Writing Coach

I’ve  been helping writers achieve their dreams and meet their goals for over a decade.  My approach is tailor-made to the individual, because every writer has a different path.

To sign up, or for more information, email connerwrites[at]gmail.com

I offer two different coaching packages and three additional services to help you level up with your writing and projects.

Get started with a Writer’s Assessment or just dive right in to any of my services or courses!

SERVICES

Writer’s Assessment

A question that plague most writers, even the big name award-winning ones: Am I a good writer? Or, in its more refined but no-less-vexing form: Is what I’ve written any good? These are usually followed up by additional frustrating thoughts like, “My friends/boyfriend/girlfriend/Mom said they liked it, but are they just being nice?” and, “It’s so hard to look at my own stuff and know. Why can’t I tell if my own work is any good?”

Good news – The solution to these common but daunting questions is simple: Click here to hire me! Think of this as a physical for your writing: comprehensive, illuminating, and foundational to the next level of your work.

The Writer’s Assessment also serves as an entryway to One-on-one Intensive Writing Coaching, Writing Life, and 8 Weeks To Becoming A (Better) Writer. Buy a Writer’s Assessment and when you want to continue with me, deduct what you paid from any of those options!

One-on-one Intensive Writing Coaching

You’re looking for the deepest possible engagement with a coach; someone to work with you every step of the way, guiding your projects and progress. This is the most in-depth and intensive service I offer. We’ll meet regularly, and I’ll be there for you whenever you need help, guiding you through every step of your writing life and work. I’ll help you manage all your creative projects, get on a schedule, get them in order and get them done.  Click here to take your writing life to the next level. 

Critical Editing

You’re writing, you’re on your way, and you need deep and engaged feedback on your work. You need the errors cleaned up, the structure surveyed, the style taken to the next level, and the words all polished. Behind every great writer is a dedicated editor. To hire me for extensive line edits, style suggestions, structural assessments, and more, click here.

Screenplay Notes & Elevation

I offer quick-turnaround, in-depth, extensive screenplay notes and script doctoring services. I’ll tell you your screenplay’s strengths and weaknesses, where your story needs work, provide pathways out of any major roadblocks, and give suggestions to cultivate your voice as a screenwriter where needed. Click here for more details.

COACHING PACKAGES

Writing Life: 6 Weeks from Page to Publication for Your Personal Essay or Article

Envision your essay or article completed and out there, making people think and feel deeply. Imagine getting positive feedback and initiating new cultural conversations. It’s a good feeling, right? The world isn’t complete without you or your story, so click here for details, and let’s bring it to life!

8 Weeks To Becoming A (Better) Writer

So you’ve got this dream of being a writer. You’re sitting down with confidence in front of your computer, translating your imagination and perspective into a narrative, casting words onto the screen and watching them turn into people, places, and ideas. You’re at it with a sense of discipline and purpose until the project is done. Before you know it, your work is in the hands of others; not just your friends and family, but new people! The public, other writers, the audience you imagined. And they’re enjoying it, it’s moving them, making them think, and enriching their inner lives. Before the ink is dry, you’re on to the next project!

Sounds great, you’re thinking, but how Conner? Click here to sign up, and let’s get you there together!

ABOUT ME

I’m a prolific and widely-published author and have over a decade experience as a writing teacher. I’ve helped clients get their work published in nationally-recognized publications, prepare scripts for production on stage, make money off their work, polish their screenplays, create regularly updated and respected blogs, kickstart their writing careers, and more!

My writing appears and is featured in/on:  The Stranger, Vice, Salon, Slate, The Advocate, The Rumpus, Headmaster Magazine and more.  I’m a member of PEN American and my work has been anthologized many times, including in Best Sex Writing 2013 (Cleis Press), Best Gay Stories 2012 (Lethe Press), and more. I was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award as a writing professor at the University of Massachusetts, and the Harvey Swados Prize in fiction writing. I’m an internationally recognized public figure who has given dozens of talks at universities and organizations, from Amherst College to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, from the Rudolf Steiner Social Finance organization to University of Green Bay Wisconsin.

I’m also a nice guy with a wealth of knowledge backing up my practice, and we’ll have a comfortable and fun experience. I’ll read your work and challenge you in constructive ways without hurting your feelings or sugarcoating anything. You’ll feel encouraged and excited to write more.

Please contact me to get started or with any questions you have at connerwrites at gmail dot com.

TESTIMONIALS

“Working with Conner has taken writing from a hobby to a more central part of my life. I’ve gotten my work published and discovered strengths I didn’t know I had. I’ve progressed both in terms of outward success and also understanding what success means in my own terms.” – Jeremy Mallory, author

“When I first contacted Conner, I was looking for a kind of writers’ personal trainer–someone who would keep me focused, disciplined and productive. He’s provided all that, and so much more. His notes are sharp and insightful, his suggestions practical and on-point, his approach supportive, encouraging, good-humored and always respectful. He’s not afraid to be bold and say what a writer really needs to hear. I recommend him highly, and look forward to working with him on my future projects.” – David Demchuk, award-winning playwright.

“Conner not only provided incredibly thorough feedback on my writing, but also brought it into a new focus.  A year after our work together, I still always hear his voice in my head when I sit down to write.   Working with Conner means centering writing in your life.  He will very sweetly and gently call bullshit on all the excuses you’ve been using to avoid actually writing ; while giving you lessons, practices, and tools to turn your ideas into stories.” – Cyd St. Vincent, essayist, activist.

“With compassion and humor, Conner holds me to a high standard, and has helped me discover a passion for writing and reading. He tailors exercises and reading assignments to fit my individual needs and strengths. Finding my own writing voice has led me to a deeper understanding of my life’s journey and has profoundly influenced my experience as an artist.” —William Lunt, writer and visual artist.