“You are here.” That visitor map wording helps me orient myself in unfamiliar places. When I enter an unfamiliar place, such as an airport terminal, art museum, national park, or mall, I appreciate this pause because it helps me locate myself and find my bearings. I lean in, looking for what’s nearby and what routes are possible to my destination.
I nod and savor certainty. I’m anchored here, at least for the moment. Yet next come swirls of what-ifs and what-abouts, creating tiny microbursts of mild discomfort that churn within my body. There are so many choices to be made!
I’m closer than I thought, and I’m farther than I imagined… both thoughts run through my mind.
When an Idea Is Clear but the Path Is Not
In a sense, that’s the same thing that happens to a writer when standing at the start of an idea, who then wanders into the territory of creating a new book.
You know how it is when a new idea stirs and your creative juices kick in. You imagine the finished work sitting on the corner shelf of your favorite local bookstore. That image holds your attention, and you are delighted to step into the gift of writing God has given you.
Yet when you sit down to create, you are suddenly confronted with the reality that you don’t know how to get to where you want to go. Options appear like a whack-a-mole game, popping up quickly and sometimes disappearing just as fast. Here’s where a book coach, a guide, becomes a gift.
Walking Alongside the Writer
A book coach doesn’t walk the path for you; rather, they walk alongside you. As a book coach, I help writers orient and discern, clarify and deepen.
Together, we explore your message and your calling to write.
Your book coach helps you notice mindsets that trip you up: obstacles you keep circling back to and voices that undermine your enthusiasm.
When you feel the path is too difficult, the book coach encourages brainstorming to explore possible routes. What would it be like to have a sounding board as you investigate? From the spark of an idea to a draft to a finished manuscript, your book coach helps you listen to God, steward your calling and craft, and persevere.
As always, Christ is True North for the Christian writer. It’s not about how high you can rise in the publishing world, how big your email list is, or how large your social media following is. Rather, it’s about how deeply you can stay tucked into His heart as your heart creates what God invites you to offer.
Building Together: The House and the Book
Building a book with a book coach is much like building a house with a group such as Habitat for Humanity.
The future homeowner works alongside experienced builders and volunteers. Skilled leaders teach how to build, covering which structure comes first, which plans to consider, and what happens at each stage of construction. The house isn’t built for the future homeowner; it’s built with the future homeowner deeply invested at every step.
When I first volunteered at a Habitat house build, I had never experienced the construction process from start to finish. Before the house begins, there’s work to be done. Purchase the land. Decide on the style and size of the house. Gather materials. Line up workers to build the structure. Progress feels slow.
Clarifying the Why, the Who, and the What
A book coach helps you clarify how, where, when, and why you want to build your book. You consider the core reason you want to write—your Why—because it will give you the persistence to keep going when roadblocks appear.
With a book coach, you consider who you are writing for and how to shape your central message from your insights, tailored to that audience. What do your readers need, and how will you help them achieve that transformation?
You focus on your main message. Where is your passion focused? Is it on adult literacy, on silence as a means of spiritual formation, or on raising dogs as an interest that shapes your life as a Christ-follower? Then you consider different genres and which might be the best format for the message you have in mind.
Do you want to write a novel, a nonfiction book, or a memoir? Would you like to address a seminary audience, someone in search of a relaxing yet substantial work of fiction, or someone looking for a how-to book on a new theological or daily-life topic? Through prayer, you begin to discern what God is inviting you to write about and whom you are writing for with the gift of words He’s given you.
By defining what you want your book to accomplish, you set the scope and establish the boundaries, much like deciding the orientation of a house on a plot of land and how big, tall, and wide it will be. Digging footings on a house site requires physical and emotional energy. Physical energy for a book means finding a writing rhythm and integrating it into your life. Emotional energy is also needed. Imposter syndrome, doubts about your ability to craft a book, and similar concerns often surface when a new project begins. You and your book coach can plow through those thoughts.
A Writer’s Slow Faithfulness of Daily Work
Day by day, week by week, a house slowly takes shape. Foundations. Floors. Walls. Ceilings. Windows. Doors. Stairs. Closets. Bathrooms. Day by day, week by week, a book slowly takes shape. Key ideas. Research. Supporting points. Personal stories. Summaries. Story arc. Character development. Setting. Word choice. Sentence flow. Transitions from one chapter to the next. Tone of voice. Point of view.
Momentum wrestles with exhaustion. Writing can be lonely, like the monotony of hammering nail after nail, plank after plank, while building a house. A bit of community helps. Sweat equity means learning alongside others and gaining confidence from camaraderie. Work side by side, then take time to celebrate the smallest step that moves you toward the finished creation. Dance a jig when you find the missing piece of the plot. Celebrating the smallest win fosters gratitude and fuels patience and persistence.
“Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” — Hebrews 12:1
Standing on Holy Ground
When a writer invites me into their book-writing process as their book coach, I stand on holy ground. The work of a book coach takes place in unseen places, surrounded by prayer and often amid the ongoing battles of the mind. A writer feels stuck or overwhelmed. We work together to break through strongholds and keep the flow of words moving forward. Great ideas require great sacrifice and vulnerability. Fear and doubt show up. So does love and the commitment to following hard after God’s voice that has issued the invitation.
I’m not here to fix anything. I’m here to listen and help the writer slow down to hear God’s words, first and foremost. The writer is willing. The call is from God. Just as no house is built in a day, neither is a book. Attuning to His heartbeat grows faith and manuscripts into acts of worship.
Just as a house needs inspectors upon completion to ensure that doors open smoothly and that floors are level, books also need editors. Grammar and punctuation, clarity, consistency, and readability help ensure that the draft becomes a fully refined book ready for the intended audience. Book coaches often offer vital editorial services needed after you complete your manuscript.
You don’t need to build your book alone. That book idea you’ve been carrying around that hasn’t yet moved forward? It deserves your attention. Your excitement and uncertainty, your sense of call, and questions about how to start, keep going, and finish keep appearing in your head and heart for a reason. Let the process be collaborative rather than a solo effort.
As a book coach, I’d love to met with you on a free inquiry call to see if we are a good fit to walk your book from idea to completed manuscript.
“Let us not be weary in well doing:
for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Galatians 6:9
