Photo by Noah Buscher – unsplash

Take a minute and daydream with me.
Imagine you are in need of surgery. You are looking for the best doctor in your area. The list of physicians before you have been rated. They are ranked from best to worst and by what awards they have won. You see two that catch your interest

The first was named top in the world twenty-five years ago. He has all kinds of awards listed behind his name and was even the personal physician of the President of the US and Queen of England. He is now in your area and your insurance will cover him 100%.

The second is not quite the top physician, maybe he’s ranked more toward the middle. He too has won many awards but, not the most prestigious ones, and doesn’t have near the worldwide acclaim of the first. He also is covered 100% by your insurance, so both are good options for you.

Which do you choose? You might think it was a no brainer. Why not get the one who has been the physician to the rich and famous and the top in his field?

But wait. The second one is studying the new research in the field you are needing. The first was the best years ago, but he hasn’t kept up with the new techniques. Do you really want him doing your surgery with twenty-year-old knowledge? I’m pretty sure you would want the one who has kept up with his studies. So much has changed in the past few years.

What does this have to do with writing?

It has a lot to do with it. The best coaches always have a coach of their own. There is always something to learn. When I look back on some of my early writing, I am shocked and what I see, and not in a good way. I can’t believe I made some of the mistake I did. I was a mentor to others at the time, and had won awards for my writing… but I know more now. I had continued learning and growing myself.

Even so, I had… and still have, more to learn.

I’ve been writing for several years now. I’ve had a blog for over two, but it’s just in the last year that I have become active in a writers group.
Oh… I’ve been a member of the group for four years, but being a member doesn’t mean I was active or taking advantage of what they had to offer.
I was a member so I could enter the contests.

One of the benefits of self-quarantine due to this virus was that I had to find new ways to get what I needed, and getting involved in the writing group, that I was already a part of, was the way I did it.

It didn’t take long for me to see what I had been missing.

I’m a self-reliant person. I like to do things on my own. I love research and can spend hours surfing the net to find what I need. I have watched many YouTube coaching and How Too videos to learn the tricks of the writing trade, but until I got involved in my writing group and started regular meet-ups, I didn’t see the value in that direct one-on-one accountability and coaching,

A good coach always has their own coach. You can never progress if you stop learning.
So… who is your coach?

Take a minute and daydream with me.
Imagine you are in need of surgery. You are looking for the best doctor in your area. The list of physicians before you has been rated. They are ranked from best to worst and by what awards they have won. You see two that catch your interest.

The first was named top in the world twenty-five years ago. He has all kinds of awards listed behind his name and was even the personal physician of the President of the US and Queen of England. He is now in your area and your insurance will cover him 100%.

The second is not quite the top physician, maybe he’s ranked more toward the middle. He too has won many awards but, not the most prestigious ones, and doesn’t have near the worldwide acclaim of the first. He also is covered 100% by your insurance, so both are good options for you.

Which do you choose? You might think it was a no brainer. Why not get the one who has been the physician to the rich and famous and the top in his field?

But wait. The second one is studying the new research in the field you are needing. The first was the best years ago, but he hasn’t kept up with the new techniques. Do you really want him doing your surgery with twenty-year-old knowledge? I’m pretty sure you would want the one who has kept up with his studies. So much has changed in the past few years.

What does this have to do with writing?

It has a lot to do with it. The best coaches always have a coach of their own. There is always something to learn. When I look back on some of my early writing, I am shocked and what I see, and not in a good way. I can’t believe I made some of the mistake I did. I was a mentor to others at the time, and had won awards for my writing… but I know more now. I had continued learning and growing myself.

Even so, I had… and still have, more to learn.

I’ve been writing for several years now. I’ve had a blog for over two, but it’s just in the last year that I have become active in a writers group.
Oh… I’ve been a member of the group for four years, but being a member doesn’t mean I was active or taking advantage of what they had to offer.
I was a member so I could enter the contests.

One of the benefits of self-quarantine due to this virus was that I had to find new ways to get what I needed, and getting involved in the writing group, that I was already a part of, was the way I did it.

It didn’t take long for me to see what I had been missing.

I’m a self-reliant person. I like to do things on my own. I love research and can spend hours surfing the net to find what I need. I have watched many YouTube coaching and How Too videos to learn the tricks of the writing trade, but until I got involved in my writing group and started regular meet-ups, I didn’t see the value in that direct one-on-one accountability and coaching,

A good coach always has their own coach. You can never progress if you stop learning.
So… who is your coach?

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