Gareth Long is a novelist, communication specialist and writing coach. He has a BA (Hons) in Communication Studies, a Master’s Degree in English Language and over 15 years’ experience of business writing and mentoring from his previous role as a business change consultant. He is currently seeking representation for his new novel, Dandelion Sleep.
Gareth is a strong advocate of applying structured but pragmatic methods to help unlock and maximise a writer’s creativity. He also stresses the importance of tailoring a coaching plan that best fits an individual needs: be they a planner, free-form or a mix of both.
His approach is informed by the latest findings from neuroscience on commercial story-telling and aims to help writers create great outlines, characters, sense of place and plot (via a 5 act structure or Save the Cat method) through writing that closely aligns to how a reader’s brain models the world.
Gareth writes:
I am passionate about helping people become better story-tellers and writers, to help them really enjoy their craft. I believe that creating a foundation of simple and repeatable writing processes truly benefit a writer, both short and longer term. And this can be applied to personal or business projects. I follow a tools not rules principle: using concrete, easy to use techniques and templates.
Our Founder Jacqui Lofthouse says:
“I have personally consulted Gareth in relation to business development here at The Writing Coach.
Our conversations about his own writing practices and my awareness of his deep understanding of story structure have been fascinating. His ethos around the writing process is very aligned with my own as he combines his knowledge of theories of storytelling with an openness to organic growth in his narratives. I’m delighted to welcome him to The Writing Coach team! ”
Sarah Hewitt