Is there such a thing as a Writing Life Coach?

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   Billie Kelpinposted 9 years ago

   If so, how much would that cost?  How would I find one? 
   
   Here's the thing.  I'm 69.  I have at least 3 big projects I'd like to do.  Of course, at 69, I have to choose carefully - especially since the one I THINK I really want to do would take me a few years.  (One of my dear, dear friends of 44 years just passed away, so this is heavy on my mind right now).
   
   I'm wishing there was someone I could talk with who would listen to all of my reasons for wanting to do each writing project, look at my work and abilities and inabilities, and guide me as to what project to pick. 
   
   I know I could join a writers' group, but I think I need more individual direction.  I don't think I can afford school right now either. I've done courses with Writers' Digest. I could try that again. Of course, I'm wondering about the possibility of having an online group for the purpose of writers helping each other in this "big picture" way.
   
   ...any thoughts on this?  Maybe there's something in existence that I already know about.  I'm really looking for someone to just say, "Billie, based on your philosophy, your goals, your abilities, and your need to leave something worthwhile, THIS project would be the most important one and one that would leave the most impact and that you should start first.
   
   Perhaps you have had this same question and have found a good solution. 
   
   Cheerio for now and thanks for any input. 
   
   Billie

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      Lionrhodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      LOL I never thought of selling myself as a writing life coach before. Hmm....
      
      Anyway, I'd be happy to offer what advice I can and I'm sure many of the other writers here would too.
      
      Are you thinking of writing fiction or non-fiction?

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         Billie Kelpinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Lionrhod, AH HA!  Now you've got it.  If you look that my reply to tics, you'll see SOME of my directions. I don't know how to proceed in telling someone like yourself all that I'm considering. 
         
         I've tried a LOT of different types of writing, short stories, two children's stories, essays (10 of which I made into podiobooks and now converted to an app which is free in googlepaly).  I could do a sequel to my little children's book; a teacher friend of mine told me teachers, etc. are more apt to be interested in a series of books of a character and I have two more stories in mind for "Lucky," but can't seem to get started. 
         
         For a very short while, I was doing "A Dollop A Day" one minute observations of life which were humorous and which I loved to do. I could continue to to that as an app, but that would take 1/2 of each day to do.
         
         I think my letters from Vietnam which I posted on hubpages under katywhowaited with modern day reflections have potential as an ebook, OR as an app that would parallell, the exact days, 45 years ago with reflections from 2015 on war and politics.  However, the story that most informed my life and is somewhat a tragic soap-opera type story that I would love to tell in hopes of preventing other such situations, is the story I think I'm SUPPOSED to tell. 
         
         In between all those projects, I have to try to continue to work on our website which features free online games.  I need to FOCUS!  BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE.  I need a "writing life coach" to guide me. However, I think I would feel better with paying a fee since I firmly believe we all give away too much for free right now. On the other hand, we're on a fixed income.  I'm thinking maybe all I need is a one time shot with someone who could just tell me where to go (in a good way

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            Lionrhodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            LOL well I don't mind anyone tossing money in my direction and the gods know I need it, but I don't feel good offering to take money for advice I am happy to give out just because it helps another writer. (I actually did have a very sweet woman once who wanted to pay me for teaching her to write better. If anything I'd rather organize a public writing class--one of these days, when I have the gumption to market it.)
            
            Anyhow, I've gotten some fantastic advice over my decades of writing and I'd as soon just pass that forward.
            
            So on to you, dear.
            
            Which project are you most passionate about? Which one wakes you up in the middle of the night? That's the one you should focus on, because, as I tell my psychic clients, there are some things we're put on this earth to do, and we know them because they are the ones that create the most joy.
            
            If which one is going to be the most successful at making money is the issue, I reject that premise.  I am a firm believer in. "Do what you love and the money will come."
            
            Right now I'm juggling a new ebook edition of my SpellCraft Secrets book; Unkind Memories, the second in my Witches Gates Saga and a few other stories, which include novels, children's books and other books on metaphysics. And then there are the HP hubs I need to write. I'd love to get them all done yesterday, but since that's a challenge I allow the Great Spirit to tell me which to focus on any one day.
            
            I don't know anything about writing aps, and would love to learn from you. I publish via Smashwords and Draft2Digital and if you need help with those I'm happy to offer it.

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      Tashaonthetownposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I think that you should jot down a few ideas of what you would like to say and then once you have put it into words, go onto sites that have people who will guide you on to the next level of achievement. There are writers on places like elance that will help you but if you have an outline of what you are thinking in words, that will help for them to transform or give and idea for you to move forward.

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         Billie Kelpinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         ah, thanks Tasha!  I never thought of elance even though I've told my husband to go their to offer his software services.  Good point!  Cheers, Bilie

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   Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years ago

   Hi Billie. You could join NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). It is free and you can get some tips, etc. in the forums. there. There are also some great writers right here on HubPages who have some really good hubs to help you learn a lot of things about writing.

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      Billie Kelpinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Phyllis,  Thanks.  I didn't know about that organization.  I'll see if I can find a hub here that tells how to choose the direction your writing should go. I feel like I'm at a cross road between choices of which projects to undertake. I feel like everything takes me sooooooooo long to finish, that I need to find which path to take.  Cheers, Billie

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   tlcsposted 9 years ago

   Do you know what Billie, just write it as it is. Put your heart into what you write and you can't go wrong.
   I would start with looking at some hub pages that relate to the topic's that you would like to write about and then I would just start typing. Once you get going there will be no stopping you if you really are passionate about what you are writing.
   If you need any further advise or help just let me know.
   tlcs

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      Billie Kelpinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      tics,
      Thanks for what is ALWAYS good advice.  I need to remember to just plain WRITE!
      
      I might not have explained my question well, though.  I'm not trying to think of articles to write for hubpages.  I am trying to decide on which of my many projects should be next, outside of hubpages.  I don't know whether to do a sequel to my little children's book, more audio publications of my essays (I made an app of those), a memoir-type deal, a young adult ficitionalized story of growing up in Milwaukee, or the conversion of a short story I have into a screenplay. (The latter was being looked at my a film company out here and was dropped, but might, might, MIGHT be picked up again if I would take time to pursue it.)   Then I have some letters from Vietnam that I've been posting under a different name here and could work THOSE into a book.  I also have an adorable dog blog (if I say so myself) that could easily be made into a cute little ebook. 
      
      I just am overwhelmed.  I can't do everything at once and don't know which one to pursue.  Sometimes we can decide if we ask ourselves, "if I only have a few years left" to leave something, what would I leave?  The trouble is, I can't decide what that would be.   
      
      Cheers,
      
      Billie

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         Millionaire Tipsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         These are all great choices Billie. You can't go wrong with any of them!  I think that each person you ask will have a different opinion, and the only one who can decide which way your passion leads you is you.
         
         I truly understand having decision overload, and it is difficult to decide what to do.  When that happens to me, I simply start doing the first thing.  Doesn't matter if it is the highest priority, most urgent, etc.  The key is to simply do something.  That will help break the inertia.  Then, you can drop it if you decide something has a higher priority, but at least you have made progress on that one thing.  Over time, your path will naturally clear your way to the thing you should be working on.
         
         Meditating and getting away from it all helps too - to see things from a clearer perspective and breaking away from the "shoulds" that keep you from doing what you really want to do.

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            Lionrhodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Great advice.
            
            "Should" is one of the words I'd like to remove from our language.
            
            What do you WANT to do, what's in your heart? That's what we "should" do.

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            Billie Kelpinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Millionairetips,  Hi.  In re-reading all of these great suggestions, I noticed that I didn't see my reply to you which I KNOW I did.  I DO like the "just get started" suggestion.  I also like the name you chose because THAT really interests me! Cheers, Billie

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   Marisa Wrightposted 9 years ago

   The thing with life coaches is that they're like psychologists.  They will never tell you what to do - all they do is give you the tools to help YOU make up YOUR mind.
   
   I'm very impressed that you made an app - I thought that was an expensive undertaking?
   
   I think you need to work out what you're trying to achieve. Are you trying to work out what will leave the most meaningful legacy, or which will be the most successful?   
   
   My two cents:  I'd steer clear of apps if you're thinking of a legacy - while they're the hot thing right now, who knows what the technology will be in the future and they may not be compatible.   The fact that you "can't seem to get started" on your children's books should tell you something.

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      Lionrhodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      While I understand what you're saying here, as a psychic, I work in very similar ways to what a life coach does. My only difference is that I have a bit of "extra" data. Every psychic works in different ways, but I'll admit that I work most with the life coach model. (I'm not interested in predictions, I'm interested in my client becoming the best person they can.)
      
      Tools are always a good thing. IMO what makes me crazy about many other psychics is that they suggest what might happen and then don't offer to give the tools to deal.
      
      I'd rather spend my time offering tools.

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         Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest that offering tools was a bad thing!
         
         The OP was asking for a writing life coach to say, "Billie, ... THIS project would be the one you should start first".
         
         I was just saying, most coaches would not say that, their purpose is to enable the client to make up their own mind.

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            Lionrhodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            LOL sorry I misunderstood. It's the internet *sigh*  I thought you were suggesting that asking him to say what he wants is a bad thing.
            
            Now that I think of it, this is one of the biggest challenges I have in my work.
            
            As a psychic, people want me to predict the future. Except I believe the future is up to THEM. So I tell them what's most likely and what they need to work on, but it's scary how many people just want, "Will I be happy?"
            
            The problem is that I WAS trained as a life coach. As a Wiccan priestess that's pretty much the job description.
            
            Will you be happy? LOL well if you choose to pursue the things that make you happy, the answer is yes. If you fail to do that, the answer is "maybe not." It's every person's choice, always, that determines whether or not they find joy.

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               Billie Kelpinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Marissa and Lionrhod, 
               
               Gosh darn, (LOL) I DO want someone to TELL me what to do.  I live my life by majority vote.  Why?  Cuz I really mess it up out here on my own  
               
               (BTW, the "ie" is my parent's way of making "Bill" feminine.  They figured Billie Holiday did it, so they could too.  My father's name was Bill, but I'm just honored my Anglo parents, in the 40s, felt so comfortable naming me, a girl,  the same name as the singer they loved who sang such poignant songs about injustice in a pre-Civil Rights era.)

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                  Lionrhodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  I adore Billie Holiday!
                  
                  LOL so if you want a majority opinion, give us a bit more info on each project.
                  
                  If you like, pretend you're pitching it to a publisher - with a short, succinct "what it's about" for each one.

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                     Billie Kelpinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     Great idea!  I'll give that a whirl.  Today our electricity will be out for the full day and to tell the truth, I'm going to be a bit glad for the "vacation".  Of course, I KNOW I'm going to have to go to Panera's for an electricity/laptop recharging fix.   Cheers

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                        Lionrhodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        Ouches! We have a generator for emergencies like that, fortunately.

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      Billie Kelpinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Marissa,  Very helpful, as usual   The app kind of developed because my ORIGINAL intent on publishing my children's book was to publish it as a NARRATED ebook (which actually I did). My daughter and her boyfriend (both actors) narrated it and my husband's son, a sound engineer, complied the mp3 files.  Two years ago, Kindle didn't publish narrated ebooks, so I published it as a plain Kindle, ebook for ipad, Nook, etc.  But I STILL wanted the narrated version published with a "read to me" "read it myself" and a sort of "fill-in-the-voice" section like they did years ago on those cassettes of children's books. 
      
      Sooo, I started playing around with ibuildapp to see if I could do it.  My text was embedded, so when it appeared in the app, the print in the images was too small.  Not only THAT, ibuildapp can accomodate mp3 files, but the formatting doesn't work well with images, so I gave up on that idea. 
      
      However, during that same time I was doing laundry at a laundramat and Bruno Mars "Just the Way You are Was Playing".  So suddenly I was inspired to make an app with words every woman wants to hear from her partner or spouse.  That worked well,  EXCEPT 1. no one wants to PAY for an app, so I put it up for FREE.  THEN, after 2000 people downloaded it, ibuildapp's rule kicked in which requires $79 a month to maintain an app that brought me about 8 cents a month.
      
      If a person wants to do an app,  he or she has to have content that builds upon itself, put it up for free, and then hope enough people want to pay for more of the story, etc.  The reason I do think apps will continue to be relevant is this:  I put up an online game for kids for Halloween on my website and as a free app.  My friends and neighbors who have ipads, seemed to prefer to download the free app than go to the website.  Their grandchildren have ipads, and somehow, they liked that.  I think there is more potential for monetization as a self-published author who builds an app IF the content is so interesting that people will pay 99 cents to download the next few chapters.  However, the HARDEST part is not building the app with a company like ibuild app, but getting it IN the Googleplay and Apple store.  It requires a registered Developer.  My husband, a software engineer was able to do that.  I could have done that, BUT  it was easier for him to understand APK and all the accronyms.
      
      I'm just experimenting with all this, but as Billy Buc said or Writer Fox (can't remember which one) just plain submitting to magazines and book publishers, etc. might be the way to go.

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         Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         This is where I wonder if you need to clarify your goals in your own mind, or maybe just clarify it for us! 
         
         Are you trying to decide which project will leave the most lasting impact, or the project which will earn the most money? 
         
         If it's money that's the goal, I agree apps are the latest thing and if you have the ability and resources to make one, then they're probably worth pursuing.  However technology is changing so fast that the apps made now will likely  not work in five years' time - whereas a book is more likely to survive in one format or another, so that would be more lasting.

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   tlcsposted 9 years ago

   I have read all of the responses you have had and I would go with what the final out come was from Marisa Wright, apps.

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      Billie Kelpinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks tics,  After reading Marisa's post last night, I started to write my memoir, but I decided to do each section as a short story.  I know I can handle a short story.  So if I write a bunch of those and weave them together I'll have a quilt of a memoir   Also, it is right that I need money! So I'll keep doing the app thing.  I guess I have to walk and chew gum.  But ALL of these answers helped me get a little bit closer to working this out and I thank everyone!

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