Dream. Draft. Deliver.
1
Dream.
Tell it to yourself.
2
Draft.
Put words on the page.
3
Deliver.
Share it with a trusted reader.
“Karen is a wonderful collaborator and sounding board for anyone trying to express themselves through writing, and we know first hand that she can help writers of all abilities build their confidence and skills.”
— MIKE & REBEKAH GARRINGER
The Process
As a professional writing coach, Karen takes a three-stage approach to the writing process: Dream, Draft, and Deliver. These stages are recursive, meaning that while dreaming, you may begin to draft; while drafting, you may return to dreaming, and so on. No matter what, the piece of writing you create remains yours, and only you will make decisions about changes.
Whether you need help with writing fiction or nonfiction, the writing process will be different for each writer. Below are some integral characteristics of the three phases and of Karen’s process as a writing coach.
Dream.
Tell it to yourself.
Depending on where you are in your journey, the coaching process may start with Dreaming, which includes working alone or with Karen on the following:
Determining what you already know
Reading what others know and believe
Identifying the questions you want to explore
Clarifying your perspective on the topic
Considering who needs to know your ideas
Envisioning how best to reach your reader
Draft.
Put words on the page.
The Drafting phase of the writing journey is unique to every writer. However, working with Karen through one or more of these writing strategies will help turn your thoughts and ideas into paragraphs and pages:
Free Writing: Writing non-stop and non-judgmentally to get as much as possible down on the page or screen
Prewriting: Generating ideas, themes, and questions; organizing in a general way; identifying your audience
Composing: Drafting sections of text, remembering that it’s okay to start with the conclusion or in the middle
Structuring your text: Creating a working thesis or main idea intended for a specific audience; connecting sections of the text and the paragraphs within the sections; making the links between your title, introduction, and conclusion obvious
Elaborating on your ideas: Supplementing topic sentences or paragraphs with explanations, descriptions, and examples; filling in missing information; considering your tone and your persona on the page
Deliver.
Share it with Karen, your trusted reader.
The third stage of this recursive process is Delivering a text to Karen. Here is how it will look:
Share your thoughts: Karen will ask that you write a letter of request describing an aspect of your draft you’re happy with and identifying areas you’re not satisfied with.
Initial reading and review: She will read and consider your text alongside your letter of request.
Read your work aloud: Reading your work aloud to Karen enables you to experience the draft in a new way. You’ll see it differently, which can help shape your writing into what you want.
Discussion: Thoughtful and insightful discussions with her will illuminate for you what is working well in your writing. These talks will also carefully address areas of concern, including those mentioned in your letter.
Revisions: Based on these discussions, you may want to revise. In your next meeting, the two of you will consider your revisions and, if applicable, any additional sections of your text.
Proofreading: The final step, when all your ideas are in place, is reviewing your punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure, and other editing concerns.
Reaching your end goal: We will work productively toward a completed draft while also, importantly, helping you to see your possibilities as a writer going forward.