Hi, I’m Megan Cohen (she/her). I’m an award-winning author who writes a million words a year. I’m also a writing coach.
Yeah, I coach writers.
In a 1-hr sliding scale private Zoom session, we can talk honestly about your writing goals, creative challenges, habits, and strengths.
I love to help people make creative work that comes easier and hits harder.
I’ve been writing for decades and reached millions of people across dozens of mediums and genres. Let me save you some time.
WRITING is for EVERYONE.
A love letter.
A wedding toast.
A eulogy.
An apology.
None of us get through life without having something that we need to write.
And somehow, when we really need to, we do.
Ok, everyone writes.
Can EVERYONE write something that MATTERS?
Yes.
I really mean this. Everyone I’ve worked with, from teens and elders to hobbyists and weekend creatives to multi-bestselling authors and C-Suite executives, has it in them to write something amazing. A book, a script, a poem, an essay, a song that matters not just to friends and family, but to other people. Your writing can matter to total strangers. Even if it’s your first time really giving it a shot. (And if you’ve given it lots of shots over a long writing career and feel burned out? Don’t quit. You can feel it all. You can write it all.)
So if we CAN all do this, why DON’T we?
It’s a skill issue.
Everything takes skills. Cooking, sewing, building a backyard shed, restoring a vintage car, cutting hair, growing a vegetable garden, making a movie, or writing something. Doing things well takes skills and practice.
Do you have all the writing skills you want? When you learn more, you can do more. That’s true whether you’re in a kitchen, a dressmaking studio, a woodshop, an auto repair garage, a hair salon, a plant nursery, or staring at the blank pages of a notebook.
Wanna write stuff that matters to strangers? Try building your SKILLS.
Confidence is a writing skill you can develop and train. So is masterful use of narrative suspense. Character development? Focus? Follow-through? Semi-colons? Voice? Impact? Revision? Getting yourself to the desk in the first place? Choosing which project to pursue? Leveraging the neuroscience of memory to make something unforgettable? Exposition? Originality? Courage? Pacing? Finishing stuff in the face of perfectionism? Knowing when to listen to or ignore audience feedback? Creating dynamic minor characters? Deciding when to end a run-on list in a paragraph that could keep going almost forever? Skills.
You can SWEAT your way into skills on your own, but sessions with me make it easier.
I want to help you write something awesome. But that’s not the only reason I coach.
Look. I’m a writer who coaches, not a coach who writes. I first got paid for writing at age 16 and haven’t really stopped. My work has been commissioned by the Kennedy Center, published in McSweeney’s, recorded on a GRAMMY-nominated album, and earned over a million pageviews in a calendar year. (Plus, there’s my books and video game stories.)
I’ve been writing professionally for over 20 years and currently write a million words a year, but I’m still not burned out. I’m the opposite of burned out.
I want everyone to get to feel how I do about writing.
Writing has gotten me friends, lovers, money, a lot of branded coffee mugs from now-defunct arts institutions, free international airfare, invitations to some real weird parties, backstage stadium access to interview champion athletes, entry to the semi-secret rare books basement of the British Library…. plenty of great stuff has come into my life through writing, but what matters most is how writing has changed me.
I’ll never stop writing. It makes me more alive. Put words to the world and it becomes deeper, bigger, and more fascinating. Writing helps me love the world more.
Every time I write, I learn to attend. To notice more. To appreciate better. To care.
I WANT ALL OF US TO CARE MORE ABOUT THE WORLD.
Writing is a really great shortcut to making that happen. No matter what you write about (love, death, justice, your dog) you’ll end up caring more about it through the process of finding the words. The more we write, the more we’ll care.
That’s why I coach.
Plus, we need your story.
Every voice I’ve worked with as a writing coach, from unhoused folks to middle-class moms to C-Suite executives, has something unique to give. We need all of it. All of the perspectives. All of the humanity.
We have to care more about each other.
The written word is a highly advanced technology for building empathy, banishing assumptions, and making people care.
Let’s use it.
Deeply supportive and respectful writing coaching can be especially vital for writers whose identities (like mine) are statistically underrepresented in US mainstream creative media and publishing. (This certainly includes LGBTQIA2S+ folx, people of the global majority, neurodivergent people, visibly and invisibly disabled people, larger-bodied people, people with working class or poverty class experiences, and all women.) Yeah, it all still matters even when the work is not explicitly about identity. Your perspective means everything.
Income level isn’t a barrier. All my sessions are sliding scale. (Still too steep? Email megan@howtowritesomething.com and say “I’m interested in scholarship information.”)
How does having a writing coach even work?
Sessions are very different from person to person, but the logistical stuff stays the same.
One-hour private Zoom.
We do a session. 60 minutes. We look at your process (or help you find one.) If you have pages, we look at them. I listen. I ask questions. We have a kind and honest private conversation about your strengths, goals, and challenges as a writer.
You might come work with me to get unstuck from a block, to ask a few career/process/wildcard questions and get respectful honest answers, or to tune up some key pages on a big project.
An hour could change your writing practice forever. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t work this way.
Book me like a haircut.
No coaching packages, no standing monthly dates, no weekly courses, no strings, no filler; just you trusting yourself to know when it’s time to see me. You come to my calendar whenever you want and book. It’s just like getting a haircut. You know where to find me. Visit when you want. As many times as you want.
People typically visit monthly-ish as they make big progress on a major goal (like finishing a project) but you’re the one who decides what feels right. Maybe you’ll get the writing jumpstart you needed from one single session; that’s awesome.
Let’s see what 60 minutes with me can do for you.
Sliding scale prices meet you where you are.
All my sessions are sliding scale.
You pick your price point. I don’t ask questions and I don’t treat you differently if you pay more or less. This is the pricing model that lets me give the most to the most people.
I have three pricing tiers. My highest price point supports scholarships. My standard rate keeps this work sustainable. My lowest price welcomes folks with limited financial resources. There’s no “means testing” or proof-of-income required; you choose the price that feels appropriate for you. (I offer limited free coaching spots, so if even my lowest rate is too high: please email me and say “I’m interested in scholarship information.” I’ll send you the current details about my schedule and waitlist.)
Your income isn’t your value. Whatever your resources, I trust you to pay what you honestly can.
Here are a few answers to some common and reasonable questions.
Does a writing coach edit?
Not exactly.
If you’ve sent me pages, I’ll arrive with line-by-line comments and structural questions to support your work. But I’m focused on your biggest picture growth. We’ll upgrade your technique… seek out places where your power is hiding between the lines… and help you become more skillfully intentional in your product and in your process. (I love applying practical cognitive science about memory, emotion, and creativity to give you a creative advantage!)
Yes, we’ll work on your current project; it’ll get stronger as we pay it attention; but I’m not a developmental editor or a “book coach.” I’m focused on your lifelong writing skills.
Can a writing coach even do anything if I’m just NOT WRITING?
Yes.
When you come to a session feeling blocked or uninspired, we’ll sort out what’s going on… and what to f*ckin’ DO about it. We’ll dig in. All the way down to grappling with major creative anxieties (if we have to) so we can find safe ways to ease you back to writing. Return to the page with new tools that work for you.
Neuroscience shortcuts for reaching a flow state. Unexpected workarounds. Practical strategies. Mindset shifts. Sneak attacks. Big, small; no tactic left behind.
(It’ll be fine. I’ve been through those cycles of guilt and shame and frustration about not writing, and it didn’t kill my career. Let’s get you out.)
What does writing coaching feel like?
Ok, let’s get real.
Working with a writing coach feels different for everyone. I don’t know how you’ll feel. I won’t lie; you might hate it. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy it. The only way to find out is to give it an honest try.
Most people who work with me seem to like it. I’ve been told it’s generally something people look forward to and are glad they did. Some folks experience apprehension or nervousness before a session. A few feel anxious or uncomfortable during our hour together, even after doing some simple grounding exercises together; that discomfort can end up being productive, too.
I won’t promise you a good time (although most folks seem to have one.) I won’t promise you magical results (although I see them a lot.) I’ll do everything I can to give you a good time and get you great results, but I don’t promise more than I can deliver. So, I won’t even promise that you’ll become a better writer.
As a writing coach, I make you ONE PROMISE.
I won’t promise that you’ll churn out a bestseller, that you’ll win a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, or even that you’ll keep writing. (Maybe during our session, you’ll realize you’re actually ready to quit because you’ve been trying to meet someone else’s expectations by becoming a writer and you’d rather paint houses or build LEGO® cities.) It’s your life. It’s your writing. I have a big toolkit to help you with it, but I can’t promise you a specific outcome.
If you work with me, I promise you this:
When we have conversations about your writing habits, your challenges, your goals, your questions, your technical strengths and weaknesses, or your creative blocks, I’ll share everything I’ve learned in decades of real-world writing experience, but I won’t talk down to you. I won’t treat you like a student.
I’ll treat you like a genius, with all the respect and rigor and love and excitement (and forgiveness for imperfection) and honesty and encouragement that a true genius deserves.
I really mean it.
I’ll TREAT you like a GENIUS.
Because when you write, you become one.
(psst: if you still have questions about all this, you might like my blog post “what does a writing coach do?”)
Sliding Scale Writing Coach
I offer three price tiers (Luxury, Standard, and Economy) as an ethical business practice.
Please book your session at the rate that feels appropriate for you.
I accept bookings up to 30 days in advance.
LUXURY
Higher-priced “luxury” sessions directly support additional writing mentorship for vital voices without financial resources.
Share your abundance with structurally oppressed voices (like unhoused writers, folks with disabilities that limit their earnings, and elders on fixed incomes with untold stories.)
STANDARD
Market rate “standard” sessions are my mainstay as a writing coach. Let me serve you sustainably.
ECONOMY
Lower-priced “economy” sessions increase access for writers with limited financial resources.
Your income level is not your value.
If the economy rate is still a hardship, you may qualify for free coaching thanks to generous donors.
If you need that, just email me and say “I’m interested in scholarship information.” That’s all you gotta say. We’ll sort it out. As someone with lived poverty-class experiences who has benefited from similar generosity in the past, I will treat you with respect for your privacy and gratitude for your time as we arrange your support.
Thank you for reading this far to consider working with me.
Excited about coaching but not sure about me? Fair enough. If I’m not your person, I hope you find the writing coach who feels right for you. I won’t be right for everyone. But I want to make a good effort here to let you know what I’m like, so you can decide.
I do not post testimonials from clients. At this moment in the coaching landscape, I feel that sharing glowing out-of-context quotes from alumni can be kind of a manipulative sales tactic. I don’t ask my customers to sell me. Instead, I’m asking you to trust what you’re seeing directly about who I am.
I want you to know me as a coach. If you aren’t sure what I’m all about, or are wondering if I’m the right vibe for you, try sniffing around the dozens of posts on my writing tips blog.
A couple of good starting posts:
55 Ways to Stop Procrastination, a massive monster mega-post with dozens of practical tactics based in easy-to-understand neuroscience facts that will help you write.
90-Second Writing Tip: Write for One Person, a quick micro-post with a single simple tip to help you focus your voice, find more specificity, and break out of overwhelm.
Anyway, the way I blog is a bit like how I coach. Practical, tactical, friendly. I’m softer in person than I am in the blog, because I’m usually smiling at you kindly while I listen or talk; I have my grandmother’s face and she was a really warm person. I’m a warm person, too.
It’s hard to describe yourself and I honestly don’t love doing it. So, to help you know me as a writing coach and as a person, it might be useful to share that profiles by journalists have said I’m “one insightful and confident woman” with “searing smarts…and a seemingly bottomless capacity for feeling.“
That’s how I write and that’s how I coach.
If you’d like actual bio details, here’s more about me.