Hi, I’m Wendy Vaizey
I'm a writer, educator and accredited book coach who believes writing is a wild and transformative act.
After more than a decade teaching and leading MA and MFA Creative Writing courses at Kingston University, London, I decided to focus on the part of the work I love best: working closely with writers and their manuscripts.
Along the way, I completed an AHRC-funded MA and a PhD in Critical and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. I've worked with writers at many stages of their development, from their first novels to their MFA and PhD projects, through university teaching, online workshops and manuscript mentoring.
Rather than beginning with line-level detail, I tend to start with the wider architecture of a manuscript: its shape, movement and relationship with the reader. Once those foundations are in place, the finer work becomes clearer and more purposeful.
I'm London-based but have worked with many writers from the US and around the world.
BACKGROUND & EXPERIENCE
My Approach
Dream it
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you have an idea for a novel. Maybe you’ve written a few chapters, but don’t know where to go with it, or maybe you’ve even written a full draft but somehow it’s not working as you imagined, or you have no idea if it’s any good. My job isn’t to write the book for you, but to provide a safe, transformative container for your book project, giving you structure, direction and accountability.
Who I work with
I work with writers in the UK, the US and internationally via Zoom. I am especially drawn to literary and upmarket fiction, particularly projects that are intellectually curious or formally ambitious. My academic and teaching background also means I enjoy working with academics and other professional thinkers who are moving into fiction. I work with first-time novelists and more experienced writers who are looking for informed, engaged feedback and a thoughtful conversation about their work.
Build it
I offer a flagship 5-week package to develop and structure your book idea, and 3- or 6-month coaching packages, which can include development of a pitch strategy and guidance on navigating the path to publication at the appropriate stage.
Through Author Accelerator, I have earned certification in my work as a book coach. Read more here about the benefits of working with an Author Accelerator Book Coach
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), recognising leadership and expertise in university teaching and learning.
PhD in Critical and Creative Writing
Over a decade of teaching and leading MA and MFA Creative Writing courses at Kingston University, London, during a period in which it was voted London’s leading Creative Writing programme.
Alongside coaching and teaching, I have published short fiction and written across literary, academic, journalistic, and commissioned contexts.
Reviews
“I worked with Wendy for many years and the feedback she gives students on their work is excellent. She understands all the elements that go to make a great novel. Students at Kingston always spoke in the highest terms about Wendy's teaching, as did external examiners. She will offer you superb support as you write your novel.”
— Adam Baron, bestselling, award-winning novelist“I was fortunate to have Wendy coach me when I began drafting my first novel and am so grateful for all her expertise in guiding me through the process. Wendy uses thoughtful exercises and planning tools which helped me reflect on my motivation, goals and approach to the novel, including a detailed novel blueprint that helped me understand plot, character and structure more clearly. Here, I had to focus on specific details of the plot progression and my characters to understand how events link, plots twist and gain an overall sense of my novel. The Pitch Package stage later in the process turned to how I would pitch my novel and to which agents, an area I needed a lot of help in. Wendy did a phenomenal job of researching suitable agents whose interests aligned with my novel and provided clear guidance on submissions and pitching. She also gave me detailed feedback on my drafts and the online coaching meetings via zoom were a helpful space to discuss any questions I had and receive feedback. Wendy’s approach is supportive, encouraging and firm. She provides incisive and detailed feedback based on her coaching skills complemented by her knowledge and expertise as a creative writer and academic having taught and supervised creative writing students at postgraduate level. If you’re thinking of writing a novel, I highly recommend Wendy as your Book Coach. Her guidance helped me feel more confident and clearer about both my novel and the path toward publication.”
— Marina, novelist“Wendy is a joy to work with. She provided prompt, professional, intelligent and extremely useful written feedback on my manuscript. This was followed up with an online meeting in which we discussed her feedback and my resulting ideas in greater depth and which left me feeling reassured, confident and excited about putting the feedback into action in my novel. She provided a clear rationale for her suggestions and even listed out action points to help structure the work I might want to undertake in response to her feedback Highly recommended!”
— Su, novelist