Allen R. Kates, MFAW
Writing Coach, Editor, Writer,
Book Producer

What a writing coach does
Every writer is different, and entirely unique. Nobody on this planet can tell a story the way you can because no one perceives events, people, nature, catastrophes and feelings the way you do. That's why I love coaching. It allows me to work closely with writers from different backgrounds and with different perceptions.

As a writing coach, I provide you with detailed analysis and discussion, working with you at any stage, from inception of the idea to a polished work you can sell. I describe the problems and suggest how to solve them.

For instance, I guide you in rearranging the order of scenes so they build on each other with more intensity. I help you enrich the characters, heighten conflict, and apply literary techniques such as humor, irony, foreshadowing, mystery and suspense. I help you design the narrative flow, refine the dialogue, and create setting, imagery, and description. Whether fiction or nonfiction, we apply fiction techniques because today's reader demands that stories and books be entertaining and visual as well as provide information and enlightenment.

After you have polished your work, I assist you in your search for a literary agent, publisher, film or television producer.

Why you need a writing coach
Asking friends or relatives to critique your work is not fair to them or to you. You need a professional trained in critical thinking and writing techniques to comment on your work and get you moving. And I like encouraging my clients with kindness and humor-qualities that help make creativity flow.

What kinds of writing I handle
It's exciting for me to work in all genres, fiction or nonfiction, books, screenplays, short stories, essays, journalism, memoirs, oral histories, novellas, plays, biographies, novels, storytelling.

My background
After you read about my background, you'll know why I like to work in all genres. As a writer and journalist for over thirty years, I've written television documentaries, dramas and current affairs, film scripts, short stories, newspaper and magazine articles and books. For several years, I was a story development executive at Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation in Hollywood. My job was to find and collaborate with writers.

I studied film, television and journalism at Ryerson Institute; English and Drama at the University of Windsor; publishing with renowned expert Dan Poynter; and earned a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing degree (MFAW) from Goddard College. Trained in crisis intervention, I am the author of the internationally acclaimed book CopShock, which was the basis for an A&E Television Network documentary.

As a trauma expert, I am Board Certified In Emergency Crisis Response (BCECR) by the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (AAETS). And I hold certificates in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder studies, Critical Incident Stress, and crisis and suicide intervention from the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), and the Pima County Attorney's Office. Television, radio, and newspaper interviewers often ask me to comment on trauma related subjects, and I feel honored to offer insight.

If you include animals in your stories, then you've really come to the right place. I have 4 cats, 2 dogs, 3 birds, and 2 pet cows. That's right, pet cows, and I hug and kiss them. I used to take them for walks when they were under 1,200 pounds. Now they take me for walks.

How we can work together
After you send me your manuscript, I read it and make notes on the manuscript pages, and then write up an analysis. After that, depending on where you live, we get together and discuss your work. The discussions usually run a couple of hours, but I once spent 7 hours with a writer who was leaving for Spain the next day to direct his screenplay.

If commuting to Tucson, Arizona, is too difficult, we will discuss your manuscript on the telephone. I've found that the telephone is an effective and intimate medium for coaching sessions. However, some writers, although they are in other parts of the country or overseas, have come to Tucson for consultations. With airline mileage programs, sometimes you can fly for free. For example, an author from Switzerland flew in for a few days of manuscript discussion and brainstorming. It was exciting work for both of us, and he returned home with a new determination.

You don't have to have a completed manuscript for us to consult. I've consulted with writers and would-be writers who want to discuss ideas they've jotted down on a piece of junk mail or that came to them in a dream. Don't knock dreams. I once had a dream about appearing on the Oprah Winfrey program, and in the dream she told me what my book was about and even gave me the title. Now I'm writing it. After all, writing is all about dreams.

What I charge for coaching
I charge $50 per hour. Time includes reading/analyzing your work as well as the discussions that follow. For instance, a 300-page double-spaced manuscript takes about 10-12 hours to read and analyze. The discussions afterwards often run 2-3 hours. Clients pay for long-distance telephone, and extraordinary travel and research charges, if any. Fifty percent of the estimated cost is requested up front.

Submitting your manuscript
Whether you are showing me your book manuscript or presenting it to an agent or publisher, there are formatting conventions that are mandatory. These conventions make the manuscript easy to read, and allow space to make notes. Since I coach and edit on an hourly basis, proper manuscript format makes it easier for me to figure out how long it might take to do the work so I can give you an estimate. Please do not cut corners on formatting.

Standard book manuscript format:

1. Print the manuscript on white, 20 lb., 8 ½" x 11" copy paper.

2. Apply standard computer margins of 1.25 inches on the left margin; 1.25 inches on the right margin; 1 inch from the top; 1 inch from the bottom.
3. Double-space the text.
4. Do not justify the copy.
5. Print in black ink only.
6. Number your pages.
7. Use a standard font such as Courier or Times Roman.
8. Only use a 12-point font, not smaller, not larger.
9. Make sure the title and your name, address and telephone number are on the front of the manuscript.
10. Include a version number on the manuscript for easy identification if you make lots of revisions within a draft. i.e. Draft 1, Version 1; Draft 1, Version 2, etc.
11. Do not put a copyright notice on the manuscript. It annoys agents and publishers. If you feel you must copyright the manuscript, (as an unpublished manuscript), you still don't need to show the notice. You retain copyright without the notice.
12. Never send your only copy of the manuscript. Print out a copy for yourself.

If you are unsure of the formatting terms I've used or don't know how to make your computer do them, please contact me and I can walk you through the procedures. BUT if the formatting is making you crazy, read the next item.

If formatting makes you crazy
You have two options if your computer is laughing at you. You can send me your manuscript by e-mail, or you can send me a disk (3.5 or Zip 100) and I will convert your manuscript into the proper format and print it. You will be charged for the time I spend doing this, but it can be a quick and easy process. If you want to send me your manuscript by e-mail, but you're not sure how to create an attachment, call me and I'll help you with it.

Since I work on a PC in MS Word, if your manuscript is on a Mac, please take your disk to Kinko's or OfficeMax for them to convert to a PC format. Probably the easiest format to work from is a .txt ending.

If you're still having trouble, you can fly me first class to your home, wine and dine me, and I'll format the work on your PC computer for you. In my dreams, right…? Probably best if you phoned me and we discussed what to do.

Other Writing Services

Editing
For editing your manuscript, I charge $50 per hour. Some editors charge by-the-page and determine their rates based on whether you wish a light, medium or heavy edit. But often you don't know what kind of edit you need. Some parts of the manuscript may need a light edit, other parts a heavy edit. According to my clients, charging an hourly rate has worked to their advantage, as they feel I've usually charged less than editors who charge by-the-page rates.

Rewriting, polishing
Rewriting and polishing are at the hourly rate of $50.

Writing, ghostwriting
If you would like me to write your book, we will have to assess what the project requires in terms of interviewing, transcripts, research, client availability and input, deadlines, and revision. Book manuscripts usually involve 4 stages: (1) research and development, (2) the first or rough draft, (3) a second draft, (4) and a third or final polished draft.

Some clients like me to write for them on an hourly basis of $50 per hour, but others prefer a set fee with step payments for the whole project. We could also combine the two approaches, working on an hourly basis for one stage and on a set fee for another. For instance, hourly is usually best if you want me to assist in marketing, promotion, query letters, contacting agents, and so on.

Book production and publishing guidance
As well as coaching, editing and writing, I can provide graphic, fine art, layout and typesetting. Artist Sherry Bryant can create original graphic and fine art for your book. (Sherry is also a phenomenal wildlife artist). And I can coordinate all the production elements including cover design, registrations, and printing-and assist you with marketing. In other words, complete book production. If you wish to self-publish your book, I can give you a crash course on how to publish successfully.

Speaker at writing conferences and workshops
Having presented workshops and given speeches at writing seminars and conferences, I can customize a talk for your group's needs. My workshops include presentations from 20 minutes to 8 hours to 2 days on subjects such as Writing Memoirs, Turning Memoirs Into Fiction, Guerrilla Tactics for Self-Publishing, Creative Writing, Writing Nonfiction, and Screenwriting.

For police, therapy, corrections, and veterans organizations, I have talked on subjects like Understanding and Managing Stress, Trauma and PTSD; Police Suicide Intervention; Crisis Intervention; Critical Incident Stress Debriefings and Management; Police Shootings and their Aftermath; Women in Law Enforcement; and Surviving Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. These talks were presented to groups such as patrol officers, peer support, police chaplains, police unions and associations, police leadership, police significant other and spousal groups, CISM units, therapy associations, corrections departments, veterans associations and hospitals, European police management, and so on.

To find out more about Allen's writing services
Phone (520) 616-7643
Fax (520) 616-7519
E-mail akateswriter@theriver.com
P.O. Box 399, Cortaro, AZ 85652