Cynthia Morris is a certified Professional Co-Active Coach,
and runs her business, Original Impulse, from her home office in
Boulder. Find out more at www.originalimpulse.com.
Illustrators:
Though this interview focuses on writers and the writing process,
the comments apply to all artists in their creative endeavors.
 Why should a writer seek coaching? How soon might she see
or experience the benefits of having a coach?
A writer would seek coaching when she has gone as far as she can
and recognizes that she needs help. She may be stuck, or need support
to move to the next phase with her writing or publishing. With a
coach as partner, she can expect to become more focused, more clear
about her motivations for writing, more structured with her time.
She would write according to her goals and would feel more energized,
alive and on track. She would also gain from feeling seen, heard
and understood as a creative person, which we don't always get. With
the help of a coach, a writer gets where she wants to go much more
quickly.
Do you tailor coaching specifically to children's book writing,
or do the same principles apply for other types of writing? (Or is
it more influenced by the person than the occupation?)
The challenges that writers of any genre face are much the same:
bringing ideas into form, making time to write, fears of rejection
and facing the daunting world of publishing. I apply my coaching
skills of listening, asking powerful questions and paying attention
to what is underneath what the client is saying to any call. These
tools, plus my knowledge and understanding of the life of a creative
person, make coaching a powerful process for any writer.
Are there certain qualities in a client that indicate if/how well he
will respond to coaching?
If a person is open to growth and change, they will be a great client.
They also have to be willing to challenge themselves, to be ready move
past their same old story, to become the person they dream about being.
People who like being told the truth for the sake of their goals are more
likely to make progress with a coach. Also, a sense of the sacred and a
sense of humor are always useful.
What is your biggest challenge in coaching? Your clients' biggest challenge(s)?
I want things to happen quickly and so do clients. The reality
is that change takes place over time. Often there are other issues
(decluttering, strengthening relationships) that must be addressed
before a client can plunge ahead. Writing also takes time. I
have noticed that the writing and publishing processes are both
long and slow. If we can be patient with our own process, with
the writing process and with the publishing process, we'll be
ahead of the game.
What's a common misconception about coaching?
That it is therapy, or that a coach tells you what to do. The style
of coaching in which I am trained, Co-Active Coaching, is modeled
on the idea that the client has the answers. My approach draws
out a client's wisdom. There are times when I act more as a consultant,
for instance when I am sharing resources or writing exercises
or lessons in craft. Mostly the client knows what they want and
what to do, and my questions and careful listening draw that
out of them. Coaching is an incredibly empowering experience.
How might you coach a person to overcome a fear of rejection?
Well, when anyone talks about rejection I tell them the truth straight
up: Rejection is part of the game and if you are not willing to
be rejected, then don't play the game. You cannot take it personally.
The more quickly you can recover, the better off you'll be.
But
that isn't coaching. In coaching mode, I get curious about what
rejection means for this client. We all have similar fears but
with our own creative twists. What makes rejection scary for
one person is not the same for another. When we talk about our
fears, we are able to see them for the illusions they are and keep
going. Often clients will need to release some past trauma from
rejection. I'll ask them to do a writing or an exercise to release
that experience so they are able to have a new one.
I have a client
now who was very afraid of rejection. We talked about it, and created
a plan for submitting a query letter for her novel. I helped her
to edit it and she sent it out. Then, I got an e-mail from her
saying "You
won't believe it, but an editor is interested in seeing the first
chapter." I
did believe it and was thrilled that she had seen progress so
quickly.
Overcoming inner obstacles can take time, and it helps
to have a concrete plan for the client to follow. They have a certain
number of queries to write, and they are accountable to me for
doing them. This will get a writer past the inertia that fear
induces. Then successes happen and they see they can move on.
What one thing has significantly influenced your coaching style?
Being a writer myself has a huge impact on my coaching. I know
the challenges and rewards of the creative life. I live them
myself and have worked with writers for over nine years. With
an understanding of the writing life and a willingness to keep
learning, I am able to normalize the process for writers. This
comes as a huge relief for people, to know that it isn't just
their inadequacies, but a common experience. I am passionate
about writing and about being a support for people who want to
write.
I have heard many lectures where the presenter seems to
get a thrill from telling the would-be writers how difficult
the work of writing and publishing are. This is true, and it
is good to know that, but you have to go for it anyway. If
you have the impulse to write, you have it for a reason. Something
needs to come out of you and you need to honor that. So, my
rampant optimism and enthusiasm fuel my coaching. I have tremendous
respect for anyone willing to brave the challenges of writing.
Have you been coached? What did you learn or gain from it?
Oh yes. I always have a coach. I have two coaches now, a coach
to help me with publishing my book and a health coach. There's
a belief in the coaching world that you need to be coached to
coach another person. This helps coaches know what clients are
going through. I would not be able to make some of the leaps
I have made without support. I get scared like everyone else.
When I went to Paris two years ago to attend the Shakespeare
and Company literary festival, I was terrified. I wanted to meet
other writers and I was scared I would just be a big loser. I
got a lot of coaching that made the trip fabulous. I connected
with some writers and am going back this summer to lead a tour
for writers with one of the women I met! The coaching world is
full of these stories of people who overcame their fears to get
out there and live large. I love it.
What has been one of your biggest surprises in this field?
I guess I am surprised at how fun it is to be part of people's
lives in this way. It is enormously satisfying to be a positive,
useful force in people's creativity. I'm fortunate to have the
training and the skills to do this work.
Why should someone attend your goal-setting session at the Spring Workshop?
It will be fun, energizing, and a great way to cap off the day.
I'll help the participants to corral their learning from the
other workshops into specific actions they can take right away.
If you can give us a sneak preview, what things are key to effective
goal setting?
Give yourself specific goals that challenge you but don't overwhelm
you. There's that SMART goal thing—make your goals specific,
measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. So if you want to
get published, a good goal is not to
get your manuscript published by the end of the year. A
good goal is to set up a system for sending out queries,
or for creating your proposal. More on that goal would
be identifying a certain number of queries you'll send,
how you will follow up, etc. The realistic part addresses
your life as you know it. If you have a full-time job and
a family, don't make a goal that creates 30 more hours
of work per week. Break it down into manageable chunks.
Set goals within a time frame and write toward that.
Last
year I learned something valuable about goals. I had a deadline
set for June 24 to finish the first draft of my novel. I wrote
like a fiend to meet the goal. I fell far short of it, but I
was satisfied to have made as much progress as I did. I realized
that I didn't have enough time to meet the goal. I set a new one
and met it. Now I know that achieving the goal isn't as important
as working toward it. Eventually if you keep going you will meet
it. When it doesn't matter so much.
Is there anything else you can add to increase understanding of coaching?
Goal-setting?
If you find yourself saying the same thing or are stuck with
creative process, investing in a coach may be one of the best
moves you can make for your career. Successful, smart people
get where they are by asking for help. Coaching is a great way
to move ahead more quickly and more powerfully. And it is a lot
of fun!
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