Client Achievements
The North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) announced that Jayme Otto, Boulder, Colorado, won 1st place in the 2010 annual awards competition in the Cultural, Educational, Self-Improvement Travel category for her piece entitled "Transformational Travel" in Breathe magazine, and 1st place in the Personality and Profiles category for her piece entitled "The Healing Power of Running" in Women's Running magazine. NATJA received more than 500 submissions.
Behind the Mike:30 Years in Radio by Dave Pratt, Paradise Valley, Arizona, received The Arizona Book Publishing Association' s most prestigious award for excellence in publishing, the Glyph. Pratt is a long-time Valley radio personality and Arizona Broadcasting Hall of Fame member.
The debut collect, The West in You, by Carol Test, Phoenix, Arizona, was a 2010 finalist for the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction.
Susie Lindau, Niwot, Colorado, received two Salon editor's picks within a week of launching her blog, "300 Sunny Days in Colorado."
Nicole Apel, Flagstaff, Arizona, had a piece of flash fiction, "Yours," published in The Molotov Cocktail.
Cyndy Baker, Boulder, Colorado, was contacted by Salon.com to repost one of her blog entries as an article on its website. You can visit her blog directly at boulderhousewife.com.
Ron Mitchell, Phoenix, Arizona, has finished his novel and is traveling to West Africa for a few months to dream and write. www.ronmitchelladventure.wordpress.com.
Andrew Erlich, Paradise Valley, Arizona, presented "Yoga and Creativity" in August at One Yoga Studio in Scottsdale. Andy is the author of The Long Shadows, a fictional biography of his uncle Jake, who was at one time the world's tallest man.
Renee Rivers, Scottsdale, Arizona, placed among the top three finalists in a national contest sponsored by Southwest Writers. An essay she worked on in my class was a finalist for a Tin House literary award. Both pieces were from her memoir about living in Alaska.
Mary Purvis, Phoenix, Arizona, was flown to Africa by the Kenya Tourist Office to finish up research on her memoir, As I Go I Am Wearing You. She was accepted for the juried trip based on excerpts of her manuscript.
Coaching, Editing & Publicity
Welcome! I am a Colorado-based fiction author, writing coach and freelance writer. I founded and direct The Boulder Writers' Workshop, a community writing organizations with more than 400 members that offers regular instructional workshops and writing classes in Boulder and the North Denver Metro Area. I also founded and direct Associated Writing Coaches, the first professional organization for writing coaches.
I bring a broad background in business marketing, professional writing and college teaching to my work with clients.
As a writing coach, editor and publicist , I work with writers of all abilities to foster their command of craft and storytelling. I assist them in developing better business strategies, such as writing book proposals and developing marketing plans.
Coaching and editing specialities:
- Business articles and books
- How-to books
- Memoir and autobiography
- Creative nonfiction essays and books
- Novels, genre or literary
- Family histories
- How-to books
- Historical books and articles
- Science writing
- Academic dissertations and papers
- Spirituality and self-help essays and books
My writing services range from freelancing for magazines to ghostwriting books. My areas of expertise include art, architecture, business, history, sustainability, health, technology and parenting.
Writing specialties:
- Magazine articles
- Annual reports
- Press releases
- Website copy
- Book proposals
- Jacket copy
- Bios
- Catalog copy
- Radio spots
- Advertisements
I have more than a thousand published articles and essays in venues ranging from Arizona Highways to The New York Times. My books include The Insiders' Guide to Phoenix. I've edited several magazines and academic journals. I've given numerous workshops and have taught at the college and university level.
I am a member of Boulder Media Women and Linked In's Book Publishing Professionals.
All the best,
Lori
Upcoming Workshops
Photo: Allison M. Fleetwood Jr.
"I whole heartedly recommend Lori DeBoer as a writing coach. Her creativity, intellect, skill, experience, vision, commitment and kindness helped to take my book from a concept to a reality. Our sessions are not only useful, but fun. She gently pushed me to find the writer within and relentlessly worked to give him an effective, meaningful voice."
Andrew Erlich, Ph.D.
The Long Shadows
“I was a new writer when I met Lori in 2008 at the Boulder Writers' Workshop that she'd started. Through her expert guidance, I was able to gain the skills and confidence needed to write and publish a book, a life-long goal of mine. I now make my living as an editor and writer for a technical website. Lori not only has always been a mentor and teacher, she's become a friend. She delivers just the right combination of encouragement and constructive feedback, giving us the motivation we need to continue to grow as writers.”
Yvette Francino
The Laptop Dancer Diaries
"With Lori DeBoer as my writing coach, I landed an assistant editor job at a local magazine, which turned into a managing editor position, and have been getting freelance feature assignments at major national magazines. Whether you're working on a memoir, or doing more journalistic work like me, she can help you construct a compelling, salable story."
Jayme Moye
Managing Editor, Elevation Outdoors
"Lori's magic words of writing wisdom came at just the right time in the development of my memoir. She helped me see where the story had been hiding all along! Lori understands narrative structure a nd helped me bring that alive in my book."
Linda Tate, Ph.D.
Power in the Blood: A Family Narrative
“After enjoying a couple of Lori’s creative writing classes, from which several of my articles were published, I decided to write a novel and hired her as my coach. Lori ventures beyond professional editing with an enthusiastic presentation of ideas and possibilities. She builds an effective relationship with the writer without imposing her personal style. Lori encourages my individual voice and enhances the discovery of the depths of my characters. She guides me through learning advanced techniques of storytelling in a personable manner. Because of Lori’s expertise and individual mentoring, I am currently working on “The End” of my first novel. Her approach to coaching and mentoring truly makes writing a fun experience.”
Ron Mitchell
Not Worthy
“I’ve known Lori DeBoer for about a dozen years, since I was managing editor at Phoenix magazine. I always knew a story was in good hands when I assigned it to Lori. Even then, she was a talented writer and a consummate professional. Since then, Lori has never stopped working on her craft. She is particularly skilled at narrative non-fiction, writing true stories using fiction techniques like dialog, setting and dramatic tension—an approach that is both demanding and hard to do well. She has honed the equally difficult skill of drawing out those qualities in other people. She has an unerring sense of what a story needs and a gentle way of guiding those she works with. She also has a keen business sense. Lori has become one of a handful of people whom I consult on a wide variety of issues, whether I need another pair of eyes on a story or am looking for help putting together a book proposal. I have found her incredibly generous with her time and contacts. If she doesn’t know the answer she knows someone who does, and she’s always glad to put me in touch. This help has been invaluable to me.”
Kathy Montgomery
Boulder Book Store Workshop
"Fast and Focused Writing"
October 15, 2011, 2 pm
Boulder Bookstore, 1107 Pearl St.
Most writers have more projects than they do time. In this workshop, writers of all genres will learn strategies for optimizing their writing sessions. We’ll talk about ways to write faster, including dealing with distractions, overcoming writer’s block, planning for performance and maintaining focus.
Lori DeBoer (www.lorideboer.com) is the director of The Boulder Writers’ Workshop. As a writing coach, she has helped hundreds get published and win awards in memoir, fiction, screenwriting and journalism. She has an MFA in Creative Writing. Her essays and articles have appeared in Creative Nonfiction, The New York Times, Mamaphonic and elsewhere. Her awards include a top-25 finalist from Glimmer Train for short fiction.
Tickets are $30 and space is limited!
Reminder: This workshop is a Boulder Book Store sponsored event and you MUST preregister and prepay at the store, either in person at 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, or by phone at 304-447-2074. $30 per person.
