Meet Karen Fitts
About Me
Based in Portland, Oregon, I work with writers across the US and internationally at all levels of skill and experience, helping them plan, draft, refine, and pitch their novels.
As a writing and book coach, I offer the support, insight, and feedback so essential to a novelist’s success. I always look for the best ways I can help.
More About My
Journey to Writing
One of my favorite memories growing up on my parents’ farm in Louisiana is of going with my mom, a 5th grade teacher, to the Saturday Library open during the summer months. We browsed the books laid out on tables, talked about what we wanted to read and why, and arrived back home with our choices. There was never any talk of having too many books, only of having enough time to read them all.
My dad grew sugar cane, watermelons, vegetables and, within easy view of our front porch, the deep red roses he loved. He taught my brother and me how to take care of our horses, Thunder and Sugar, and how to ride them properly. Our two family dogs, brave and holding a deep sense of right and wrong, were Skipper, who was mostly a chow, and Roger, a lab mix.
After graduating from high school in my tiny senior class of 28, I earned a bachelor's, master's, and PhD in English. As a professor, I taught courses in writing and literature, directed the university writing center, and wrote in and for the academic community (a book with a major university press, peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, reviews in academic journals, and papers for national and international conferences).
In a lot of ways, I’ve always been a coach, with writing—my own and others’ and how it’s done—claiming a big space in my life.
I think it all started on those Saturdays in the library with my mom.
Words from Happy Writers
“If you are looking for someone to see you, your writing, and the strengths of both, Dr. Karen Fitts is someone you want helping you in whatever writing endeavor you’re undertaking. . . . Dr. Fitts has made me a better person and writer.”
— Riley Wilkins, Drexel University
“Karen Fitts supercharged my writing. When we met, I was bogged down in story structure, and she has centered me on the richness of character. She assigns challenging reading and writing assignments, and responds with succinct and seasoned feedback to my submissions.”
— Aaron Michael, The Hague, Netherlands
“For more than two years, Karen was one of our most deeply-skilled and comprehensive writing tutors. . . . [H]er passion for helping young writers made for high satisfaction by the families and students she served.”