I have been a writing coach from the age of six, and a professional freelance editor for the past thirty years. I am a wheelchair-user who has lived and worked in six countries, including as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Jamaica and as a mediator in Northern Ireland. My passions include environmental sustainability, and the care and protection of animals.

The panoply of people who want me to help them tell their stories all share common desires and inhibitions. They ask similar questions. “Is there a story here, and is it good? Will you be the author, co-author, or ghostwriter? How long will it take? How much will it cost? What will it look like when it’s bound and published?”

I respond first with Socratic method, starting with a single question that with proper emphasis becomes three.

“Why write your story?”

“Why write your story?”

“Why write your story?”

I have perused, tackled, and sometimes beaten these questions nearly to death. For me, writing is a cathartic art and a skill that pays some bills. I also share at least three deeper motives with those who seek my help in writing their lives.

​1. We need to communicate. We believe that life is better when we communicate well. Living beings have a need to be understood, and generally we’d rather be understood and disagreed with than be agreed with but misunderstood. I help others communicate so that they can be understood. I teach others that good communication requires a clear message, respect for the intelligence of one’s audience, and an ability to anticipate how they’ll respond.

2. We want our accomplishments to last. Folks who have dedicated their lives to creating – a business, a philosophy, an artistic masterpiece, a better mousetrap – rightfully hope that their creations will outlive them. And the rest of us hope so too, so that we can stand on the shoulders of giants. The timeless book in which you write your life is not just another creation – it is the ultimate creation that breathes long life into all of your other creations.

3. We believe we are the authors of our own lives, but we know we need the help of co-authors. Barriers between the mind and the page may inhibit the original author’s storytelling. Sometimes we’re too close to our own lives to see them clearly. Sometimes we need others to spark our memories. Employing a team of professional co-authors, ghostwriters, and bookmakers liberates folks to focus on higher-level dreams and reflections, which it is the team’s task to polish and deliver. The right team will not hijack your authorship but instead enhance its veracity. You’ll know the right team when you can trust them to steward your story with as much care as they would steward your life itself.

About the Author

Carolyn Davis is a professional editor, researcher, and librarian. Her publications include How to Write Persuasively Today, “Jumping in Tandem,” in Contemporary American Women: Our Defining Passages, and “Do You Want to Be an Anthologist?” in Writing and Publishing: The Librarian’s Handbook. Carolyn in a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, and she has just completed her first novel and working on her second.