“What if ONE opportunity could change your life?”
Hello, my name is Milli Thornton. For the past 20+ years, I’ve been helping writers in various settings (writing groups, courses, workshops). I’ve been coaching writers online since 2007.
The writers I work with get the same level of results, whether it’s online or in person.
Online coaching is more time-efficient. You don’t have to worry about driving to appointments. That leaves you with more time to write.
It can also be more relaxed. You won’t have to worry about getting dressed up for a meeting or putting your makeup on.
It can even be more focused. When you don’t have the usual distractions of an in-person meeting (all we’ll hear is each other’s voices), it quickly takes you to the essence of your issues. This also helps me listen deeply and pick up on clues that lead to solutions.
“I’ve coached writers online from all over the USA and for all kinds of writing.” — Milli Thornton
From procrastination to productivity!
A legal secretary in Stockton, California wanted to do business writing, inspirational writing, Christian writing and then branch out later into fiction. But she was suffering from chronic fear of writing, lack of motivation, perfectionism and procrastination. During her first week of coaching, all that changed very quickly. In a single week she wrote 5,473 words and finished 8 assignments. Read her story here: Lisa Naté Carter.
Over-thinking kills the flow
A neurofeedback practitioner in Santa Fe, New Mexico was having trouble with being an over-thinker. This was making her writing process painful and laborious—to the point where she wanted to quit writing. During the coaching sessions I listened carefully and then gave her assignments that helped her cut through the over-thinking and write in more of a flow state.
Accountability led to writing 1,000 words a day
A blogger, world traveler and travel writer in San Diego came to my website looking for a writing coach who could help her stick to her writing and get it done. When she requested the free consultation, she wrote “I need accountability. I won’t write for myself but I will write for someone who is expecting something from me.” Here’s a quick picture of her results:
“My intentions with writing were good but my focus was not. And then I met Milli. I don’t know what kind of magic she worked on me, but the suddenly ADD/Can’t Finish Anything me was writing (can I get a drum roll, please?) over 1,000 words each and every day. One Sunday, it was 3,000 words! I'm now 15,000 words into a story I came up with in January but didn’t sit down and write until September when I hired Milli to help me stay consistent.”
14 years of writer’s block evaporated
A life coach with a home in the Marina del Rey area of Los Angeles and a condo near the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago, Illinois started writing a novel but ended up suffering from perfectionism, over-editing and 14 years of writer’s block. She went online looking for a creative writing coach who could help her resume writing her novel. During the first week of coaching she wrote 3,000 words—quite substantial after her long drought! Since then she has produced many more words and chapters for her book.
Writing coach book or novel?
A finance IT professional in Tokyo, Japan wanted to write a novel based on his career experiences. He’d been thinking about his story for a number of years but didn’t know how to get started. By the end of three months of coaching he was happy to have made the transition from a generalized mental concept (“book”) to creative imagination and writing chapters with characters, settings and a developing story line (novel).
Coming of age novel for horse lovers
A journalist and editor from Great Barrington, Massachusetts had been dreaming for many years of writing the novel of her heart. She had a few vivid scenes imagined but didn’t know how to get started putting it into book form. After many sessions of online coaching, writing assignments specifically targeted to her story and dedicated work, she now has a published novel. Her book is a middle grade coming of age novel entitled Charley’s Horse about a girl going to riding camp for the summer and the surprises she gets—both good and bad.
“Successful people use coaches!”
A nurse and empath from Raleigh, North Carolina wanted to write a Young Adult novel. While filling out the questionnaire for the free consultation, she shared this:
“Writing is a solitary profession (which I love) but I realize I have trapped myself in a prison of procrastination and perfectionism. After six years and five half-done novels, my self-esteem is very low and I feel lost! So after many agonizing hours and great gnashing of teeth, (and two years in therapy), I realized that successful people (actors, dancers, athletes, etc) succeed because of their coaches! So that is why I’m here, because abandoning writing is not an option, but I realize I can’t break out of this vicious cycle by myself.”
Accountability, encouragement and direction
A yoga teacher in Long Island, New York was yearning to write a children’s book that will touch the hearts of others. She said: “I wish to see the world heal and to have more people choose positivity and kindness.” She was looking for a creative writing coach to help her with lack of self-discipline and accountability. She told me she needed encouragement and direction. During her time in the coaching, she got started writing her book and she also got a boost of self-love and self-belief.
A “book shepherd” for her children’s book
A web content writer in Encinitas, California wanted to compile the stories she’d written for her daughter into a book for children. We went on this journey together and her book is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The title of her book is Dandelion Wishes.
“Milli is a gem and I highly recommend her coaching, editing, and book shepherding (my description of her) services. Without her, my book would still be a bunch of stories saved on my computer.”
Fear of writing
A closet writer in Corpus Christi, Texas had perfectionist and fear of writing issues that were slowing her down to a snail’s pace with her writing. She would agonize over every word and it would take her hours to produce a few paragraphs. She first took the Fear of Writing Online Course and then she came into a coaching program where I helped her write the first draft of the children’s book she’d long been dreaming of writing.
Memoir of a colorful life
A retired social worker from Teaneck, New Jersey wanted to write a memoir of her colorful life growing up in Hell’s Kitchen, becoming a nun and then leaving the convent to get married and run an adoption agency. During the coaching program, she did a ton of writing and assembled the material for two books, both of which will be published in the near future.
Expat/repat memoir
A social worker was living in Cleveland, Ohio when she came to take the Fear of Writing Online Course. She then moved back to her homeland (India) to live in Ahmedabad, Gujarat and then eventually Kodagu, India. After the online course, she wanted a writing coach who could help her write a book about her expat/repat experiences. Besides working together on her book, we also worked on her deeply ingrained issues about becoming a full-time writer and how every writer has a different rhythm. Along the way, she became a blogger on her specialized topic of expat/repat. She has had freelance editorial contracts with publishing companies in India and has been known to have a regular stream of manuscripts to edit. She has also taken freelance writing assignments, including doing a set of children’s stories for a client that she really enjoyed.
First draft of her book is finished
A writing instructor and speech writer from Annapolis, Maryland wanted a coach who could help her write a memoir about her strange childhood and the events that led to taking her parents to court as a distressed juvenile. During the coaching she finished the first draft of her book.
Christian writer with a healing journey
A customer service representative who lives in Stockton on Trent, England, United Kingdom (UK) wanted to learn how to write so she can tell the story of her troubled life and healing journey as a Christian. She first enrolled in my two writing courses (see Fear of Writing Online Course and the Grad Course that goes with it) to get the basic training she needed—and also to help her understand how to use her imagination and the creativity she was born with. After graduating from the second online course, she came over to the coaching to begin writing a spiritual book. She’s since been working on character development and a timeline for her story and will get started writing chapters during her next round of coaching.
Preserving family stories
The lead pastor at Bow Valley Christian Church in Calgary, Alberta, Canada wanted to write his memories of his amazing grandfather. During a week of coaching he wrote every day and finished a rough draft of many of the stories he’d been wanting to capture.
Didn’t know how to get started
A writer, blogger, copy editor and executive assistant to the president at a brand and marketing consultancy in Brooklyn, New York had written and self-published a memoir but her big dream was to write a TV pilot. She’d been mulling over the story and characters for several years but didn’t know how or where to get started to turn it into a pilot. Six months of coaching produced a great deal of character development as well as many scenes for her 13-part dramedy.
She Googled “writing coach Tucson”
I’m helping a client in Tucson, Arizona who is writing a self-help book about the authentic self. She has sterling credentials and many years experience as a psychotherapist, and she gets stunning results with her clients. But she was trained to write in an intellectual vein and she wants this book to be more heart-centered. I’m helping her learn to bypass the intellectual and write from her own authentic self. At the end of our first coaching session, she said, “I was looking for a writing coach near me but I’m glad I found you instead. I’ve interviewed other coaches but never heard what I wanted to hear.”
Writing coach Chicago
A creative writing client who lives near Portage Park in Chicago, Illinois has been with me for a long time, through two online courses and various rounds of coaching programs. His specialty is short stories and he’s written many stories during our time together. I also helped him enter a writing contest with a radio script we collaborated on based on one of his short stories. He had tried a few local writing groups but ended up being happier with the online coaching.
She got her dream writing job
I’ve enjoyed mentoring a young writer who lives in Romania. With my help she has developed in several areas, including travel writing and technical writing. Here’s what she had to say about her career writing:
“Milli's continuous support has helped me achieve my dream of becoming a paid writer. She provided me with the confidence boost I needed to submit my first stories for publication. After working only one year in the IT industry, this gave me writing experience to offer when I applied for the position of Technical Author.”
Writing for her website and new business
A Marriage and Family Therapist in Overland Park, Kansas wanted an online writing coach who could help her do the writing she needed for her new website as she transitioned from therapist to Boundaries and Assertiveness Coach. During the coaching she also learned a lot about marketing an online business.
“When I was in fourth grade, a novelist came to talk to my English class. She told us that being an author meant sitting at the kitchen table in pajamas, drinking tea with the dogs at your feet. ”