Writing Coaching FAQ

Why are your packages all three months?

The people who get the most out of coaching are the people who are ready to hunker down and commit, and these are the people we want to work with. Three months is long enough to establish a strong relationship with your coach; to let them get to know your rhythms, your blocks, and your hidden gifts. Once we saw how well this model worked, we never wanted to work any other way.

What will I get from writing coaching?

Each client’s experience here is unique. We’ll help you set manageable goals and we’ll work beside you to rocket towards them. We’ll reflect back what we see happening in your creative life to help you understand yourself. We’ll talk about your work with you, and give you resources, assignments and readings that make sense.

Of course, there will be lots of surprises and you may end up with different goals from when you started, but it will always be you who calls the shots and sets the direction. This isn’t a cookie-cutter process; it’s an evolving path based on an authentic relationship.

Who are the coaches?

Visit our Team page to learn about us all.

Do I get to pick who I work with?

Once you fill out our intake questionnaire, you’ll hear from Firefly’s “Coaching Concierge”. She’ll let you know who is available and who she recommends based on your intake questionnaire. She knows each coach’s style and gifts and seems to have a sixth sense for who will work well together. If you have a preference for another coach, you can talk it through. Once you’ve settled on someone, you’ll have a phone call with them to feel out the chemistry and make sure it’s a good fit.

Can I do a single session?

We don’t offer one-off sessions, but you’re always welcome to a free 20-minute phone call with your prospective coach. The first step is to fill out the intake questionnaire so that we can get a feeling for who you’ll work best with. Of course there’s no pressure to keep going if you don’t feel like it’s a fit.

Where will we meet?

We’re flex with this one. We use Zoom and the phone a lot, but when conditions are right we also have a gorgeous studio in the East end of Toronto with private spaces where we love to meet clients. It’s also where our custom-blended tea and homemade cookies are. :)

Will my coach help me get published?

Our goal is to help you write what you want to write with as much power, honesty, and resonance as you can. It seems natural that this would be the work that would one day become published. In a perfect world, it would! Sadly, we find ourselves in a market where publishers are generally driven more by salability than by resonance.

Because of that, we don’t make any promises about publishing. We encourage our clients to think broadly about what they want from publishing, what it means to share their work with the world, and all the many ways they could accomplish that, including self-publishing. If a client wants to try their hand at the publishing market, we’ll happily cheer from the sidelines.

Is coaching a “safe space” for LGBTQ+ voices, people of colour and others?

We do everything we can to make sure that our classes celebrate and welcome all voices, and we’re ongoingly working on becoming more aware of power dynamics and internalized bias as facilitators and coaches. If you have specific concerns, or you encounter anything that makes you uncomfortable, we’d love to talk it over.

Do I need to live in Toronto?

No, you don’t at all. We feel really lucky to have so many amazing tools to connect with clients across a distance. If you’re not in Toronto we’ll talk on the phone and maybe use Skype or Zoom to see each other’s faces if we want to.

What are your financial policies?

Visit the Financial Policy page to read them.

Do you work with kids?

We do! We love the creative minds of children. Please note that we don’t promise to help with a kid’s marks… Our work is in unlocking creativity. Let us know what your needs are and we’ll let you know if we have the perfect coach for you.

I’m nervous!

We get that. Writing is scary! Everyone finds it scary. Nerves, even abject fear, are a totally normal and healthy response to the prospect of opening up and sharing your inner world with a new person. You are in good hands here. Take some time to get to know the coaches through their video introductions. Do a little writing with our Messy Beautiful Pages videos. Embrace those fears and let us know when you’re ready to reach past them. We’ll be here to lovingly light your way to the other side.

How do I get started?

The first step is to fill out our intake questionnaire so that we can get to know you. Bree will follow up within a day or two.

Wait! I have another question!

No problem, just drop us a line.