Coaching

Caitlin went above and beyond in every way... offering strategies for how to brainstorm and organize months of reporting into a coherent, engaging piece.

She understood the complexity of the issue on which I was reporting and talked through ways to build upon my original ideas and introduce new ones.

She brought expertise and valuable insight and introduced questions the audience would want answered. To this day, I implement strategies I learned through my coaching sessions with Caitlin each time I begin writing a new story.

She treated me as an equal, rather than a student or a beginning-level journalist. I sincerely hope to have the opportunity to work with Caitlin again in the future." 

– MANDY LOADER, JOURNALIST

ARE WE A

POTENTIAL FIT?

I have already helped more than 50 ambitious writers worldwide on a wide range of writing projects: essays, book proposals, pitches and more.

Before starting to coach other writers, I worked as a reporter and feature writer for three major daily papers, The Globe and Mail, Montreal Gazette and the New York Daily News. As a senior staff editor for three national magazines, I assigned and edited a wide variety of stories. As a freelance writer, I’ve also benefited enormously for decades being edited by demanding, high-level professionals, like the 100 stories I’ve had published in The New York Times.

Before we get started, please answer a few key questions to make sure we’ll have a smooth and productive working relationship:

What are your specific goals for this piece of writing?

Have you worked with a writing coach or editor before? How did it go? If you were unhappy with the process and/or the outcome, please share how.

How much time do you have for us to work on this piece? If only a few days, I may not be able to assist you that quickly. I usually book my time weeks in advance.

Are you ready to do more than one revision? What is your limit?

If you could pinpoint the skill you need from me most on this piece, what is it? It is often all three!

Structural editing (the shape of the piece, beginning/middle/ending, pacing. Etc.) Line editing (making sure it reads well and smoothly) Copy editing (correcting errors of spelling, grammar, punctuation and common usage.)

What is your email?

I help clients think of new markets for their writing and/or multiple new angles for their pitches.

Hope to write a book or book proposal?

I've sold two well-reviewed books to Big Five publishers.

Need lively, compelling website copy for your small business?

I've done this as well.

My editing and coaching use all these skills and experience.

Caitlin is a fantastic coach to work with. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her coaching sessions and is willing to give candid advice, strategies and feedback. Before the session, she connects to chat about what you hope to gain from it, so it's tailored to your needs. I'd definitely work with her again and would recommend her to people at any stage of their
writing journey."

– Shady Grove Oliver, freelance writer, CA

Caitlin Kelly knows her stuff -- I think of her as the "pitch wizard." She cuts to the chase and doesn't mince words, which is just what you need if you are focusing a story idea for a great pitch! That's why I have turned to her several times for help and would definitely do so again. I've learned a lot from her coaching, not just about the specific pitches she has helped me with but how to improve them overall."

– Sharon Goldman, freelance writer, NJ

Two things stuck with me..."I think this is what actual mentoring sounds like." And in the back of my mind I was turning over angles and dimensions of different stories, and getting excited to go back and apply stuff. And those are both very different responses from previous coaching sessions which left me confused and cranky about time wasted."

– CHRISTA Miller, freelance writer

During our coaching sessions, Caitlin shared valuable insights and answered my questions with wisdom, candor and enthusiasm. I would wholeheartedly recommend her to any writer seeking guidance on the basics of journalism or the mechanics of freelancing."

– Kelly Davis, writer and editor

After a long career in public policy and social impact, I decided to give writing and freelancing a go. I had a few (okay, a lot) of stumbles right out of the gate. But then I found Caitlin, who picked me up, dusted me off and helped me see a path to publication. She helped me take weeks of research and a first draft and package it into a pitch for the best publication possible for the story. It worked. When I told her the editor accepted the pitch, my phone lit up with emojis. I could not recommend a better coach than Caitlin Kelly."

– Jennifer Perlman

Partly thanks to your pitching workshop, I've met my goal of selling some pretty big travel stories and have a much higher rate of success with all my pitches than ever before! I’ve started getting compliments on my pitching even when pitches are rejected!"

– Zanny Merullo Steffgen

– Kelly Davis, Writer AND Director

Are You Ready?

I bring expertise, experience, passion and skill to every project.

Let's TalK!