Like all my clients, you are uniquely yourself, so why would you want an off-the-rack way of working with someone on your book?

I work one-to-one specifically so that I can customize my approach to fit who you are. And that’s why listening to you together plays such a big part.

But while there is no template for this Writing from the Deeper Self approach (since it depends so much on your nature, your natural creative pathways, and the hidden treasure that’s calling you to give it expression and form as a book),

there are certain patterns of book-creation that emerge over time. So somewhere in this spectrum, you are likely to find yourself — where you are now with your book, and where you hope to end up at the conclusion of the book-development process.

One end of the spectrum: “I want to write a book, but I’m not even sure about what, or how to go about it.” In short, you have a wish, maybe an idea.

On the other end of the spectrum: “I’ve been working on this book for _____ years now, and I just don’t have a sense of it as a real book [e.g., its trajectory, its organization, its redundancies and/or omissions].” In short, you began with an inner fire, and now you may be stoking what feels like ashes.

What we do together:

We listen to your heart. We find out what’s calling you to write the book, so you can touch back into that “call” and begin to sense how to invite it in, as a book.

We find out what kind of creative person you are. (If you don’t especially feel creative, we look behind that belief to find out where your real creativity has been in hiding, and we gently coax it forth.) We clarify what your strengths and valuable qualities are, to bring them consciously into your writing process. If there are others you feel you need but don’t have, we pay attention to calling those in.

If, for example, you are more of a “top-down” kind of person, you may find that coming up with an outline — or at least a kind of roadmap — makes you feel grounded enough to begin exploring the landscape of your book from the safety of that map. If you are more of a “bottom-up” kind of person, you may prefer to simply open up your interest and see where it leads you, writing about that for the sake of becoming intimate with what you have to say. Then, when enough of these “mosaic” pieces have accrued, we start to be able to see the larger picture of what you are wanting to write about. At this point we may come up with a table of contents (similar to an outline but with slight differences), into which we can slot your mosaic pieces as chapters or parts of chapters.

You can see that who you are and how you tend to naturally operate makes a big difference in writing the book of your heart. So we start by finding out who you are, as much as about how you naturally go about creating. And we check in with who you are throughout the process, as more of you comes to the forefront as your book unfolds.

I meet you where you are with your book:

There’s no point in superimposing a way to write a book on you, since my intention is to help you bring forth a book that reflects your true nature, and gives you the deeply satisfying experience of uncovering your true nature through writing a book. Really, that is my goal, as much as it is to help you ultimately have a book in hand to share with the world. So I don’t believe in “write a book in a weekend,” or other bypasses around your depth of being.

But there are steps and phases that emerge, as you get into writing your book. We may begin with them, or we may wait a while until you have unearthed enough writing that we have a sense of the book’s nature, movement, and blessing. The phases may include:

1. Get enough enlivened pieces down to show you what wants to be known (especially if you are a “bottom-up” kind of writer).

2. See what larger picture these pieces are pointing to.

3. For nonfiction books, insert headings as needed, to orient yourself as well as your readers to what’s being said.

4. Fill in the blanks as best you can, until you have a first draft.

5. Go back into the writing (now that you know where it leads to), and revise and refine so it all holds together. Read it as if you were new to it, and see what it gives you or misses. Make sure you love it. If something feels forced, come back to yourself and see what you actually want.

These are some, though not all, of the phases writers working with me tend to go through. I’m here, throughout, to make suggestions — you won’t have to do it alone. But the book is your baby, your gift, and so it has to grow out of you. That’s why the above descriptions and phases are not an off-the-rack formula. You deserve a book that’s made of whole cloth and fitted to you. And, working together, that’s what you get.

How can you start? You can:

• Work with my books on the creative process (see below).

• Sign up for my newsletter (see below).

• Book a complimentary session to explore having this kind of support and guidance to write the book waiting in your heart. Click here.

• Dive in and book a Book Development session (“relaxed” or “intensive”) — click here for details.

If your book has been whispering / pestering you to “write me, already!”

take a step closer to see how I can help you not just accomplish this,

but also be enriched and enhanced by the process.

Find out whether, together, we can listen the book of your heart into being —

so you can

(a) write it to your heart’s satisfaction, and

(b) share it with grateful readers

and make your unique contribution to the healing of the world.

NOTE: “Book Developer & Creative Midwife” is my own terminology. I am a Book Coach in terms of guiding you knowledgeably through the book-writing process — but with the nuanced addition of a soulful, collaborative receptivity to your discovering, through our work together, how who you actually are wants to write. (The term, “development,” here, refers to how a photographic negative in a darkened room will evolve from pure blank opacity into a clear and detailed visibility.) There are no templates, no “shoulds” in my way of guiding you — just listening to you really well so you recognize your path from within in writing your book, and have the support, trust, and confidence to take it.

As a thank-you, I’ll send you a free copy of my book, 10 Essential Qualities That Help You Write a Book. As these qualities become known to you and surface, they will support you abundantly to write the book of your heart and live more authentically.