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Jessica Ferguson

Author, Writing Coach, Speaker

C is for Coach

April 3, 2016 By Jessica Ferguson 20 Comments

CWe’re on our third day of the 2016 A to Z Challenge. For those who don’t know, my subject this year is anything that has to do with writing, coaching and inspiring others.

So, here it is ten-thirty on a Sunday night, and I’m trying to figure out what to write about coaching.

Yes, C is for COACH

Writing Coach, Creativity Coach, Wellness Coach and Life Coach

There are so many different kinds of coaches, my head spins, and I have to wonder… what’s going on? Why are we needing so much help maintaining our sanity, working out our problems, achieving our dreams and goals? I think it’s because we’re so busy with life that a voice of reason, someone to listen and just say yeah, you’re right, you can do it, you’ve got this, hang in there makes us feel (lets us know) we’re not alone.

Some say coaching has been around since the beginning of time—when older people taught the younger ones. Okay, that works for me, but now coaching is full speed ahead with certifications and licensing. And prices range from 95.00 to $2,000 a month–sometimes for a 30 minute phone call once a week. It blows my mind, yet I have no doubt being coached works. It’s always nice to have someone come along side us to encourage, brainstorm, read and give feedback; someone to nourish us while holding us accountable to our word count. Or even teach us to overcome doubts, fears, anxieties in our life.

I’ve been researching the coaching business (writing coaching, in particular) and reading everything I can about it. I’ve learned that coaches don’t have to be certified. It’s sort of like being an agent—if you know what you’re doing you can hang a shingle. If you don’t know what you’re doing, it’ll eventually catch up with you and you’ll fall by the wayside.

I’m curious to know what you think of writing and creativity coaches. A valid profession or charlatans? Have any of you ever used a writing or creativity coach, and for how long? What caused you to hire one? What do you think a writing coach should do for their clients? How much should they charge?

Some of you may be a coach. If so, share with us how you got started and why.

Coaching seems like an interesting profession to me. What say you?

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Filed Under: A to Z 2016 Tagged With: coaching, creativity, hope and encouragement

Comments

  1. Jessica Triana says

    April 4, 2016 at 3:35 am

    Perhaps coaching has become a profession because nobody coaches people anymore. We get taught by rote at school with very little preparation for working life and employers now expect you to just do a job without training. What’s lacking is the investment of time in developing people with life skills and that’s where coaches are now finding a market.

    People need support and motivation to continue on with the challenges in their life and their not getting them from their peers or employers so they’re turning to professionals.

    If you can afford and you need it I think it’s a brilliant idea. A good life coach, as part of their job will tailor their approach to your specific needs.

    There’s lots of information online now about how to develop yourself in pretty much any area you can think of, motivational blogs and websites are popping up all over the place with lots of inspiration. The information is up there but if you don’t have the consternation to apply it yourself and need someone to physically hold you to account then a coach is definitely a great way to go.

    Very interesting post, I had never thought of having a writing coach!

    Reply
    • Jessica Ferguson says

      April 4, 2016 at 9:18 am

      Jessica, I think you’re on to something. I know training has fallen off considerably when one starts a new job. It’s “learn as you go” which is sort of like do or die. 🙂 I wonder which generation stopped mentoring/training. I know my mom didn’t teach me to cook, sew, iron, etc because she and my dad worked constantly. She tried but she didn’t have the patience for teaching. Great comment. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Alex says

        April 4, 2016 at 9:49 pm

        Ugh jobs can be the worst. My last job threw me into positions completely untrained and was just like “well figure it out.” I did, but about had a breakdown a couple of times. My jobs before that were as a cook and in the kitchen, well. It can be that way by necessity sometimes. But in retail it should be better than that.

        I really think schools should have mandatory basic life skills classes. Home ec might teach things like a sharp knife is less dangerous than a dull one (but not necessarily all the different cuts you could do) and how to sew up torn pants (but not necessarily how to sew a purse.) Another might go into job and college stuff. How to decide whether college or something else might be right for you and what resources are available to help you with the path you choose. (Schools do this sort of, but not as much as they should and they’re super focused on “everybody needs to go to college.”) And more finance stuff! It’s easy to say parents should be teaching their kids these things, but realistically many don’t care or are too busy or don’t know themselves. (I had to help my dad write his resume…)

        Reply
        • Jessica Ferguson says

          April 4, 2016 at 9:59 pm

          I agree about schools teaching life skills, Alex. There’s a great need. And not everyone is cut out for college or can afford it. I made two swipes at college: one right after high school which was foolish and a waste of money, and another when I went back at 29. I graduated with a degree in English/Communications–and that got me nothing, really. It was learning how to type in high school that got me every job. Typing is definitely a life skill in my book! 🙂

          I will say I made some valuable connections in college that helped me in my writing. That’s a different post. 😉

          Reply
  2. Angie Kay Dilmore says

    April 4, 2016 at 9:28 am

    I should become a life coach. I’ve been life coaching my family for years and they are tired of it. Regarding writing coaches, I’m reminded that a speaker I once met at a writers conference offered to coach me on a project, but she didn’t follow through. Maybe I should have paid her?

    Reply
    • Jessica Ferguson says

      April 4, 2016 at 10:53 am

      Angie, the days of assuming anyone does anything For Free are over. Did you ask that speaker how much she charged? Just wondering.

      My question to you is … what would YOU want from a writing coach? You’re a professional writer so what do you need from a coach?

      Reply
  3. Around My Kitchen Table says

    April 4, 2016 at 10:22 am

    When I was a cub reporter on a local newspaper, the chief reporter and sub-editor went through every story I wrote with a fine-tooth comb. They were brilliant coaches/mentors and taught me so much. By the time I became a sub-editor, newspapers had cut staff drastically. It had become a high-pressure business. There just wasn’t the time to give that level of attention to trainee reporters’ stories. I think this is why you see so many errors in publications and on the internet these days. Around My Kitchen Table

    Reply
    • Jessica Ferguson says

      April 4, 2016 at 11:13 am

      I agree, Pat. I wrote for a Chamber of Commerce magazine that took the liberty of sending my articles to my interviewees for feedback and editing. Now, in journalism classes I took many years ago, such a thing was a no-no because interviewees always want to make changes. The magazine didn’t have the staff for qualified editing and they thought what they were doing worked. It didn’t. Huge mess. Doubled the work and caused some embarrassing published articles. 🙁

      Reply
  4. Michelle Wallace says

    April 4, 2016 at 12:08 pm

    I tend to associate the word coach with sports/physical activity.

    This may be slightly off the topic, but is there a difference between a coach and a mentor?

    Reply
    • Jessica Ferguson says

      April 4, 2016 at 1:24 pm

      Michelle, I agree–but not any more. These days people are “coached” at anything they want to do or for any problems they may have. A little weird, isn’t it?

      To me, there’s a huge difference in mentoring and coaching, though many people use the word interchangeably. I think a mentor takes a more personal approach; there’s more intimacy in the relationship. It’s something that occurs organically. For example, my husband had a mentor early in his career. The older man taught him the ropes and the unwritten rules of working in the construction industry. It was a relationship that just happened–there was no charge.

      A mentoring relationship can last a lifetime because of the intimacy and personal approach.

      I think coaching is more a business relationship. Of course, this is just my take on mentoring and coaching. The meaning of words change through the years but I feel the word mentor is abused.

      Reply
  5. Charles Gramlich says

    April 4, 2016 at 12:46 pm

    Coached powderpuff football once in high school. That’s been about it, unless teaching can be thought of in this way

    Reply
    • Jessica Ferguson says

      April 4, 2016 at 11:13 pm

      Charles, I’m sure you’ve done your share of coaching (or mentoring) other writers 🙂

      Reply
  6. Sylvia Ney says

    April 4, 2016 at 12:51 pm

    I’ve had the good fortune to enjoy the direction of several good writing coaches in the last ten years. YOU being one of them 🙂 Coaches should be great motivators, supporters, and teachers… but ALWAYS honest. My “C” post today is talking about another great writing coach – Kent Conwell. I still miss him, just as many others do. I hope you’ll continue being a coach – you’ve been a true blessing for so many others. I hope you know that.

    Sylvia
    http://www.sylviacney.com

    Reply
    • Jessica Ferguson says

      April 4, 2016 at 1:31 pm

      Awww, thanks, Sylvia. That’s sweet of you.
      Kent had a birthday last week. I believe I must think of him every day. 🙁 I miss him too.
      I like to visualize him standing in the lunch room at PNG, doing cafeteria duty and writing away on his laptop. He liked to tell that story. He wrote fast and could write anywhere. We should learn from that!

      Reply
  7. Alex says

    April 4, 2016 at 9:54 pm

    To me, they aren’t worth the money. I believe in community and building each other up rather than competition and tearing each other down, and I try to find like minds so we can support each other. Perhaps I could use a motivational coach, but my motivational issues are deeper seated and I’d just see a therapist about those. I did in fact, until a particularly bad week when I couldn’t deal with it and stopped going. It wouldn’t be different with a coach though.

    Reply
    • Jessica Ferguson says

      April 4, 2016 at 10:04 pm

      Yikes!, Alex, a writing coach isn’t supposed to be about competition and tearing a client down. 🙁 That’s a terrible thought!! However, I’ve had critique groups that did that. I don’t know what life coaches do, but if I was paying any coach–life, writing, wellness or whatever, I’d expect encouragement along with a big hunk of motivation.

      Reply
      • Alex says

        April 4, 2016 at 10:27 pm

        Hahaha no, no sorry I didn’t mean to imply that! Just that if you have a community that builds each other up it probably does most of what a coach might do for much much cheaper.

        Reply
        • Jessica Ferguson says

          April 4, 2016 at 10:44 pm

          🙂 You’re right. A good community of writers is pretty special and sometimes pretty rare. That’s what makes Internet so wonderful, isn’t it? We can find that “community” in a group like IWSG, on Facebook or in yahoo groups. And distance can’t stand in the way!
          Thanks for the discussion, Alex.

          Reply
          • Alex says

            April 4, 2016 at 10:49 pm

            The internet is my favorite. Despite my occasional longing for things of the past and the many problems humanity still needs to work on, I feel very lucky to live in the era I do.

  8. Jessica Ferguson says

    April 4, 2016 at 10:54 pm

    Me too!

    Reply

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