The Writing Coach
Literary Consultancy and Coaching for Writers from Jacqui Lofthouse
We have some wonderful news to share. Natalie Gordon, one of Jacqui’s coaching clients – and a member of our School for Fiction – has been shortlisted for the Libraro Prize 2026 – a brand-new literary award that is already shaking up the way emerging fiction writers are discovered. The winner is announced tonight, 13th May …
There are many writing competitions out there. But very few are built from the ground up around the idea that talent doesn’t always come with opportunity. The Creative Future Writers’ Award – run by the Brighton-based arts charity Creative Future – is one of those rare exceptions. Founded in 2013, it’s an annual development programme …
Some years back, I had a dream – that I was sitting in a window, writing, looking out over the Tuscan hills. Where had that come from? Yes, I’d visited Tuscany - the cities of Florence, Pisa and Siena, even ventured into Chianti where so many English have their second homes. But writing?
By Caroline Doherty de Novoa Writing is a solitary act, and it can be terrifying sharing your writing with others. Jacqui Lofthouse was one of the first people to whom I showed the manuscript of what would become my debut novel, and my trust in her was repaid with some wonderful lessons that have stayed …
Sloathar the Sloth: A Tale of Friendship and Perseverance Writing Coach client, Paul Toms, may be best known as an entrepreneur in the recruitment and property sectors, but having been born with cleft lip and palate, he’s been a passionate Ambassador for charity Operation Smile since 2020. Whilst Paul was fortunate enough to be supported …
by Guest Author Jacqueline Smith, Head of Client Services at The Writing Coach Today September 17th 2024, represents the culmination of a wonderful course Jacqui started last summer to celebrate the work of new writers. The idea of The Ten was to find ten writers with the desire to write a book in a year …
Emma Coxon, writer and Jacqui’s PA at The Writing Coach writes about her own visit to Elmley Nature Reserve.We are delighted to publish Emma’s article to celebrate our own forthcoming Sisterhood Retreat at Elmley from 8th-11th March 2024. We are very happy to announce that we have one single room remaining for the Retreat. Do …
We’re proud to announce that Af Marseh’s debut book Tumorous Hesticles achieved #1 Best Seller on its Amazon launch day. After listening to a podcast in January 2020 featuring Jacqui, Af decided to contact The Writing Coach for some support with his self-help memoir that focuses on his own cancer journey. After their first meeting …
Would you love to fall in love with your writing this summer? It’s certainly my intention, as I move towards finishing a novel. Here are some ideas to help deepen your inspiration and also to make writing fun and enticing over the summer months. Which of these would you like to implement in the weeks …
Mary Fletcher, one of our clients, interviews Mark Leggatt, crime writer and consultant at The Writing Coach. Within moments, the efficiency and analytical cunning of Mark Leggatt are obvious. His no-nonsense business approach to the submission process is illustrated by his punctual arrival to the video-call and the darkly lit room he dwells in. …
Recently Jacqueline Smith interviewed the Crime Writer PD Viner. Phil Viner is one of our consultants and a Crime Writing Mentor at The Writing Coach. His first novel The Last Winter of Dani Lancing was shortlisted for International Crime Novel of the Year and his most recent work is due for publication in May 2022. …
We are delighted to share this guest post by Trevor Waldock. Trevor is one of the best-known, and best-respected, executive coaches in Europe and has worked at the most senior level in organisations across all sectors. The author of Doing the Right Thing – Getting Fit for Moral Leadership, he is also the founder of Emerging …
This month, I’m delighted to continue my relationship with The Asian Writer website by contributing a guest post on Common Mistakes in Writing Fiction and how to avoid them. Here’s an excerpt from the post, which I hope you’ll enjoy: Is there such a thing as a ‘mistake’ in writing? It’s a curious question, as …
On January 22nd 2015, I will be celebrating the publication of my novel The Modigliani Girl. I’m really excited about this publication by Blackbird Books. To celebrate this news, I’ve decided to run a competition and to offer two sessions on the Writing Coach’s Full Mentor Programme, including appraisal of 50 pages of writing work as a prize. Essentially, …
When Sharon Zink launched her book Welcome to Sharonville at New Writing South in Brighton, we were lucky enough to have Nicola Joy recording the event on video. If you enjoyed the previous post about Sharon’s publishing success and our mentoring journey, I hope you’ll also enjoy listening to Sharon speak in this video: UFOs, ghosts, grafitti …
If you have completed (or are very close to completing) a novel for children or young adults, the Mslexia Children’s Novel Competition is the perfect opportunity to get your work noticed. Mslexia are hoping to discover a fantastic new children’s writer who has been overlooked by the usual submission process. In the current climate, where …
First of all, a very Happy New Year to you all and wishing all readers of this blog a happy, healthy, and creative 2012! What is the Annual Review? Last year, for the first time, I embarked on the ‘Annual Review’ process suggested by Chris Guillebeau here. This worked really well for me and by …
Win an appraisal of 25 pages of your writing work and a copy of my ebook in the Writing Coach Twitter/Facebook Competition (see below) Today marks the first day of NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month, when thousands of writers worldwide join together with the common aim of writing a novel in a …
Most readers of this blog will be familiar with the concept of the ‘Artist’s Date’, the phrase coined by the author of The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron. In Cameron’s words, “The Artist Date is a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore something that interests you. The Artist Date need not be overtly “artistic”- think mischief …
There is nothing quite like an independent bookshop. I know I’m not alone in bemoaning the homogenisation of bookshops these days. I often feel deflated when I walk into Waterstones and see the “3 for 2” table before me. When I see that, I know I’m being spoon-fed my choice of reading whereas I’d prefer …
“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream” – Van Gogh Recently, on a short holiday to Woodbridge, Suffolk, we took a walk in Rendlesham Forest. My husband, David, and children strode ahead of me, sure of the path. Of course, that kind of certainty is always …
This first entry from my earlier blog ‘This Stubborn World’ sees me returning from a trip to Barcelona, struggling with the tension between a serious literary life and the earnestness that I perceived in the coaching world, which I later went on to satirise in the person of James Loftus in my novel The Modigliani …
