Writing with Coach McCoach

Writing with Coach McCoach episode 34 brings contemporary romance author Amber Roberts onto the podcast to talk about her first two books, Text Appeal (out now) and Haunt Your Heart Out (coming October 2024), her latest work in progress, and her journey to publication.  We had a lot of fun during this interview and Amber's energy is infectious. If you've had dreams of being a published author...

In episode 33 of the Writing with Coach McCoach podcast, let's take a standard of the business world -- the Ideal Client Avatar -- and put it to work marketing your writing! Who is your ideal reader? How does identifying them in as much detail as possible... creating your Ideal Reader Avatar... help you better understand how to reach them? I explain it all in this episode! If this episode helped y...

Episode 32 of Writing with Coach McCoach tackles the subject of comp (comparison) titles, including why they're such a great tool for pitching your work to agents, publishers, reviewers, and your potential readers.  Listen as I offer six tips (and a bonus tip!) on how to come up with great comp titles from a variety of freely available resources -- many of which you're probably already using!...

Part of the Ask Coach series; this bite-size episode is in response to a listener's question: "How much importance do you place on imagery in a suspense slash light horror genre? I have read many novels where the writer adds way too much unnecessary description. I know we must ground the reader into the setting and paint word pictures, but sometimes writers stall the pacing of the result. I also l...

Episode 31 of Writing with Coach McCoach explores how to tap into your unique genius as a writer: that thing that makes each one of us special and powerful in our own way. We'll talk about why it's  so important for your development as an author and a person... and why it's so darn hard, too. But it's worth it! Listen as I take your through my own recent, and ongoing, process of tapping into...

  Part of the Ask Coach series; this bite-size episode is in response to a listener's question: "I received an unsolicited email from someone who wants to turn my book into a movie. Is this legit?"   Have a question  you'd  like Coach McCoach to answer on the show? Submit it   here !     PSSST. Enjoying the podcast?! I would truly appreciate it if...

"I should know better. I should do better. I should be better." These words have rotated through my brain for the last 34 years. I'm only just now beginning to see what this self-talk can do to a person.  As a book coach, I help writers with their words and vision every day. As a mom, I help my son love himself and avoid this self-talk. And I've spent the last year working on doing this for m...

2023 was the hardest year of my life. It was deeply mentally and emotionally heavy, and much of it was internalized. When the things we tell ourselves become lies that are hurting our present and future, we face a decision: how do we change this? Are we ready to? Is it even possible?  That was what I experienced in 2023. My self-worth was tied to external things, for example: my business...

Time for episode 028 of the Writing with Coach McCoach podcast: Stop being precious with your writing! A few recent experiences with my toddler showed me we really have no control over what happens with our writing once it's finished. Listen to this episode to learn why that's a good thing and why understanding this could help you grow as an artist. Also! Announcing my new shop! https://www.katiem...

  In this new episode in my motivation series, I offer some advice that might seem counter-intuitive: leave things undone.  Today, I talk about the all or nothing mentality, and the trick to going into your writing project with the intention NOT to finish. To end the session in the middle of the next scene so you can pick up where you left off and it doesn't seem so daunting. You'll lear...

Episode 026 of the Writing with Coach McCoach podcast: Our Favorite Excuses for NOT Writing. This episode kicks off the new series on motivation . What better place to start than to tackle all the things that kill our motivation? Let's talk about several of my (and maybe yours, too) favorite excuses for not writing. And don't worry: you'll hear some actionable things you can do to keep those excus...

After the latest series on the different kinds of feedback writers receive and how to navigate it, I thought it might be time to talk to you about that moment when you've maybe heard too much advice... that moment when you've absorbed about as much as you can take in, to the point where you aren't sure what to do next.  Listen to hear some actionable advice on how to turn down the volume on c...

  Episode 024 of the Writing with Coach McCoach podcast features the seventh installment of the “WTF is a Writer Supposed to Know About…”  series! We're continuing our look at the different kinds of feedback. This time, it's all about the feedback a writer can expect to receive from an agent. If you're submitting your work to agents in the hope of getting representation so you can sell y...

In episode 023 of the Writing with Coach McCoach podcast: it's the sixth installment of the “WTF is a Writer Supposed to Know About…”  series: Stop Giving Crummy Advice: How to Be a Damn Good Critique Partner We've talked about the different kinds of feedback and how to appreciate and get the most out of critiques. This time around, let's flip things and talk about how you can give excellent...

Welcome to the Writing with Coach McCoach podcast episode 022! In this installment of my “WTF is a Writer Supposed to Know About…” series: WTF is the difference between a book coach, developmental editor, copy editor, and proofreader? Each one is a professional dedicated to bringing your work to fruition, from the barest idea to a polished manuscript ready to submit to agents or self-publish. Each...

Welcome to the Writing with Coach McCoach podcast episode 021! In this installment of the new “WTF is a Writer Supposed to Know About…” series: WTF is the difference between beta readers, critique partners, and sensitivity readers? Each is a valuable collaborator as you work through the early drafts of your manuscript before moving on to "official" editors (and we'll talk about those in the next e...

Part of the Ask Coach series; this bite-size episode is in response to a listener's question: "What are the best ways to find beta readers in your genre?"   Have a question you'd like Coach McCoach to answer on the show? Submit it   here !     PSSST. Enjoying the podcast?! I would truly appreciate it if you could take a moment to leave a rating and review. Your f...

Welcome to another episode of Writing with Coach McCoach!  As part of our new   “WTF is a writer supposed to know about…” series ,  we're diving into the world of feedback and constructive criticism.  Join me in episode 20 as we dive into the art of filtering and sorting the feedback you receive so you know what to take, what to toss, and what to question, as well as tips for b...

Welcome to another episode of Writing with Coach McCoach! As part of our new   “WTF is a writer supposed to know about…” series ,  we're diving into the world of feedback and constructive criticism.  As writers, we all face receiving feedback—some we ask for and some we don't—at some point in our careers. It can be challenging, but it's also an incredible tool for growth. Join...

Welcome to another episode of Writing with Coach McCoach! As part of our new “WTF is a writer supposed to know about…” series ,  we're diving into the world of feedback and constructive criticism.  As writers, we all face receiving feedback—some we ask for and some we don't—at some point in our careers. It can be challenging, but it's also an incredible tool for growth. Join me as w...

Enjoy this interview with author, musician, and podcaster Scott K. Haskin   as part of our   Author Interview Series .  Scott K. Haskin is the author of the recently released  The Universal Court Trilogy , as well as What Happened in Vegas (coffee table book), and  Becoming an Indie Film Composer .  Scott K. Haskin is an author, having written fiction, non-fictio...

In this episode, Coach McCoach gives you actionable tips to work into your life right now to clear away that self-doubt and imposter syndrome. This episode is a follow up to episode 15: How to Deal When Imposter Syndrome Hits.   PSSST. Enjoying the podcast?! I would truly appreciate it if you could take a moment to leave a rating and review. Your feedback helps the podcast reach more wri...

Imposter Syndrome will get the best of writers, and it can be debilitating. I'm here to let you in on a secret: I've been feeling this hard lately. I'm opening up about how it's showing up for me, and how I've started to work through it. This episode will not only help you feel like someone gets it and is in the struggle against Imposter Syndrome with you, but will also give you a little pep talk...

In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing author Cheryl Wanner as part of our Author Interview Series. Cheryl Wanner is the debut author of a YA Contemporary Romance novel SEE ME AS I AM, which released on May 16th, 2023 by Immortal Works Press. Cheryl Wanner is a YA author who loves crafting words into images, creating characters that won't let you go, and telling stories that d...

The key to an amazing story is the character journey. As a book coach, I've worked with authors to develop their character arcs over and over. I believe the GMFS Framework is the key to writing the most rewarding character arcs possible. Goal + Motive + Flaw + Stakes = Epic Characters In this episode, I break down these steps briefly, then dive deep into my favorite of the four elements (whic...