Buckle up. It’s time for a metaphor:
Every team in the NFL has a head coach. That coach receives an annual salary of over $6 million, and working under them are the offensive coordinator, the defensive coordinator, the special teams coordinator, and around fifteen assistant coaches responsible for honing the skills of the entire team. Medical staff and physical and personal trainers strive to prevent injuries and build strength and agility. At the college level, tutors help with time management and academic success.
As for the players, some have been in the game for decades. They attended peewee football camps, cut their teeth in middle school football, tried out for jayvee, made varsity, trained in the offseason, lifted weights, thrown their bodies against headless tackle dummies, and more. And the hard work doesn’t stop once they make it to the NFL. During a regular season, players train, practice, attend meetings, and watch hours of footage to improve their game.
My point: professional football players require continuous coaching and training to rise to—and perform at—an elite level.
As do writers.
And that’s what I want to talk about today: how we as writers can hone our craft and continue to do so at any level. Specifically, I want to talk about “coaches,” why they’re necessary, and how to find them.
The coaches you find on a bookshelf
For me and many others, books serve as our first creative writing coaches: they show us what good writing looks like.
I recently joined a monthly book club—partly to meet some writer friends after moving to a new city—and was astonished to learn I was the only writer in the room. Or at least the only person willing to claim that title. As I’ve gotten to know people better, I’ve learned that several have a book idea or have always wanted to write but haven’t yet taken the leap.
I guess I understand this on some level: I love watching Love Island, but I have no desire to fly to Majorca and wear a bikini on camera all day. But another part of me cannot understand why all avid readers don’t also become writers. Everything I read gets processed through two different parts of my brain. If the book is any good, my reader brain fangirls over the great writing. Meanwhile, my writer brain asks, “Whoa, how did they do that?” Shortly followed by: “And how can I do that as well?”
If the world wide web in all its algorithmic wisdom brought you to my blog today, you’re probably a writer. Which means you’re probably a reader, too.
If you aren’t, my advice is simple: read!
If you are, my advice is still simple: read more—and read intentionally.
My novel-in-progress is a magic-infused historical fiction based in the Philippines, so I’m intentionally reading a lot of magical realism, historical novels, and novels by Filipino, Fil Am, and Asian American authors.
Aspiring romance writers should reread their favorite romances and make time for some new ones before diving into their own story. The same goes for writers of horror, sci fi, short stories, literary fiction, and more. When you read, you shouldn’t just let the story wash over you. Ask questions. What makes a page-turner a page-turner? How do your favorite writers use dialogue or character description? What does an effective scene look like? Pay attention to what information the author reveals (and when!) and what they keep to themselves.
Right now, I’m reading Min Jin Lee’s first novel, Free Food for Millionaires. Her second novel, Pachinko, is one of my favorite books of all time. Lee is a master at her craft. She was also a lawyer until her late twenties when she decided to pursue writing full-time. In the introduction to Free Food for Millionaires, she describes the years of independent study she spent honing her craft before finally publishing Millionaires a decade later. A lot of that time was spent reading relentlessly and widely and studying what these books did well.
Every good sentence you read teaches you how to write a good sentence. The same goes for good plots, good dialogue, etc. Some of this will come naturally, but it helps if you approach each new book as a coach ready to show you how it’s done.
And one coach won’t cut it. You need a wide range of influences. After all, there’s more than one way to write a novel. I recommend keeping a reading log because looking back at your reading list can show your patterns you didn’t know you have. The books you read might tell you what kind of writer you are. They’ll also tell you if it’s time to shake things up. Reading a diverse range of genres, authors and styles makes us better writers and probably better people—a win-win in my book.
Of course, there are also books that serve as actual coaches. Craft books teach creative writing from the sentence level to the revision level and beyond. They can also serve as sources of inspiration in times of darkness. If you’re serious about writing, read some craft books and try to apply what you’ve learned. Some of my favorites include Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird and Matt Bell’s Refuse to Be Done, which I’ve literally read four times in the past year.
The coaches you find in a classroom
Poke around online, and you’ll find plenty of persuasive arguments that formal creative writing education doesn’t mean a hill of beans. (They’re right.) You’ll also find arguments in support of formal creative writing education, such as MFA programs. (They’re also right.)
I attended my first creative workshop the summer before high school. A local arts school held a competitive creative writing camp each summer, and my eighth grade English instructor made me apply. After two summers of camp, I applied to the high school program and was admitted as a creative writing student. I studied English in college, which meant more creative writing classes and workshops, and after graduation, went straight into an MFA program.
No, you don’t need an MFA. And you certainly don’t need to pay for one. But for writers who thrive in classroom settings and have access to writing classes through their community, high school, college, or some other education setting, that environment might be just what they need. It was for me.
Each new creative writing class has given me a life-changing “coach.” Everyone from my eighth grade English instructor to my MFA thesis advisor gave me writing advice I still follow to this day. Earlier, I stated that books are our first coaches because they show us what good writing looks like. Writing instructors not only show us what good writing looks like: they also teach you to write for yourself.
Plus, being a classroom means close proximity with other writers. There’s something special about breathing the same air as other writing students. You learn from them. You share your work with them. You text them at 4:00am before a big deadline to say you haven’t written anything in three weeks and smile when they reply, “Lol, same.”
The coaches you find in your community
Imagine a wannabe football player who trains without telling anyone. He signs up for a YMCA two towns over and works out five days a week wearing a ski mask. He practices blocking, punting, or throwing in the dead of night. He wants a perfect spiral, physical strength, and great reflexes—he just doesn’t want anyone to see it. Football is his naughty little secret. He’s quirky that way. Like Emily Dickenson.
Ridiculous, right? (Not you, Emily. You do you.) In fact, it’s a stretch to call this hypothetical athlete a “football player” at all. He isn’t really playing football. Just building muscle and otherwise useless football-related skills.
Athletes can’t live this way, and neither can writers. Writing is meant to be shared. It’s a communal act.
I’ve been in creative writing classrooms for over a decade. Since finishing my MFA in May, I’m realizing how much I miss having a ready-made community of writers. That’s one reason I started this freelance business: I realized I love talking to fellow writers and treating their work with the respect and enthusiasm it deserves. I like feeling like I’m part of something bigger than myself—like I’m contributing to a long tradition of readers saying, “Whoa, how did they do that?” Shortly followed by: “And how can I do that as well?”
So how does one find coaches beyond the bookshelf and outside of the classroom? The answer lies in your community. Sign up for an open mic night, stick around afterward, and be sure to compliment any writers you thought crushed in on stage. Be open to the idea of joining or starting a workshop circle. See if there are any workshops or meetups in your area. Take note of any author talks, events, or literary festivals happening in town. (If there’s a college, independent bookstore, or library nearby, that might be a good place to start!) Read author blogs, make Pinterest boards, and join a book club.
If you have a novel draft (maybe from NaNoWriMo) with a beginning, middle, and end—congratulations! Clean it up and ask some trusted friends to read it. Or, if you want better feedback than your mom or boyfriend can provide, find someone like me who offers beta reading and editing services.
You might find a coach in your community—in other words, someone to serve as an instructor, reviewer, or mentor—and you’ll likely find something just as valuable: teammates.
Whether you prefer your writing coaches to be shelved, classroom-based, or somewhere online, remember: you aren’t in this alone.
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