Coaching

Take your writing to the next level

I’m the kind of person who needs help, a clear plan, and accountability to actually get things done. That’s why I’ve taken more classes than I can count, hired coaches, and made sure that I have someone waiting for my work. This investment helped me get published in The New York Times, Elle, Vice, and Slate. It got me my agent. It forced me to quit wasting time, empowered me to finally call myself a writer, and emboldened me to become a full-time freelancer.

It’s a joy for me to help other writers make their own leaps to the next level.

If you feel like you’ve spent too long wandering and want to move full-speed ahead toward the writer you want to be, coaching is for you.

The secret athletes, CEOs, and musicians know: "Want to get great at something? Get a coach."

What does next-level mean to you?

Selected as one of Poets & Writers' Best Books for Writers

Maybe this is the way it’s been for years: You want to be a writer. You want to be the kind of person who actually finishes pieces and sends them out into the world. You can just imagine seeing your book on the shelf.

But first: how do you find the time to sit down and actually focus? You’ve tried getting up at 5 a.m., tried writing at lunch, tried avoiding TV and the internet. You see progress for a while and then realize it’s been a week or more since you’ve written.

You’re scared you don’t have anything original to contribute. You’re scared that you might dedicate time to it and never write anything worth reading. You’re scared to look silly for even wanting to be a writer, let alone attempting it for real.

The Shift to Writer is for you if now is the time when you’re ready to go for it, take the risk, put in the work, and change your life in order to answer the question for yourself: Am I a writer?

To make the shift to dedicated writer, you’ll get:

Accountability for completing each exercise in the book Welcome to the Writer’s Life.
My comments on your answers, including additional resources for your specific situation.
A weekly 30-minute call with suggestions for how you can get past your specific blocks.

We’ll work together for 6 weeks to have you complete the work and make a plan for life as a writer.

"Before working with Paulette, I had a dozen unfinished short stories that were scattered about like miscellaneous engine parts. As much as I wanted to assemble them into something cohesive, I was plagued by procrastination, disorganization and doubt. Paulette helped me set realistic deadlines and showed me where I was getting stuck. Paulette has been a huge catalyst in my writing practice. She strikes a perfect balance between honesty and empathy, and has a great sense of humor."

I want to improve my craft with editing help.

When you work with an editor at a publication or press, you get mentorship, guidance, and, most importantly, accountability to get your work in on time. You can also mimic this relationship with a personal editor.

In this 10-week, repeatable program, you’ll turn in 1,000 words per week, get written feedback, and discuss your work with me over a 30-minute weekly meeting. That means you’ll have 10,000 words by the end of our time together.

With this program, you’ll be a producing writer, somehow finally able to find the time and focus that seems so out of reach. You’ll have an editor’s eye on your work, someone to help you see where you can add more power. You’ll have a clear plan and customized exercises for your next edit.

If you’ve been letting yourself down and not producing the quantity or quality of work you know you’re capable of, give yourself this opportunity to push past your blocks. If a calendar, reminders, or doing it on your own isn’t working, let yourself see what you can do with a coach.

In this program, Your Personal Editor, you’ll have someone who cares about your progress, knows what editors are looking for, and can help you find the work you just need to dig a little deeper to create.

"I was stuck before working with Paulette. I had ideas and when deeply inspired, I would write. I didn’t have systems or schedules that worked for me, and I was in the habit of setting unrealistic goals which I did not meet. Paulette gave me practical suggestions that helped me organize my writing, stick to a schedule, and keep going even when uninspired. I still get stuck at times but now I’m able to get unstuck by relying on Paulette’s suggestions. Her coaching was invaluable and continues to be invaluable. I look forward to working with Paulette again."

I want to get serious about becoming a freelance writer.

How do you think you would feel if you got to create the life you want as a full-time writer? You wake up at the time that’s right for your body, wear whatever you feel comfortable in, and work with people you like and respect. When you need to be around people, you go to a cafe or a coworking space. When you need silence, you stay at home. No more hellish commute. No more grey cubicle fabric boxing you in. No more looking at the clock, waiting for permission to leave the building.

But how to really make it work? How do you organize the deadlines, get your first client, or make sure you’ll have enough work? How do you know if you have what it takes? When do you make the leap?

Maybe you’ve tried to find work here and there. You’ve searched freelancing sites and only found jobs that pay 10 cents a word. You’ve tried to pitch magazines, but never heard back.

Together we’ll make a business plan to get you out of the office walls and into a freelance routine that buys you time to write. We’ll look at how to get the work done, how to think like an entrepreneur, and how to network to create a sustainable freelancing business. Over this three-month program, I’ll show you the steps that helped me launch my writing career and get bylines in the New York Times, Elle, Slate, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Yoga Journal, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and Vice.

You’ll get:

60 lessons over 12 weeks, each with one step you can take that day to make your freelancing life a reality.
A 30-minute weekly videochat session to discuss your needs and what steps you should take next.
More than a dozen templates for keeping track of submissions, sources, clients, and invoicing.