THE BOOK IN YOU ~

I believe that everyone is an artist...and we each have a special story to tell.  What is yours?  Are you having trouble finding a way to express it?  Do characters swirl and dance in your head while driving to work?  Do you hear snipets of dialogue when waiting on the subway platform for the train? 

Perhaps the idea of writing seems daunting and terrifying--but you're still drawn to it....

Art claims us, and we're just the channels for creation.  Let me help you tap into the mystery and discovery of giving your characters a voice.  As a coach, writer, and former English teacher, I can partner with you in wonderful ways to bring the BOOK IN YOU TO L*I*F*E!

Individual sessions and group coaching rates available for adults and students.

A testimonial from one of my clients:

I work in publishing as a Licensing Director, but was absolutely clueless to the tools needed in creation of content.  Early attempts in writing were led by my own notations that writers had to be regimented and structured in order to be effective---big mistake!  Writing is everything but regimented and structured!

One of the most important techniques I gained in the “Book in You” coaching sessions with Sandra Clifton was to channel thoughts freely from that conditioned section of my brain constantly being tasked to keep it all straight.  Using a technique called subconscious writing opened that door and was unbelievably life altering.

I was so consumed with doing it “right” that I did allow myself to spaz out—this empty-my-head (as I lovingly now call it) process was a tipping point to hearing my character’s voice.  It was a great first step towards becoming a writer, and I would have never even known about its power without the strong encouragement in the coaching process.  When I am feeling blocked by the madness of my mind’s chatter, I use this to calm the noise and let in the voice of my book.

I learned if you are going to write, you have to do just that.  Physically. Everyday.  It’s fine to day dream about ideas, but if you’re not actually writing them down you will lose them. Ideas and thoughts are too crucial in this process, so putting that pen to paper with them is like locking them in a safe for you to always have in the ready.  With Sandra, I kept a journal and pledged to write 15 minutes a day.  Then transferring those paragraphs and sentences to a word document helped me hear my thoughts again.  And then my trusted coach would read them—sometimes out loud—and that is when they became real.

Lori Burke, Director of Licensing--Penguin Young Readers Group--345 Hudson Street, New York , NY 10014