listening to my podcast. Your interest and feedback is so inspiring to me and helps me know that I’m helping you in some small way.

So write long and prosper.

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Are you stuck and overwhelmed by world building?

Then check out my new World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers.

Head over to HowToWriteTheFuture.com and sign up for yours today.

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012061

ABOUT BETH BARANY

Beth Barany, an award-winning fantasy and science fiction novelist, teaches novelists how to write, edit, and publish their books as a coach, teacher, consultant, and developmental editor.

Learn more about Beth Barany at these sites:

Author site / Coaching site / School of Fiction / Writer’s Fun Zone blog

CONNECT

Contact Beth: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/podcast/#tve-jump-185b4422580

Email: beth@bethbarany.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethbarany/

CREDITS [H2]

EDITED WITH DESCRIPT: https://www.descript.com?lmref=_w1WCA

MUSIC: Uppbeat.io

DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465

SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany

SHOW NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade

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