Maybe you need some help with your writing?

Sunday Times Bestselling author Shaun Bythell did: "Rob was an invaluable help when I was writing my first book, Diary of a Bookseller. He read over the first draft and made so many helpful suggestions that I doubt whether it would have made the grade with the publisher without his input." Click HERE to see how successful Diary of a Bookseller has been.

My prices are refreshingly affordable- compare them with other writing coaches and consultancies- because I am simply here to help people write their books and get them published. I want to help! If I can't help you I'm not interested, but if I can help you it might well prove...invaluable. 

What does a writing coach do?

Some force writing solutions on you, I don't. I simply start by listening. Very hard- and then digging into my extensive resources for solving problems. I'm not kidding - in 30 years of writing I have probably observed, or made, every mistake a writer can make. So you don't have to.

My first book was published in 1997, the most recent in 2022. Yet over the years I felt I wasted a lot of time writing things that didn't work, learning the hard way. I also saw a lot of fellow writers suffer from making errors in their career or in the way they wrote their books.

I was lucky in that I had some informal help early on in my career. Yet I believe if I had been coached as well as I now know is possible, I could have written more, and progressed a lot faster and without the stress and sleepless nights I endured along the way... With this in mind I feel I can really help you achieve your writing goals. As well as writing I have been teaching creative writing and over time I have found that one-to-one work is the most effective way, bar none, for me to help you make progress and attain real and sustained improvement.

Athletes have coaches- so why not writers? A coach who will help get you published.

Changing field Coaching

Perhaps you have written prefessionally or seriously in one field and want to try another. You may be a non-fiction writer who wants to write a novel. Or you might be an advertising copywriter who wants to do a nature book. I've worked with people who want to make the transition from writing film scripts to writing novels, and with poets who want to try long form non-fiction. I have written in many different fields myself and have developed a method- actually a series of ritual exercises- for making the transition to a new field. You don't have to use them but if they work- great.

 But what if my writing isn't good enough?

Almost every successful writer I know suffers from some kind of 'impostor syndrome'. one of the things I can help with is the self-sabotage and self-exclusion that comes from thinking your writing isn't 'good enough'. You might even be intimidated by talking to me- look at this YouTube home made video to convince you otherwise! Remember my aim is simply to help you- life is too short to be forcing unwanted solutions on good people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92Dep1uFq4E

 

How does it work?

You send me an email or use this form to get in touch with a message CONTACT.

I will then arrange a zoom chat (or phone if you prefer) for 20 minutes when I will listen to what you want to achieve with your writing. This is FREE and obviously entails no obligations. Alternatively we can swap a few emails to find out what, if anything, I can do to help you before we chat. If I can't help you it's better if we both find out sooner rather than later. If I think I can help you we take it from there.

 

What if all I know is that I want to write?

Maybe you just need someone to help motivate you into getting started, or getting finished? Writing is a persistence game- but we need all the help we can get. Perhaps being able to talk through your ideas with a sympathetic and experienced published writer will help clarify them? Talking to the wrong person can kill an idea, but talking to someone who can help may make all the difference. Some editors and agents are idea killers- and they can do this because they have a surfeit of would-be writers knocking on the door. But saying no becomes a habit and they are NOT the right people to talk to when the idea is being born. You need someone 100% on your side- a writing coach.

 

Shouldn't I do a creative writing degree first?

No.No and No. Fine if you have done one, but as no writer before the 20th century ever did a degree in creative writing I think you can be reasonably sure you don't have to do one either. It's actually a distraction from writing because you will be part of a group and over time you will begin to imitate or rebel against the group ethic. A teacher at the Rhode Island School of design once told me- "the students do their best and most original work in the first month- after that they start copying each other." I have taught many creative writing courses (short courses CAN be helpful- especially with an author you particularly want to learn from) and I always see the same things. A big benefit is gained from meeting an author- but since attention from the teacher is spread thinly there is really no chance to really progress an idea unless it is ALREADY almost finished. In other words, you've already done the heavy lifting yourself.

But what about all the trials and tribulations and crossings out and giving up and wondering what to do next that came before that? 

This is where a writing coach comes in- drastically shortening the learning time needed to get from starting idea to finished book. 

 

Shouldn't I pay an editor to help me?

Editors edit. They can't help you create. Very few editors are also published writers. They can make suggestions but they don't know how to generate ideas- if they did, they'd be writers (believe me, writing is WAY more fun than editing). Editors are for later down the line when you have something solid to offer.

 

I've already written a book, what do I do?

Perhaps you want to know how to penetrate the increasingly difficult world of agents and mainstream publishing? It is a world I know very well indeed having been published by Penguin, Harper Collins, Picador and Hachette.

As I said, I charge nothing for a 20 minute initial zoom or skype chat. After that, if you already have book ready, it is £347 for me to read your MS carefully and thoughtfully and provide a professional assssment of it (not an edit, an assessment) . If you are wanting to write a book, talk about a book or discuss your writing in general, I charge £55 per hour for a one to one skype or zoom session. If there is any reading to be done it is £75 an hour and if I need to read and edit substantially in between sessions I charge £45 an hour for offline work.

Here's that contact form again: CONTACT

Or email me direct on: robtwigger at gmail dot com

Either way your message will get to me.

 

But I've already written and published a book!

You may want to talk about writing different kinds of book, branching out, trying fiction when you've only written non-fiction before. You may want to do something very ambitious or scale back and write something personal. In each of these cases you may need a sounding board to help you find the right path for you. An editor wants you to produce more of the same. I can help you be different.

 

What if I just want you to read my book/manuscript and tell me if it is any good?

I do that too. And sometimes this can be a good way to start- but not always. I charge £347 to do a read through of a book under 100,000 words.

 

What other people say...

"I can't think of a better writing coach than Rob Twigger. He was a crucial guide and influence—and helped to get me to the finish-line—as I worked on my first manuscript. He'd been through the whole process and all of the same stages many times before, and so he was able to recognize what I needed, and where. Given Rob is an out-of-the-box, lateral thinker, you can be guaranteed he'll throw you a bunch of winning ideas to take your narrative in a different direction, or just get you out of a mental cul-de-sac. I couldn't recommend Rob enough."

 

 

Satisfied best selling author Christopher Ross writes:

For whatever reason my first book, Tunnel Visions, became a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller. This resulted in a large advance and a short publishing timetable for my second book, Mishima’s Sword, a work involving a trip to Japan and an enormous amount of research.

I wrote over one hundred thousand words before realizing I was struggling to make the material say what I wanted to say and I asked Robert Twigger to help.

Robert swiftly read the MS and devised an approach to cut and organize what I had written. He offered immense and needed reassurance that along with the dross there was good stuff and began to work out a plan to enable me to edit and re-write.

Apart from possessing a great deal of writing experience, Robert understood that it was my book and the ‘fix’ had to come from me, with some appropriate prods and suggestions provided by him.

Importantly anyone who writes usually has ego issues and anyone advising a writer has to work carefully to avoid an unhelpful clash. I found it easy to work with Robert as he proffered advice in a mild manner, leaving it to me to take up a suggestion, or reject it if I felt it didn’t work. Most of Robert’s suggestions made sense.

Pressure from the publishing timetable meant I had to work steadily and I can honestly question if I would have managed it without Robert’s help.

Anyone considering availing themselves of Robert’s services will rapidly come to realize he is the real deal and they will benefit accordingly. In today’s publishing climate no one can honestly guarantee that a work written for publication will actually be published, but with Robert’s professional help the chances are significantly improved.

 Christopher Ross – author of Tunnel Visions (Fourth Estate) and Mishima’s Sword (Harper Collins).

 

 

Jason Webster says:

"Rob was exactly the right person at exactly the right time to kick start my writing career. After I’d more-or-less dismissed the idea of ever becoming an author, Rob not only encouraged me to write, but gave incredibly helpful advice that proved to be invaluable in the creation of my first book, ‘Duende’. No one knows more about the craft of writing or has such breadth and depth of knowledge on the ins and outs of what makes a good book. I cannot recommend him highly enough."

Jason Webster author Duende and 15 other novels and non-fiction books about Spain published by Penguin Random House.

 

How can I trust you will deliver?

It's never easy going from cold to making a new aquaintance- all I can suggest is that you read the above testimonials, search me on the web, and then decide if you need someone to listen well enough to understand what you want to achieve in your writing. Decide whether I have grasped what your problems or difficulties are- be they editorial, inspirational or to do with getting published. Often other writing servcies push a 'one size fits all' course or series of videos and workshops on you. You will always usually get something out of these but it may not be what you NEED.

 

What if I live in the USA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, INDIA....?

I work by zoom or skype and I have published books in all of the above countries. I can really help you improve your writing whatever country you happen to reside in.

Have you a manuscript that needs editing?

I charge around £550 to £1100 to structurally edit a full length manuscript. Sometimes it is less, sometimes a lot more, depending on length and what needs doing. But I will be able to give you an exact price once I know the details and what you need doing. Again, email me or use the email form below. For a final copy edit, if needed, I have a service I can very highly recommend.

What if you don't like my ideas?

If you have got this far I suspect you are probably diligent enough to have generated something with potential. That's all I need to work with- your decision to get started. So if you have any more questions get in touch with this form: CONTACT