Authentic Writing Provokes

Bellevue, WA

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About this pro

How does your service stand out?

I believe my work as an editor, ghostwriter and writing mentor/coach who understands DIY platforms(such as Wordpress and Blogger and Joomla, self-publishing options and why they make sense, authentic marketing and self-promotion and why it works better) make me a great fit for some clients. I am not everyone's editor or writing coach or self-publishing and self-promotion specialist, but if I am a good fit for you, you will appreciate my style when it comes to extremely productive brainstorming that yields multiple nuggets of wisdom and ideas to pursue that suit you. I do my part to make my clients fall in love with writing for themselves and as themselves and it is not in my nature to push my voice or values on my clients. Yes, good grammar is preferred, but sometimes prose like e.e. cummings is what is needed to make the point! For me, it is about what will get the job done with your essence and vision clearly intact to attract your ideal customer, reader, subscriber. I develop communications skills in people who come to believe their story and opinions about things matter--be it for business goals or personal self-expression.

What do you enjoy about the work you do?

I love developing genuine enthusiasm and confidence in self-expression (written & spoken congruently) in my clients. I see people go from saying they don't see them selves as a good writer or communicator for themselves, to getting that they can be and if they choose to have a ghost write for them, it is for clear reasons. I am thrilled when someone gets that their story and opinion matters, no matter how many others have written their piece on the same theme. People come to know themselves as they develop abilities to speak and write and publish themselves on their websites and in books and in presentations in working with me. I help people become better advocates for themselves through writing with them, for them, editing their writing and developing their skills of self-expression in our digitally active world!

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Location

Bellevue, WA 98008

Website

authenticwritingprovokes.com

Years in business

Number of employees

Times hired on Thumbtack

Reviews

8 Reviews

Lori L. Dec 21, 2015

Deborah was a gentle, intuitive and effective accountability coach for my writing. With her help, i completed a full length novel-memoir manuscript in only three months! I highly recommend her as assistant to your muse in any creative writing project.
Kelley K. Dec 15, 2015

I was referred to Deborah Drake through a publishing company called Central Recovery Press. After spending 5 minutes on the phone with her, I was hooked. Her positive energy radiated through the phone. I flew to Seattle from Chicago to meet her and we spent 3 intensive days working through my manuscript. We spent hours talking through some of my life experiences in the memoir and she gave the writing wings. We have teamed up together to do a weekly blog and co-author my book. She is beyond talented and inspirational to work with.
Jeff W. Dec 14, 2015

Deb was my co-author on my first book Message in a Bottle. Co-author is a limited descriptor of Deb's role as she served as a cheerleader, leader, friend, and co-conspirator of my authentic voice. \ Deb has the unique gift of adapting to your style of writing while keeping you accountable to deadlines and personal agendas. Firm but nurturing is often what a new writer needs. Pick me up when I'm down, then give me a kick in the butt to get going. I would not hesitate to call Deb again and I will as my new book is currently being framed in my mind. Work with her. Let her bring your work to life.
Leslie . Dec 14, 2015

I first met Deborah at a blogging group she both organized and facilitated. She skillfully facilitated the group, as well as supported members with varied needs with both ease and grace. Deborah encouraged, and coaxed this reluctant blogger to engage with writing in a way I had not before. I would recommend her highly, and have plans to engage her support in the future. Thank you Deb!

Replied to Leslie . - Dec 17, 2015
Leslie, I know you have been cultivating a book for years and I look forward to seeing the day it is released into the world. Your blogging on the card of the day from your Oracle deck has been a resource for me. To release the wordsmith and storyteller in each person was all I ever wanted to do at our weekly meeting and success, A LOT of writing got done, books got published, and sites got fresh content that reflected the person people might meet. My kind of writing: Authentic and Congruent. :)
Lyn A. Sep 11, 2012

If Deborah had been my English teacher through grade school and high school, I would have embraced my authentic voice a long time ago and quite frankly - my life would have been a lot different. Her service isn't technically therapy - but how can it not be when you start hearing your deepest voice? Writing is healing -at least for me, and I find that very fun and satisfying. Deborah is multi-skilled as a writing coach. The one skill most helpful to me was her constant open - hearted encouragement towards me as an aspiring writer. She constantly insisted that I listen to my own authentic voice, that I share my gift with the world. I love the confidence she has in herself. It gave me permission to have confidence in my own voice. I worked with Deborah for 3 months, using her private coaching service. I was impressed with her eye for pulling out the best phrases, words and key ideas within an essay. My suggestion for improvement is that during the one hour sessions with her, that half the time be spent in "hands - on" for actually writing, not talking about writing techniques or things to write about at home. Then I could have seen immediately if the ideas worked for me. It was too easy to leave the session and not actually "do" what she suggested. This is what I will do next time I work with her.

Replied to Lyn A. - Sep 11, 2012
Dear Lyn. Everything you ever wrote after we spent time together was a joy to read. You are a better writer than you ever saw yourself as, but I saw it and I see it still. We have more work to do and I look forward to it. That book of yours wants to be written! Thank you.
Gerald G. Sep 4, 2012

Deborah Drake is incredible! I was first introduced to Deb over a year ago, after she invited me to be a part of her weekly writing group we affectionately called Tuesdays with Deborah or better known to us as A Writers Support Group for Reticent Bloggers. She created a safe haven for writers and bloggers to incubate their ideas and share thoughts weekly. Which turned out to be some of the best inspiration, not only for my writing, but for my business as well. I have also had the opportunity to work with her on my first book, The Art of Working for Yourself which she was my editor and voice on my shoulder, helping me get out of my own way. I have to thank her for helping me keep my writing voice as the project went along. As tough as the process sometimes was for me, Deb was pivotal in making sure I stayed on track and helped me flush out ideas from the cover to my bio. I would work with her again in a heartbeat. What more can I say, Deb is good at what she does.

Replied to Gerald G. - Sep 4, 2012
To work with someone who is open and willing to try what is suggested and love what results AND whose idea for a book is born of their core values is always a pleasure and working with you again is something I look forward to! Thanks for sharing your experience of our collaboration on your first of three books! Your first book is an easy and inspiring read that conveys who you are and what you champion with heartfelt savvy and direct personal experience. And all your marketing (the website, the video trailer) looks fabulous!
Mike M. Sep 4, 2012

This is from the acknowledgments portion of my book, The Athlete within You a mental approach to sports and business. As you will learn, this book has been thirty-two years in development. If not for my good friend and writing coach, Deborah Drake it would still be a half completed pile of paper. Her encouragement and nurturing through the writing process has not only changed my writing, but changed me.

Replied to Mike M. - Sep 4, 2012
Your project was especially meaningful for me to be part of. A dusty manuscript that deserved publication 30 years ago it is no more! I look forward to the companion pieces and products you author and publish in the future. Self-publishing ourselves is the way to go and supporting you from start to finish in record time for your conference appearance was a Wild Ride I would do all over again!
Donald B. Sep 3, 2012

For two years Deb facilitated a weekly Writers Circle (now known as Tuesdays With Deborah - please Google it). Thanks to her gentle and encouraging persistence I went from non-blogger to blogger. We got to know each other and I shared my second book with her (Résumés That Resume Careers) and we decided to co-author a much-expanded second edition (Burn Your Résumé! You Need a Professional Profile. http://amzn.to/GDwKYo). What Deb brought to the second edition is significant: a. the subtitle and expanded focus of this edition (Winning the Inner and Outer Game of Finding Work or New Business), b. the elements of how to play an effective Inner Game, c. an additional focus on Solopreneurs, d. editing and layout of the books interior using EndDesign, e. sourcing and managing graphic artist for cover design, f. coordination with the printer, and g. website maintenance and update, and h. marketing and related workshops, which we are doing together. Thanks to Deb a number of authors now have books in print, and in the near future she and I will add a Kindle version of Burn Your Resume! to our offerings, and others will follow. She has my total, 100% endorsement.

Replied to Donald B. - Sep 3, 2012
Thank you for the generous and kind and complimentary words! Working with you is a prime example of working with an ideal client and collaborator--as we both support and challenge each other to produce high quality content and stay true to the mission and purpose. To be part of the creation process from A to Z is one of my favorite scenarios.Collaborating with you as I do these days is something I always look forward to. ~ Deb

Q&A

How did you get started doing this type of work?

My current role as a writing mentor/coach, editor and self-publishing specialist who champions marketing well in advance of publications comes from taking the cumulative twenty years of skills developed through work in journalism, publishing, pre-press/printing, advertising and print production and business development and sales. Writing and self-expression is near and dear to my heart and has been since I was a young girl of nine. I wanted to be in publishing from the beginning. I took a circuitous route but for good reasons in hindsight. I am more than a writer and editor. I love honest, candid, authentic self-promotion and teach it well also. I went solo in late 2007 and took it to full-time and specialized work in spring of 2010 and am grateful to do what I do as my livelihood.

What types of customers have you worked with?

Developmental Editing and Manuscript Development with copyediting and proofreading Ghostwriting and blogging and developing a client's Authentic Voice for writing and self-expression (with genuine enthusiasm for it. Creating an Editorial Game Plan for blogging and writing and the marketing of it through classical and guerilla marketing strategies and enthusiasm for being consistent. Developing True Confidence and the Authentic Writing Voice of clients that allows for writing to be done with more ease and efficiency. Project coordination of blog development, self-publishing projects and marketing campaigns.

What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?

It is critical that there be easy and "Good chemistry" from the start for me. I aim to connect quickly, work efficiently and assimilate the intentions and agenda of my clients swiftly. Relationships take time but the foundation for a good one from the beginning is either present or not. Trying to work together with someone we hesitate to share with is counter-intuitive but we do it more often than we consciously realize. I am candid from the first conversation and diplomatic as well. I appreciate clarity and direction and realize that flexibility is also important to maintain good flow. I consider myself strong at getting attuned to a client quickly and identifying strengths and good ideas clearly. I work fast when we are in the flow.

What questions should customers think through before talking to professionals about their project?

I would like my prospective clients to know how much I value clear and creative and authentic self-expression. I would like them to understand that good writing and self-expression can be learned and mastered as we get clear and congruent in our values, goals, our natural motivations. I would like it to be understood that we also cannot ever be 100% objective about our own creations. We can cultivate being detached and open to feedback after the fact OR we can include an editor to be constructively involved in the creation process. A book or blog or article we write won't be perfect at first, even when it is close. An editor be it a professional or a friend reading and responding honestly before "publishing" important work that personally brands us and sets the tone and reputation is a smart business practice. In my humble opinion...