I love being the Writers Helping Writers Blog Wizard…and am honored to work closely with the Resident Writing Coaches. They’re all talented, generous authors who share their wisdom to help take your writing to the next level. I’ve learned so much from them, and have a feeling you have, too!
This is the 10th year of our popular Resident Writing Coach program where we feature writing experts through a series of four blog posts scattered throughout the year. We bring in a mix of expertise, so you benefit from different voices and perspectives from all over the world.
Each year we have some new coaches and some returning, so let me first say goodbye to the wonderful Marissa Graff and Christina Delay. We greatly appreciate all they have shared with us. I’m thrilled that Marissa will be our guest editor for several upcoming critique contests, and hope she and Christina will be back as coaches in the future.
I’m excited to welcome two amazing Resident Writing Coaches. Please give them a warm welcome!
Jill Boehme was known for many years to the online writing community as Authoress, hostess of Miss Snark’s First Victim, a now-retired blog. She is the author of Stormrise and The Stolen Kingdom; she is also a writing coach, a freelance editor, and a staunch defender of the Oxford comma.
You will also find Jill teaching writing classes both locally and online. She finds great joy in encouraging and inspiring writers.
Julie Artz helps status quo busting writers slay their doubt demons and get their stories reader-ready. She is an Author Accelerator-certified Founding Book Coach and a sought-after writing instructor and speaker. She regularly contributes to Jane Friedman and Writers Helping Writers, and is an instructor for AuthorsPublish. A consummate social justice minded story geek, Julie lives by an enchanted river in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband, two naughty furry familiars, and two college-aged children who occasionally manifest.
You can find her on Youtube and Substack.
Is Your Story Reader-Ready? Take the quiz to find out.
In addition to our new coaches, we’re thrilled to have these returning masterminds…
Lucy V. Hay is a UK-based script editor & reader, and creator of the popular site, Bang2Write, a top screenwriting blog topping industry lists such as Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites for Writers. She’s edited UK features and shorts for 20+ years and authored the bestselling Writing & Selling Thriller Screenplays. Her alter-ego, Lizzie Fry, pens dark thrillers including her latest, The Good Mother. You can find Lucy at her thriving Bang2Write community, helping writers improve their craft through insightful, real-world advice.
Colleen M. Story writes award-winning historical fantasy, supernatural thrillers, and motivational books for writers. Her latest, Escape the Writer’s Web, reveals a breakthrough method for overcoming procrastination. On YouTube, she helps writers stay motivated, focused, and creatively aligned, and through MasterWriterMindset.com, offers immersive workshops and unconventional tools for stuck writers. A freelance health writer, Colleen also speaks at writing conferences across North America. Find all her books at ColleenMStory.com.
Jami Gold is an award-winning paranormal romance author and blogger whose site was recognized by Writer’s Digest as a 101 Best Website for Writers. Her massive collection of resources for writers include popular worksheets (including the Romance Beat Sheet), workshops, and over 1000 posts on her blog. Jami is known for her deep dives into all aspects of craft, business, and life of writing and has helped tens of thousands of writers over the years.
Lisa Poisso is a book coach, editor, and writer with a background in journalism, communications, and magazine publishing. She specializes in working with new and emerging writers to create commercial fiction with emotional resonance. Her structured, artistry-meets-craft approach draws on her early training in classical dance. Lisa curates the popular Writes of Fiction newsletter and coaches alongside her pack of #45mphcouchpotato greyhounds.
Suzy Vadori is the award-winning author of The Fountain Series, a certified book coach with Author Accelerator, and founder of Wicked Good Fiction Bootcamp. She works with writers new to the industry, offering developmental editing, coaching, and online courses. Her superpower is tirelessly working to simplify complex craft topics to get writers up to speed and motivating them to reach their full potential.
Michelle Barker is an award-winning author, editor, and writing teacher based in Vancouver, Canada. Her novel, The House of One Thousand Eyes, won numerous awards and was named a Kirkus Best Book of the Year. She’s also co-authored Story Skeleton: The Classics and Immersion and Emotion: The Two Pillars of Storytelling with David Griffin Brown. Michelle loves working closely with writers to hone their manuscripts as a senior editor at The Darling Axe.
Jenny Hansen is a copywriter, brand storyteller, and LinkedIn coach by day, and a writer at night, working on memoir, humor, and women’s fiction. She’s a co-founder of Writers in the Storm, a long-running craft blog named to Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites list. Jenny’s writing is known for a blend of heart and wit and she’s currently revising a memoir based on her cancer journey.
Tip: Love a post? Click on the name up top to see all the posts from that person.
Here’s to another year of amazing posts. Please give a warm welcome our Resident Writing Coaches.
Pssst…when you comment on their posts, they reply to you! So please share your thoughts and ask questions throughout the year. Angela, Becca and I love working with the coaches. They’re an incredible asset to the Writers Helping Writers blog.
If there’s a topic you’d like help with, please add it in the comments so hopefully one of our Resident Writing Coaches will post about it.
Mindy loves giving back to the writing community. She’s a founding member and Administrator on the From the Mixed-Up Files…of Middle-Grade Authors blog, an SCBWI volunteer, and host of the PBParty annual contest and monthly New Draft Challenge & Critique Train. She writes middle grade novels and picture books filled with humor, heart, and hope and is represented by Joyce Sweeney. Find out more about her picture book critiques here.
Woohoo! So glad to see so many of our coaches coming back, along with our newest additions. Let’s get the party started!
Of course we come back…y’all rock!
Welcome to this wonderful team of writing coaches!
Thank you Judy! I feel so lucky that we have such a talented group of experts here to share their knowledge. Talk about the definition of writers helping writers!!