Am I the book coach for you?
My education as an English major, background as an editor, and my book coach certification through Author Accelerator give me the skills and training to confidently serve you as you construct your story framework, write it, and make revisions for a book that impacts your reader deeply.
I’m patient and open minded. I want to learn about the story you want to tell. We’ll work together so you write your best story and make sure it’s on the page, but also to ensure it’s ready for your ideal reader whoever he or she is.
A few personal facts about me (click to read)
- I love reading and read most fiction genres.
- I’m a Jesus follower.
- I love hearing people’s personal stories from all different backgrounds and value systems. There’s a deep richness that lies in each person.
- I tend to have a dark sense of humor, and I occasionally laugh at inappropriate times. Usually, it’s because of the narrative happening in my head.
- I love baking, but don’t enjoy washing dishes.
- I’m a wife and mom of a college student.
- My dog is a lab/whippet mix. That means he’s a total couch potato. At 50-pounds, he also thinks he’s a lap dog.
- My husband has been a youth pastor for most of our 20+ years together and is now working for a nonprofit that supports a homeless shelter, a resource center, a men’s house and a women’s house.
- I’m an introvert. However, I grew up surrounded by extroverts, so I do enjoy being around people.
- Writers are my people. The crazy search histories, talking through scenarios that would send most eyebrows high, and the wild imaginations.
- I love getting to know people and hearing about the stories they’re writing.
How I like to work with clients (click to read)
My whole goal is to help you as a fiction author improve your stories through book coaching and copyediting. I’ll do that through getting to know you as an author and what your goal is. Then I help with dedicated book coaching services, depending on where you are in the writing process. My ultimate goal is to move closer you to your desired type of publishing. You can read more about this on my services page.
My writing origin story (click to read)
It was a love of reading and literature that prompted me to earn a Bachelor’s degree in English. After graduating in 2009, I was fortunate enough to find a job teaching English to non-native English speaking adults. Each professional position I’ve had since has employed my skills in grammar, editing, fact-checking, and writing. Furthermore, over the last 10+ years, I have worked freelance on a variety of non-fiction and fiction editing projects.
Writing my first story
As I was teaching, I heard about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month—the goal of writing 50k words in November), and I had a kernel of an idea for a story. On November 6th I signed up and finished the month with 36,000 words on a book club fiction story. Writing fiction had never been on my radar. The second year, I successfully wrote 50,000 words the following year, and felt on top of the world.
Learning about revision
Northern Colorado Writers (now Writing Heights Writers Association), an awesome nonprofit organization, helped me learn more about the craft of writing and storytelling. I learned skills to revise my second manuscript while attending conferences, workshops, classes, and being part of a critique group.
Let me tell you, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I quickly realized having a degree in English literature was simply a stepping stone, but it didn’t make me an automatic writer. To better understand what makes a good story and how to have a polished manuscript took a different tactic. Since then, I have studied the craft of writing passionately. I’ve had the goal of improving my writing and helping others. In addition, I’m a lover of learning too, so I will continue to learn and investigate best practices.
The writing process can be long and winding and the internet is so full of information that it can be overwhelming. It’s my goal to help synthesize what I’ve learned in hopes that you have a solid process as you move forward.
My certifications and associations (click to read)
As I shared in my writing origin story, I am a life-long student. I do my best to stay curious, and I’m always looking for greater understanding and solutions to challenges, so I can better help clients.
The professional memberships that support my habit of curiosity are with ACES: The Society of Editing (originally American Copy Editors Society) and ACFW (Association of Christian Fiction Writers).
I’m a certified book coach through Author Accelerator. . .
In 2022 I found Author Accelerator. I signed up for their excellent book coaching training, because it was the perfect compliment to my freelance editing. Certified in 2024, I am offering coaching services to authors starting at any point of the writing stage.
**As an Author Accelerator certified book coach, I am qualified to coach writers using Author Accelerator’s strategy, methods, and materials, but I operate independently of Author Accelerator and am not affiliated with them.
For more information, contact me via email (ruth at rseditorial dot co) or fill out this contact form to tell me more about yourself. Submit the form, and I’ll reach out to schedule a free discovery call.