Shipmates, I’d like you to welcome my newest crew member, Jacquelyn Scott! Her new position with me and the Mailboat Suspense Series is book coach and project manager. It’s her job to manage my writing deadlines, cheer me on, and set me sail-side up if I capsize. I’m so excited for you to meet her!
Why I Needed a Book Coach
Let’s face it, I have never been great at hitting my book release dates! There have been times when I’ve had to set back a release so I could schedule more time.
Or if my book did come out on time, I was secretly stressing out like crazy and missing a lot of sleep.
But 2020–and the life-shifting global pandemic that came with it–really threw things into sharp relief. My ability to get words down on paper depends a lot on routine. Pre-pandemic, you’d find me walking to my local coffee shop to hammer out my words every single day.
During the pandemic, I couldn’t go to my coffee shop anymore. And thus… the words literally didn’t get written.
I’d wanted to hire a book coach for a long time anyway. After postponing the release date for Mailboat IV TWICE, I knew this was the time. That’s when I found Jacquelyn!
Why Jacquelyn’s Here
But what does a book coach do? And how is this going to help Danielle get her books out more consistently?
Jacquelyn’s job is pretty simple. First of all, we work out the deadlines together. I’ve been guilty of creating unrealistic deadlines in the past, so I’ve put her under orders to keep my expectations sane!
Next, every day before I sit down to write, we get together for a Zoom meeting. During these meetings, we review everything I want to get done that day. Jacquelyn makes a list with annotations regarding how much time each task should take.
And very importantly, she asks me about my headspace. Some days, I’m on fire and I can’t wait to start writing. Other days, one of a hundred things might be off just enough to make it hard for the words to start flowing.
Either way, Jacqueline makes sure to remind me that I can do this thing! Her encouragement and enthusiasm (and sometimes a little therapy!) are just what I need to get me going.
After our video meeting, the rest of the day is filled with periodic check-ins. She’ll shoot me a text and see how things are going. If I’m hitting my goals, we celebrate! And if I’ve been swept overboard into the bottomless ocean of writer’s block, she throws me a lifeline, such as a phone call to talk about what’s going wrong and what we can do about it.
Sometimes the answer is to just keep going! Other times, it’s a good idea to take a walk or do something else to unplug. And some days I accidentally end up in a Nerf gun battle with my boyfriend Charles. Oops.
Jacquelyn and I have only just started working together, but the difference is already amazing. Last week, she coached me through 21 chapters (about 40 pages, double spaced) in a single day, helping me finish the third draft of Mailboat IV!
Without her tireless enthusiasm, I’d give up long before my potential actually ran out. Just like a good fitness coach, Jacquelyn reminds me that I actually do have a few more reps left in me! And that’s why I’m so glad to have her here to help me with my writing goals.
What Jacquelyn Can Do for You!
I know I have some other writers in my fan base! Guys, if you need a book coach, Jacquelyn is fantastic. She combines optimism and enthusiasm with just the right amount of psychology to make magic happen. And she offers other services, as well!
- Book Coaching
- Editing
- Ghostwriting
- Interior Book Design and Formatting
To learn more about Jacquelyn and what she can do for you, visit her at her website, JacquelynLScott.com.
And Finally…
We’re all family around here! I’d love it if you left Jacquelyn a warm note in the comments to help welcome her aboard.
Thanks so much for joining our adventure, Jacquelyn!
