“I hope this isn’t asking too much. I know it’s our first call,” someone asked me yesterday, “but how do I just…write better?”

I’ll tell you what I told him in a sec. But first:

Of course that isn’t asking too much.

Yes, a writing coach’s job is to give you tools. But that’s not what you’re paying for. You can get those for free on Youtube.

When you hire a coach, this is what you get:

• Someone to dive into the world you’ve created with you,
• to point out where and how to apply those tools,
• to maximize its potency and make it the best version possible.

And:

• Courage when you feel discouraged,
• A sounding board for new ideas,
• Someone to help you take your writing further than you can go alone.

Working with a collaborator is a relationship. And like any relationship, it can open the door to totally unexpected discovery, possibility, and expansion.

Things you don’t get on YouTube.

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Okay, here’s what I told the prospective client who asked how to write better:

✅ Read. A lot. Especially in your genre. Pay attention to what moves you.

✅ Make sure your character undergoes a meaningful transformation. (This applies across genres).

✅ Hemingway said it best: “Write one true sentence. Then write another.” Most bad writing is posturing – trying to sound “like a writer,” trying to sound smart, pretending you have a point when you don’t.

Make every word as true as you can, and your writing will improve.