Meet Sara Letourneau

We were lucky to catch up with Sara Letourneau recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sara, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

By engaging with it whenever I can. As an entrepreneur (a book coach and editor), it’s very easy to focus so much on nurturing the creativity of the writers, authors, and poets I work with that I can lose sight of my own projects. And because my schedule is different by the day and by the week, it’s important for me to practice flexibility and kindness toward myself. If it’s not possible for me to work on my writing after work one night, or if I feel drained, that’s OK. I’ll have time to do it another night that week, and I almost always have time during the weekends to write and engage my creativity.

Coming back to how I keep my creativity alive: It happens in a few ways. I try to go for walks whenever I can. Even a half-hour walk in my neighborhood after work or during a break allows my mind to relax, and often new ideas or solutions to a problem (like the exact revision I need to do to improve a poem) come to me. I always take my phone in case I need to jot something down in my Notes app or recording the words or ideas that are flowing to me using the Voice Recorder app. (Voice-to-text conversion is a great help with this, too!)

I also read almost every night. Usually, I’m reading a few poetry books and maybe a poetry anthology at one time, as well as one fiction or nonfiction book. Reading isn’t just educational or entertaining, depending on what I’m reading. It’s also a good way to stay immersed in language, see what inspires other writers, and discover what about their writings or experiences draws on my sense of empathy. (In other words, how do their writings make me feel?)

Finally, I don’t know how else to put it other than I keep my eyes and mind open to my experiences and the world around me. I’m usually not at a loss for poetry ideas; they’re constantly coming to me! I think I’ve learned to pay close attention to what inspires or fascinates me, and what makes me feel deeply. Once words and images for a poem idea come easily to me, I know I’m ready to write it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Professionally, I work as a writing coach and editor. I work with authors of fiction and nonfiction as well as poets, though fiction and nonfiction make up the bulk of my work right now. No matter what my writer clients are working on, I help them develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need so they can finish their manuscripts, polish them for publication, and stay focused and motivated as they reach for their writing goals.

I’m especially interested in respecting their vision and voice as the author, and I’ve had the opportunity to work on some amazing projects since I began this work in 2019. I’ve worked on fantasy and science fiction novels, memoirs, insightful self-help books, short story and essay collections, poetry chapbooks, and even personal development workbooks and affirmation card decks!

And, I’m a writer as well! I’m focusing on poetry right now, and my debut poetry collection, Wild Gardens, was published by Kelsay Books last year. Since then, I’ve been doing readings and other events to promote the book locally in Massachusetts (where I live) as well as in some of the neighboring states, like New Hampshire and Connecticut.

What’s Wild Gardens about? I wouldn’t say it’s “about” a single topic or theme. The natural world is one of the major themes, both what’s beautiful and precious about nature as well as the different challenges the environment is facing today. Other themes include place, travel, creativity, relationships, spirituality, and mental health. What I found while writing the poems in this book, and while organizing the book into its final form, is that many of the themes interweave throughout the book. So the reader will find poems where, say, the themes of nature and mental health intersect. So in a way, Wild Gardens serves as a reminder that everything in our lives is connected, and that it’s important for us to live with open eyes and an equally open heart.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Passion, patience, and persistence. If you’re creative, or if you’re an entrepreneur, you have an innate passion for what you do. So while I could say that creativity has been an impactful skill during my journey as well, having the strong desire to keep writing, revising, submitting my work, and learning about the skills in my editing and coaching work has kept my creativity alive.

As for patience and persistence? As a writer and an entrepreneur, I’ve experienced rejection countless times, as other people who do the same work have. So in many instances, I’ve had to maintain hope and trust that things will work out eventually, this poem will eventually find a good home in a journal or magazine, or (at the beginning of my coaching and editing career) I’d eventually find clients. And by continuing to hope and continuing to write, revise, submit my work, etc., I developed the persistence I needed to want to continue this career. Eventually, the nos turned into yesses, poems were published, other successes and opportunities unfolded, and my book became a reality.

Let me give a quick example: It took me almost two years to find a publisher for Wild Gardens. Talk about a test of a poet’s persistence and perseverance!

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?

I have a couple of ideal clients. First, there’s the author, poet, or writer who’s seeking an editor for their work. I specialize in speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, and magical realism), YA fiction, literary fiction, historical fiction, memoir, self-help books, business books, and poetry. And I especially enjoy working with writers who want to leave a positive impact on the world, create a more empathetic and caring world with their work, and aren’t afraid of being vulnerable with their readers.

If you’re looking for an editor who will care about your project as much as you do, respect your vision and your voice while doing their best to enhance them, and be transparent, trustworthy, and reliable – and if you write in the genres I mentioned a moment ago (or something that’s a hybrid of genres I mentioned) – I’d love to speak with you!

The other kind of ideal client is the author, writer, or poet who’s looking for accountability, clarity, and hands-on guidance as they’re working on their writing. Maybe they need a metaphorical fire lit underneath them so they can be more motivated and responsible for finishing their first draft. Or maybe they’re stuck in the middle of their project, and they need a professional’s insights so they can see what they’ve overlooked. Maybe they even need a pep talk now and then when imposter syndrome and other “writerly” doubts or fears cross their mind. A writer who’s open to feedback and advice, determined to see their project through, ready to put in the hard work, and looking to feel supported and nurtured in their craft is typically a great one as a coaching client.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://heartofthestoryeditorial.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sara_heartofthestory/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heartofthestoryeditorial
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-letourneau/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ViolettePoetry
• Other: Learn more about Sara’s poetry collection, Wild Gardens, and where you can buy it here: https://heartofthestoryeditorial.com/wild-gardens/

Image Credits

All photos where Sara is wearing the orange-red shirt were taken by Kristie Dean. All photos from Sara’s readings were taken by Jim Pappas.