Fully Booked EP219: Finding the Story Inside the Draft

In this episode of Fully Booked, we’re joined by author and book coach Jen Braaksma, who shares her journey from teacher to full-time writing coach, and how that path shaped the way she helps writers bring their stories to life. With experience working with over a hundred authors while also publishing her own novels, Jen offers insight into what a book coach actually does and the role guidance can play when a manuscript isn’t quite coming together.

Jen shares a fascinating case where she was asked to help shape and finish a manuscript written by an author who had passed away, forcing her to find the story’s voice and connective thread without being able to speak to its creator. Using that experience as a lens, the conversation expands into the broader challenges writers face, from identifying what a story is really about maintaining consistency, structure, and momentum through revisions. It’s a thoughtful look at how raw ideas become cohesive books, and what it takes to turn a draft into something that truly works.

Jen Braaksma https://www.jenbraaksma.com/

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