Productive writing in balance with the rest of life

Online Coaching Programme

- Establish strategies for productive writing practices in balance with the rest of your life

- Build and sustain confidence, motivation and strategies to overcome barriers

- Set writing goals that are meaningful, balanced, possible, and satisfying

- Tap into ongoing peer support and learn from the collective wisdom of the group

- Learn more about who you are as a writer

Whether an academic, Phd researcher, blogger or creative writer, WriteClub is for anyone wanting to create a productive process of writing and establish a more effective, balanced writing experience.

The 2024 programme starts on Monday 10th June with a one-day online live coaching writing retreat, followed by three months of group coaching, peer and one-to-one support. Full details of the timetable are below – please take time to look at that (you are not expected to attend it all).

Facilitated by Will Medd, a former academic who became a professional life coach, Will brings an intimate understanding of the experience of writing life, and a commitment to coaching with professionalism, emotional sensitivity, and humour. Will brings experience of working with writers of many kinds for over ten years.

Feedback from WriteClub members

• “Amazing, inspirational, motivational and dare I say life-changing (and affirming).” (Writer, Summer Write Club 2020)
  
  
• “Just thanks to Will and everyone else in the group for the supportive atmosphere, helpful suggestions and the ability to make even bad writing weeks seem much better after each call! I think my attitude towards writing has really shifted this summer, and become much healthier, and that’s had a big impact on my day-to-day work life.” (Researcher, Lancaster University, 2017)
  
  
• “I’ve attended a few writing retreats with Will, and each reinforces/refreshes/refines my efforts. It’s invaluable.” (Senior Lecturer, Lancaster University, 2018)

Summer WriteClub 2024

Whether your diary has an ‘empty space’ which you plan to use for writing or it is filled with a to-do list within which writing is a squeeze, WriteClub will help you create a balanced, productive and satisfying approach to writing.

WriteClub works at three levels:

1. Establishing an effective writing practice while getting writing done. Our method - WriteHere, RightNow offers a structure designed to enable you to write, to approach editing in an effective way, and to hold up a mirror to your own habits and strategies with a view to establishing an intentional approach that works to you.
   
   
2. Sustaining motivation and overcoming barriers such as self-doubt and ‘the imposter’. In response to the challenges many participants find, group coaching engages with issues around core motivation, overcoming fear and insecurity, finding inherent confidence, and establishing effective intentions and goals.
   
   
3. Who are you as a writer? A principle underlying the programme is to develop a better understanding of who you are as a writer, letting go of assumptions of who you are trying to be or thinking you should be. We work with what matters to you, with your strengths, with your vision of what your writing is for.

Who is WriteClub for?

WriteClub is designed to enable you to write. Will brings experience of coaching writers struggling whether with academic papers, PhD, novels, blogs, websites, books, and proposals. The programme is about enabling you to create a successful process of writing and establish a more effective, balanced and sustainable experience. 

The WriteClub programme has been attended by researchers, lecturers, professors, creative writers, bloggers and PhD researchers, and has benefitted people from all backgrounds, from physicists to creative writers, sociologists to mathematicians.

What's involved?

WriteClub has two stages, and is designed to adapt to the needs of participants.

Stage one: WriteHere, RightNow one-day virtual retreat
Monday 10th June 2024

The day’s agenda includes:

• Setting up: Introducing a coaching approach and the relationship between performance, potential and interference; sharing current experience of writing and how participants would like it to be; setting intentions.
  
  
• Engagement: Developing an agreement amongst the group for the time together and establishing principles for writing, including: when it’s writing time, write; separate preparing, drafting and crafting; be curious with a beginner’s mind; warm up and warm down.
  
  
• Live coaching experiments: Focused writing time paired with reflective exercises that lead to insights about process, challenges, successes, and self. Themes include: setting intentions; realigning vision and purpose; managing fear; being present; seeing mood as perspective; writing with joy, confidence, creativity, focus and rhythm.
  
  
• Developing strategies and commitment: Applying the principles; incorporating new insights; setting the conditions; developing writing habits that sustain momentum; establishing individual goals for the writing period; creating peer-support systems for sharing progress.

Stage two: weekly peer support, fortnightly review and one-to-one coaching

Following the retreat, participants put into practice their writing strategies and come together regularly to reflect on learning and write:

• Optional peer support: Participants have the option to support and learn from each other in small self-managed groups. Each group’s members will determine how they want to support each other. Options might include: weekly check-in; regular shared writing time (virtual); and a system of reward and challenge. Some people may want to exchange writing for feedback.
  
• Fortnightly review: Every other Friday participants submit, by email, a brief review of progress and plans for the next fortnight, and receive support by email from Will as needed (with the exception of August).

• One-to-one coaching (via Zoom): Mid-way there will also be opportunity for one 30-minute individual focused coaching conversation, and a 20-minute individual coaching conversation, if needed, at any point in the programme (not during August).
  

More feedback from WriteClub members

• “An excellent experience, a journey of discovery and self-reflection. Not what I expected, it was much more than a writing course.” (Writer, Summer 2020)
  
  
• “The meetings were incredibly useful for touching base with writing and sharing experiences with others, artfully facilitated by Will.” (Senior Lecturer, Lancaster University, 2018)
  
  
• “I’ve learned so much more about what works for me, unpacked (negative) narratives I saw in my notes since 2017 (!!), and all of my writing projects have been transformed since the start of June to feel at least imminently doable or fun and exciting. I have no doubt this is thanks to your emphasis on self-care and work-life balance.” (Writer, Summer 2020)
  
  
• “I stayed on target with my writing goals, and it enabled me to see quickly when I was slowing down and allowed me to get back on track more easily than otherwise would have been the case.” (Lecturer, Lancaster University, 2018)

Timetable and Overview (British Summer Time)

Stage 1

One-day live coaching online retreat

• Monday 10th June
  9.30 am - 4.30 pm
  One-day live coaching online retreat
  An audio recording will be offered as an alternative to attending this day
  

Stage 2

One-hour online group coaching sessions (exact time will be confirmed after the first workshop)

• Call 1 - Monday 24th June
  
  
• Call 2 - Monday 8th July
  
  
• Call 3 - Monday 22nd July
  
  
• Call 4 - Friday 2nd August
  
  
• Call 5 - Monday 2nd September
  
  
• Final Review Call - Monday 16th September

June - September

Through this period there will also be:

Peer support
Optional self-managed weekly opportunity to connect with peers. Details to be determined by the group and may include agreed ‘writing times’ to check in with each other.

Fortnightly review
Every other Friday participants submit, by email, a brief review of progress and plans for the next period, and receive support by email as needed.

One-to-one calls
Mid-way there will also be opportunity for one 30-minute individual focused coaching conversation and a 20-minute individual coaching conversation, if needed, at any point in the programme. (though not during August).

Note
I expect that participants will miss some parts of the programme – indeed I hope you will be getting the balance right and taking a break when needed!

Indeed, while Will does write and has published in different formats – including two self-coaching books for students - the strategies offered emerged more from the experience of people he has coached, including academics and creative writings.

He is passionate about enabling people to be at their best while balancing work with the rest of life. Will is deeply committed to developing conditions of challenge and support which are conducive to all participants' engagement and learning. His sessions are regularly scored as ‘excellent’ and comments have included: “respectful, sensitive to needs of the group”, “fantastic, created a really safe atmosphere to expose the issues raised”, “excellent, very patient when dealing with quite a few of us, kept us on track”, and “exceptional – humane, forgiving, thoughtful and able to bring out the best in a diverse group.”

You can find out more about Will at www.willmedd.com

Booking and Payments

There are 2 different ways to register depending on your situation...

1. Self funding individuals

The programme costs are based on a sliding scale of £450-£850 and we ask you to choose the amount that reflects your circumstances. Pay a £50 deposit now to reserve your place, after which you'll receive a link to pay the balance of your choice. The amount is inclusive of VAT and the deadline for balance payment is 31st May 2024.

For this option, click the 'Register & Pay Deposit' button below.

Or:

2. University funded places

For PhD Researchers the price is £750 + VAT, and for University Staff Members £900 + VAT.

Let us know whether you wish to pay by credit card or bank transfer and whether you need a PO request or invoice for this. We'll then send you the relevant payment link and/or paperwork. For this option, complete and submit the contact form below, giving details of your preferred payment method.

If you have any queries, please email [email protected] and we’ll be pleased to help!

© Will Medd 2024