“No matter what stage in the writing process you find yourself, Chelsea has a way of helping you shift the lens and hone in on what is important. She has an innate sensibility when it comes to the art, craft, and compulsion to write. She sees you and what you are attempting to do and accomplish and approaches tender-hearted creatives without judgment. My coaching session felt like a sincere and meaningful conversation about my work and what next steps I should take. Her prompts, suggestions, and stellar reading recommendations gave me a clear direction and were immensely helpful. If you have the opportunity and are looking for guidance from a passionate and extremely knowledgeable mentor, sign up for a one-on-one with Chelsea!” —Vickie Fernandez
ONE-ON-ONE COACHING MEETING
These are one-on-one 45-minute meetings held over Zoom. In these meetings, we can do a number of things, including:
Come up with a personalized writing schedule to help you meet a specific goal while also living your normal life (not waiting for the "perfect time" to write)
Edit and discuss your agent query letter, fellowship application, artist statement, author bio, author website, etc.
Discuss if an MFA program, workshop, or residency might be a good fit for you, and brainstorm different places to consider applying to
Come up with a personalized reading list based on your preferences and interests
Come up with a personalized list of literary journals you might consider submitting your work to, and the best ways to go about approaching them
Discuss what you'd like to accomplish in the upcoming year and come up with specific approaches to meet those goals
Discuss indie publishing, resources for starting your own press, etc.
I can answer any questions you have about writing, editing, publishing, etc.
Please note that these coaching meetings are not editorial in nature, so I won’t be looking at your writing in detail and offering feedback in the way I would in a manuscript consultation.
Feel free to contact me at chelseahodsoneditorial@gmail.com with any questions.
There are two spots open for each month (April, May, and June)—select which month works best for you and I will email you to confirm and schedule a time.
TESTIMONIALS FROM PREVIOUS COACHING CLIENTS
“My coaching meeting with Chelsea was incredible. She was able to help me think through how I could best use my time at a DIY writing residency and I felt much more prepared when it came time to write. We also talked about low-residency MFA programs and her experience being a student and faculty member in one of these programs. Her brilliant insight gave me aspects to think about before committing to a program. Chelsea is practical, generous, honest, and encouraging and has an extensive knowledge about all things writing-related as well as goal-setting. Her experiences as a writer, editor, educator, and coach make her the perfect person to talk with about any writing goal and any obstacle I may face in my work.” —Jenny Sadre-Orafai
“I’m so glad I brought my querying questions to Chelsea. She gave me a template for writing a query letter, suggested strategies for making my letter stand out, and offered advice for where to learn about agents. Before working with her, I felt overwhelmed by all of the cringey and disparate advice a google search had to offer. After, I felt empowered and confident I could successfully query agents.” —Katie Bennett
“I have been struggling for some time now to finish a novel, and working with Chelsea was just what I needed to get me past my roadblocks. She immediately put me at ease with her warm and friendly demeanor, and offered truly workable solutions to my questions. Chelsea’s extensive knowledge of the literary/publishing world is an invaluable resource for writers at any stage, and I highly recommend her coaching services.” —Laurie Lavy
“If you're a writer, editor, or independent publisher -- and especially if you are two or all three of these -- I highly recommend booking a session with Chelsea Hodson to discuss any and all aspects of making a life in it. I don't think it's possible to find someone better suited to provide insight and advice on any one of these things, let alone on the bigger picture relationships between them all.” —Michael Wheaton
“I've worked with Chelsea several times and have recommended her to many writers. I signed up for a coaching session with her after I finished my MFA, got an agent, and then felt stuck with how to approach edits for an entire book manuscript. I felt like I wanted to start new projects and wasn't sure how to approach the work in front of me. A session with Chelsea got me back on track --- I felt focused and like I had a way forward. I'm sure I will work with her again in the future!” —Kaycie Hall
“In one brief, but extremely valuable coaching meeting, Chelsea offered a few practical, expansive next steps for my project. It is difficult to offer practicality and expansiveness simultaneously, but this is probably what makes her coaching feel so rare and helpful. I deeply appreciate her precise thoughtfulness and generosity, and will continue to recommend Chelsea to other artists and writers.” —Brielle Brilliant
“A coaching meeting with Chelsea was the perfect way to help me prepare to enter new phase of writing. We talked about practical structures and tools I can deploy to meet my goals, while also touching on broader concepts, like how to get comfortable with the openness of the essay form. It was grounding to have an outside perspective on what can feel like a very internal process, and I left our conversation with much more clarity about how I'm going to move forward in my work.” —Emma C.
“Chelsea reviewed my anxious, rough draft of an agent query letter. Together we turned it into a tight, confident, professional query that I was excited to send out. She offered clear, actionable, and encouraging editorial guidance based on her own experience in publishing. My meeting with Chelsea made all the difference!” —Josh O.
“Talking with Chelsea really helped me regain my sense of direction after the disorienting experience of publishing two books within a few months of each other. I really appreciated her approach of looking at not just what makes sense for the writing, but what makes sense for your life!” —Cameron W.
“Chelsea is an outstanding reader, writer, editor, and communicator - aka the perfect person to coach writers on just about anything! I was stuck in the weeds and falling into the trap of perfectionism with my novel's outline until Chelsea helped me step back and see the big picture. I left our meeting with a clear path for moving forward and increased confidence. Chelsea is so clearly a coach who cares about her writers and helps them make the art that *they* want to make.” —Dena Soffer
“I had a pressing question to answer about my book project before my next meeting with my agent. Chelsea approached the coaching session with grace and actionable next steps. I walked away with my question answered and more clarity about the direction of my project.” —Diana R.
“I’ve used Chelsea’s coaching services multiple times over the last few years, for multiple purposes. Most recently she helped me strategize on how to use my time at a writing residency, and also how to prepare for interviews and plan events surrounding the publication of my first novel. In the past I’ve used her coaching to read first drafts of manuscripts and to help me with an artist residency application. Chelsea’s knowledge is vast and her coaching advice is personalized, realistic, and always so generous. There’s simply nothing I wouldn’t seek her coaching on. Craft, logistics, strategy… she even recommended a moisturizer for my high desert residency!” —Lexi Kent-Monning
“I was feeling divided between several projects. I was stuck on how to proceed. Chelsea was fantastic in that she asked guiding questions that made me see which project was most important to me and why. She is patient and has buckets of understanding, which made me feel seen and gave me the sense that she was in the trenches with me, cheering me on with the knowledge that the work is slow and can be difficult but that it will get done if I kept showing up. Can’t recommend her enough.” —Amy Lyons
“Chelsea was like a wise, kind, and real sis who challenged me to rise to my better Writer self. The drive to impress such a smart & cool person kept me on me toes. And to be welcomed into revision work sessions with grace, focus, and a spirit of collaboration -- wow! HIGHLY recommend.” —KK Wootton