How I work 1:1 with writers and other creatives
I work with writers and creators at pivotal moments of consequence in creative work — when effort alone is no longer enough to guide the next decision.
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Sometimes that shows up as a stall or blockage. At other times, the work is moving forward but something in its direction feels unexamined or misaligned. In either case, the temptation is to reach for advice, momentum, or reassurance. In my experience, that often makes the real problem harder to see.
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Most difficulties aren’t caused by a lack of ability or commitment, but by a misreading of what the work is actually asking for.
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My work is not always to provide answers, but to slow the work down and make its real demands visible.
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The focus here is on diagnosis rather than encouragement: paying close attention to structure and intention, and making clear decisions about what can — and cannot — be done honestly.
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This is not a fast process. It is a precise one.
The work involves:
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close attention to the shape and demands of a specific piece of work
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identifying where a project’s stated aims and its underlying logic diverge
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naming constraints, trade-offs, and consequences that are being avoided
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working inside uncertainty rather than resolving it prematurely
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making decisions that reduce confusion, even when they increase difficulty
This work refuses:
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generic advice or motivational coaching
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formulaic story solutions or prescriptive frameworks
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reassurance without structural change
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productivity for its own sake
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work that seeks permission rather than responsibility​
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This work is not concerned with encouragement, energy, or predictions of success.
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are willing to question your own explanations for why the work is difficult
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can tolerate uncertainty without rushing to resolve it
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are prepared to hear things that may complicate your plans rather than simplify them
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want to make fewer, more consequential decisions rather than many tentative ones
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are interested in understanding what the work demands, not just what you want from it
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are looking for affirmation that your current approach is already working
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want techniques to increase output without changing direction
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need certainty about outcomes before beginning
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are seeking permission, validation, or reassurance rather than responsibility
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want to be told what will succeed
This 1:1 work may be useful if you… It will not be a good fit if you…
Forms the work can take
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Our collaboration can take different forms, depending on what the work requires and where responsibility needs to sit at a given moment.
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The distinction is not about status or intensity, but about scope, containment, and the kind of intervention that is useful.
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Coaching
Coaching is appropriate when you want focused, experience-led support to think clearly about a creative project, decision, or block.
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These conversations are not neutral facilitation. My role is diagnostic and, where useful, directive: helping you identify what is misaligned, avoided, over-complicated, or prematurely resolved, and intervening where a clear judgement or reframing will move the work forward.
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Agency remains with you, but I do not withhold perspective or ideas for the sake of process. If there is a clearer or more workable way to proceed, I will say so.
Coaching may be one-off (a bounded intervention around a specific problem) or ongoing (time-limited work supporting progress through a defined phase of a project). In both cases, scope and boundaries are agreed in advance.
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Editorial work
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Editorial work involves close reading of a manuscript or proposal, either as a manuscript assessment or a developmental edit.
The focus is on structure, narrative logic, and consequence: what the work is doing, what it is resisting, and where its intentions and effects diverge. This is not line-editing or polishing, but written diagnosis, aimed at clarifying what kind of work the manuscript actually wants to be.
How contact works
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Initial contact begins with a short, boundaried conversation. This is not a consultation, and no advice or assessment is given. Its purpose is simply to establish whether the work you are doing — and the way you want to approach it — is compatible with working together.
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Not all enquiries proceed further. In some cases, the work does not yet require external intervention. In others, the form of involvement being sought is not one I can offer responsibly.
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That selectivity is intentional and protects the work on both sides.
If it seems likely to be a fit, we will agree together what form the work should take and whether to go ahead.
If you think the work described here may be useful, there are two ways to proceed.
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– If you’re ready to enquire about one-to-one work, you can contact me directly.
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– If you’re interested in working one-to one but unsure about timing or availability, you can read about updates on 1:1 work here.
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– If you’re interested in how I work but not yet ready for this level of engagement, The Practice outlines more bounded ways of encountering the work.
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