You Don’t Have to Point Your Butt at the Moon: Why Personalized Book Coaching Works When Formulas Don’t
Everyone is a unique and special snowflake of a person. That’s why the world is such an interesting place. Just ask Gary Larson of The Farside fame.
People typically fall into a few camps when it comes to getting support:
- The true-believers: I can be helped!
- The Nebbie Naysayers: No one can help me.
- The Skeptics: I tried it before, and it didn’t work.
If you’ve been thinking about getting support for your writerly life, chances are you’ve wondered something like this:
“Will this actually help my specific story or writing challenges? Or is this just another one-size-fits-all situation?”
(That’s the Nebbie Naysayer and Skeptic talking… does it sound like you? Excellent… you’re in the right place).
Full honesty? No one has ever asked me this question, but because I rarely talk about what I actually do, it might be a hypothetical question you didn’t even know you had!
Other variations might be:
- “I’m kind of a special case.”
- “My situation is complicated.”
- “I’m probably unlike anyone she’s ever worked with.”
- “My life is too chaotic.”
First of all? I get it. This is why I loooove working with writers. No one is exactly the same! No one has it together. No one is perfect!
Writers are thoughtful, creative, and deeply attached to their stories. Of course you feel like your situation is unique. Your voice, your life experience, your doubts, your dreams. It’s because they are yours. They matter. And it makes sense that you’d want to know whether the coaching experience will actually meet your individual and unique place. The place where you are right now in your writing life no matter what it looks like.
So in this article, I’m going to answer that question fully. I’ll share how my coaching really works, what personalization actually looks like inside my programs, and why your “special snowflake” situation is not a problem—it’s the starting point.
Let’s taco ‘bout it 🌮
Is My Book Coaching Tailored to You, You Special Little Angel?
Short answer: yes.
Long answer? It has to be!
Everyone who comes to me for help has a unique situation. And almost always, that situation is tied to a belief they have about themselves that is attached to some sort of shame or guilt tied to expectations.
And I swear I’m not a therapist, so read this with that in mind. I just know my people because I’m one of them!
Some of the beliefs are:
- “I never finish anything.”
- “I’m too busy.”
- “My life circumstances make this impossible.”
- “I’m not a good enough writer.”
- “My story is too messy.”
- “I’m too slow.”
- “I started too late.”
- “I’m doing this wrong.”
- And my favorite, “I don’t know how to do this.”
My job isn’t to shove you into a rigid system or make promises that if you just stand on one foot and point your butt at the moon you’ll finish your book in 30 days. 🍑🌛
No way, friend!
My job is to challenge the belief that’s keeping you stuck, help you see your story clearly, and guide you back to the heart of why you’re writing in the first place.
Because writing should be fun. Invigorating! Or at least a little bit of a calling.
Not easy all the time. Not free from doubt. But joyful. Meaningful. Energizing.
When we work together, we look at you:
- Your season of life and all it brings with it
- Your writing habits or lack thereof
- Your strengths
- Your fears
- Your goals
- Your actual manuscript (or at least your idea)
And we build from there.
Let me show you what that looks like in real life.
What momentum looks like (moons optional)
The Client Who Finished a Draft in 7 Months
I have a client who joined me in the original launch of Brains & Glory (my accountability and mindset mentorship). She’s been with me for almost two years now (at the time of writing this).
In just 7 months, she finished the first draft of her contemporary romance.
And here’s what might surprise you:
She did not have page reviews.
She did it all on her own with some encouragement and weekly accountability.
That was it.
We checked in. We celebrated wins. We brainstormed when she felt stuck. She got pep talks and reminders when she went out of her lane. Sometimes we talked about life stuff—she lives with chronic illness—and we worked through whatever had gotten in the way that week.
The coaching was tailored to her energy, her health, her capacity, and her specific manageable and realistic goals.
She didn’t need heavy craft instruction or to point her butt at the moon.
She didn’t need more information (she confessed she spent too much time learning over and over again as it was!)
She needed momentum that fit her real life.
She needed consistency. Encouragement. Gentle accountability. Space to process.
That’s what made the difference.
The Client Who Rewrote 80% of Her Manuscript
Another client started with a manuscript evaluation.
From there, we did a Story Igniter Deep Dive. That helped her reconnect to her story on a deep level. We explored her characters and clarified what the story was really about.
Then I helped her create a clear revision and rewrite plan with page reviews along the way.
At one point, on the fly with no added contracts or cost, we did a 90-minute brainstorming session to help her reorient parts of the story. She was writing a dual timeline, so we focused on one timeline at a time instead of trying to hold the entire thing in her head all at once.
That pivot to address what she needed at that time? That’s personalization.
She even hired me to do a second manuscript evaluation after rewriting about 80% of her manuscript in eight months.
And her second draft? Just WOW. Her book is compelling and I even already knew what was going to happen! I was still turning pages as fast as I could read them!
She needed deep structural clarity and strategic support. So that’s what we focused on.
Because when the right problem is identified on a personal level, progress accelerates.
That’s powerful.
The Client Who’s Been With Me Since the Beginning
I have another client who has worked with me off and on since the very beginning of my coaching practice in 2021.
We’ve done a past rendition of the Story Compass together, and many months in Brains & Glory off and on. She’s still in Brains & Glory at the time of this writing.
She finished her first draft while working with me. I honestly can’t remember how many months it took because she was in and out. Life happens.
But the point is this:
There was no “perfect path.”
She didn’t show up as an ideal, perfectly consistent writer.
She showed up as herself.
And we worked with that.
She didn’t need to become consistent before getting support. Support helped her stay in the work long enough to finish.
The Mother-Daughter Co-Writing Duo
I also worked with a mother-daughter co-writing duo for a year.
The mom, who is retired and couldn’t get past the first three chapters without going back and starting over, finished her first draft in about three months.
Her daughter with a full time job and exciting travel schedule took about ten months.
Same story concept. Same mentorship. Completely different timelines.
Now they’re merging their drafts on their own and plan to come back when they’re ready to work on the next book in their series.
Different seasons of life. Different pacing. Different needs.
Same story. Different lives. Both finished.
So… How Personalized Is It, Really?
My coaching programs are not pre-recorded courses you’re left alone to figure out.
They’re not a checklist you’re forced to complete in a specific order.
They’re not a rigid curriculum that ignores your life.
When you work with me, we start with where you are.
Are you:
- In the messy middle of a draft?
- Revising a manuscript you’ve been avoiding?
- Sitting on an idea that won’t leave you alone?
- Overwhelmed and unsure what to tackle first?
- Trying to write while navigating health issues, family demands, or a full-time job?
That context matters.
We shape your support around your reality.
And sometimes the most important thing we do isn’t even technical. Sometimes it’s gently questioning the belief that says, “I’m different. I probably can’t be helped.”
Because that belief? It’s almost always the real block.
Great story, Claire. Now make me a sandwich
You might be thinking:
“Okay, those examples are great… but I’m still more different (differenter) than them!”
And you’re right.
You are.
You are a unique individual. Your creative voice is your own. Your life is your own. Your struggles are your own.
But here’s the truth:
No one shows up perfectly.
Not my clients.
Not even me.
Not anyone.
There is no “ideal writer” who has the perfect routine, unlimited time, zero doubt, and flawless focus.
There are only humans who care about their stories.
It matters not where you are in your writing life or process.
It does not matter if you’ve:
- Started and stopped five times
- Scrapped entire drafts (hi! It’s me 👋)
- Changed genres
- Taken years off
- Lost confidence
- Or feel like you’re “behind” or “slow” or “not ready”
You are welcome here.
My coaching is not about fixing you.
It’s about partnering with you.
It’s about helping you create a writing life you love.
It’s about writing stories you’re proud of.
It’s about enjoying this creative endeavor the way we’re meant to.
Yes, writing takes work. But it should also be fun and fulfilling.
And when we work together, my role is to meet you exactly where you are, and help you move forward in a way that fits your life, your energy, and your goals.
My coaching fits YOU.
Want a taste of the action?
If you’ve been reading this and thinking, “Okay… maybe this could actually work for me,” here’s what I’d love for you to do:
Fill out my application to get your name on my list.
After that, I’ll follow up with an invite to book a connection call.
This is not a sales trap. It’s just a friendly chat. There’s no obligation.
We’ll get to know each other. We’ll see how our energies and personalities work together. We’ll talk about where you are with your writing and what you want next. And we’ll explore how I might be able to support you.
That’s it.
No matter where you are in your process, you are welcome here.
And I would love to meet you.
And point my butt at the moon with you. 🍑🌛
