How to Find the Right Queer Romance Story Coach
Updated July 27, 2025.
Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
Early in my freelance editing journey, I was still getting my feet under me as both a fiction editor and entrepreneur. An editing colleague (who would later become a treasured mentor) posed a question that took me off-guard. She asked if I saw myself becoming a queer romance story coach. It’s just one or two steps above developmental editing.
The speed with which I answered in the negative would’ve impressed Usain Bolt. Story coaching seemed entirely too nebulous for my neurospicy brain. Over the past two years, though, I’ve read a total of thirty-two writing craft books. In addition, I’ve completed twelve high-level fiction editing and fiction story coaching courses. I’m even in the process of developing my second full-length manuscript.
I’ve worked with a client from a developmental edit, through revision coaching, and now as a story coach. As a result? My answer has done a one-eighty on me.
A coach, according to Mind Valley Journal, “asks powerful questions [and] enhances self-awareness.” As an author of queer romance, you can—and often are—too close to your characters and the journey on which you’re taking them. As a result, your story coach will serve as objective eyes and ears. They’ll start by listening to your concerns and goals. They’ll collaborate with you to identify how to ease those concerns and achieve your goals. Finally, you’ll create SMART goals and build out your action plan.
What goes into finding the right storytelling coach for you? The list can be endless. There are at least two concrete solutions.
- Know which type of coach you need.
- Know your reason for wanting to hire that type of coach.
The Best Queer Romance Story Coach for You
There are three types of coaches on the way from drafting to a developmental edit.
Fiction Writing Coach
A fiction writing coach focuses on your general mastery of fiction writing techniques. You can expect to learn the finer details of fiction writing. Sentence structure, grammar, usage, syntax. You know, the nuts and bolts of the storytelling engine.
Book coaching and story coaching are occasionally used interchangeably. However, they have too very different purposes. Those differences center around where you are in your publishing journey.
Fiction Story Coach
Similar to writing coaches, a queer romance story coach helps you improve your fiction writing skills. They focus on your particular story or character ideas. This starts with the trifecta of structure, plot, and character, of course. Concurrently, it also includes dialogue, settings, and even exposition.
With these skills, you start to form a plausible and entertaining narrative. You’re able to explore and learn how to best approach your fiction writing skills, with less focus on what particular story you want to tell.
Story coaches often use writing prompts or craft book exercises to ignite your imagination. Afterward, they provide feedback on your writing, using their deep knowledge of what makes for a powerful, emotionally captivating story.
Fiction Book Coach
Conversely, book coaches guide you from idea development to polished manuscript (and even through the post-editing publishing labyrinth). They help you create a detailed outline that will smooth out your writing process. Together with word- or page-count goals, they keep you accountable to the drafting schedule you’ve agreed to. They bring expertise in the best or most efficient ways to organize your specific story, whether fiction or nonfiction.
Why Should You Hire a Queer Romance Story Coach?
Your reasons for hiring any kind of publishing coach are dependent on what you ultimately want to accomplish as an author.
The [International Coaching Federation] defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity, and leadership. (emphasis added)
A story coach guides you along your writing journey and cheers you on from the sidelines.
- If you’re hoping to improve your overall writing skill set, seek out an experienced writing coach.
- For help with exploring genres and styles that might best complement your current and future queer romance novel ideas, a story coach is your best bet.
- Want to plan out your specific publishing journey for a specific novel idea? Seek out a vetted book coach who will use your experience to help you create the results you want.
Being both an author and editor myself, I understand better than most the struggles that come with creating an authentic, entertaining, and thematic story. The outside eyes and support of a queer romance story coach smooths the journey from writing bad fiction to writing better fiction.
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
A quick aside: Overall, these different types of coaching can overlap. Moreover, I know editors personally who offer both writing coaching and book coaching. Others—like me—offer story coaching and developmental editing. Don’t fret if you have multiple reasons for wanting to hire a queer romance story coach. By and large, there’s guaranteed to be someone with the know-how and desire to work with you in the ways you most need.
The publishing process is not for the faint of heart. Sometimes it can feel as though you’ve run nose-first into a brick wall when trying to improve your storytelling techniques. Maybe you just want someone to help you figure out where to even start your queer romance story, let alone where to end it.
Any of the coaching types I mentioned above can get you there.
In need of a queer editor–author keen to help you tell the best version possible of that queer romance story tap-dancing through your gray matter? You can book your free consultation anytime. I’d be honored to walk alongside you on your storytelling journey.
Reflecting On Your Story One Word At A Time!
