coaching & editing.
EVERY WRITER DESERVES A COMPASSIONATE WITNESSI work one-on-one with narrative nonfiction writers—and authors of guided journals, essay collections, story-driven business books, and hybrid projects. With structural precision and steady companionship, I help you see what's already working and release what's in the way, then chart a path forward as you bring clarity to what you're making.
“Together, we slow down and follow the golden thread that makes your work uniquely yours.”
What this work offers.
You may have an emerging story, but can't name its arc. You may have a full-length manuscript that’s not quite delivering on its potential, but you’re unsure why. You may be flummoxed by the feedback to include tender personal stories in your business or research-based non-fiction book, and need guidance to move forward.
One-on-one work offers what courses and workshops simply can't: next steps tailored to your exact situation, such as:
Structural review — I reflect what's working and why, so you can see patterns you're too close to notice (like a recurring motif, or a theme that wants to be your throughline).
Strategic guidance — Together, we cull, rearrange, and add connective tissue to your collective work. I help you find a flow or arc that carries the whole book or essay.
Emotional excavation — We zoom in on the small, overlooked moments, reveal what your story is really about, and build space or tension around them.
Steady presence — I hold space for you—not just the writing, or the practice, but the doubts. The breakthroughs. The resistance that means you're close to telling something true.
We can go beyond traditional memoir manuscripts.
Purposeful truth-telling—I'm particularly drawn to projects that hold tender material in a compressed format: micro-memoirs within non-fiction or business books, poetry collections, guided journals, and visually-driven hybrid formats.
Here, you share personal truths with a purpose: to invite others to see themselves anew. These projects need a guide who can embody vulnerability with you and laser-focus on keeping the writing tight—and that's where I thrive.
This level of partnership requires deep trust and a willingness to get very, very honest. But if you're drawn to it, you already have what it takes to create beautiful work.
Consider this partnership a good fit if:
You're writing memoir, personal essays, or narrative nonfiction—and you have material to work with, even if it's messy or incomplete.
You feel stuck, overwhelmed, or too close to see your story's shape. You sense there's an arc, but you can't name it yet.
You're willing to be guided. You don't need formulas or shortcuts—you want someone to see what you can't see and help you get there.
You're open to significant revision, including cutting material that doesn't serve the story. You understand that good work often ends up on the cutting room floor—not because it's bad, but because it doesn't fit.
You know why telling personal stories matters, even if you're still discovering when and how to tell them.
You want a partner who's as invested in your manuscript as you are—someone who will be honest, specific, and deeply attuned to what your story needs.
If writing gives you the jitters, you belong here.
Who this work is for.
If you're not sure you're ready:
One-on-one work works best when you have some material written (messy first drafts included) and a persistent yearning for this work to exist (even if you can’t explain why).
If you're early in your process, consider starting with the Wonder Journal, Tiny Shifts to Joy, or the free audio series to build your foundation for transformational small-moment storytelling.
A recent collaboration.
Last year, I worked with two authors to co-create Interval Paper: The Good Enough Guide: 14 Ways to Thrive in a World that Always Demands More—a 53-page guided journal that helps readers navigate vulnerable territory through prompts and practices.
The authors came with a thoughtful first draft and a clear vision: they wanted to:
Create a safe space for others to explore persistent struggles and tender places.
Shape the arc and the connective tissue—an introduction, author bios, and the chapters they sensed were missing.
Together, we identified the book's emotional throughline, applied structural edits—from minimalist dialogue to ample line breaks, and revealed the authors’ collective voice, spare, courageous, and caring.
The result is a slim, potent book that does exactly what they envisioned: a small, physical space where readers can inquire about overwhelm without creating more overwhelm—and make a Good Enough life for themselves.
This is the kind of intimate, trusting partnership I love to offer, and I'm looking for more projects like it.
How we work together.
Whether you need a single focused session or a sustained partnership through revision, we can co-create a pathway that meets you where you are and frees you from isolation and frustration.
Path 1: Book a single session.
These focused sessions are designed to help with one small yet significant shift—whether you're working on a manuscript, building a creative practice, or rewriting the story you've been telling yourself about what's possible.
A focused conversation to help you work through a sticking point in your writing practice or project. I listen to what you're saying without saying it, so you can move forward with honesty and sustainability. You’ll receive a summary with customized steps and resources after our call.
This session is right for you if:
You're circling a decision about your project
You’ve gotten stuck on structure or scope
You're feeling overwhelmed by being pulled in many directions
You need an outside perspective on what's already working.
Option 1:
For people rewriting the story they tell themselves about what's possible. We identify the small moments where you've felt most aligned, name the limiting narratives that keep you circling, and create language tools—sentence stems, frameworks, even draft proposals—to help you move toward what's calling you.
This session is right for you if:
You've taken the Wonder Journal or Tiny Shifts to Joy
You want personalized guidance on translating those insights into concrete changes
You're ready to author a new chapter of your life and need support finding the words.
Option 2:
I read your short-form manuscript (essay, chapter, or full draft) and provide a 2-3 page written assessment that identifies your strengths, outlines next steps, and offers kind yet specific guidance for revision. This service includes sentences you can use for hooks or query letters if you're ready for that stage.
Optional: add a 30-minute follow-up Zoom session to discuss the assessment.
This session is right for you if:
You have a draft and need clear direction on what to do next
You can’t put your finger on what it needs to sing, or send the main message home
You work best one-on-one with a compassionate professional
You aren’t interested in in-line edits (yet) but want detailed feedback
You want a blend of encouragement, perspective, and concrete steps
Option 3:
What can you expect from a single session?
Writing sessions have helped people:
See the theme hiding in 50+ micro-essays
Shift where the story begins
Compare framing devices—strictly chronological or with flash-forwards and flash-backs?
Name a sequence of truly doable next steps
Grieve: everything from creating things that didn’t work, to the pain your past self experienced (and they’re now writing about)
Find relief and renewed energy
Life alignment sessions have helped people:
Answer, “What am I being called to do?” and “How do I feel, and how do I want to feel?”
Draft bullet points for work that’s aligned and alive
Rehearse difficult conversations with their managers, editors, partners, parents, or children
Consider not doing what drains them, even if others love or rely on this particular service or line of work
Slow down
Name bite-sized, concrete next steps
These sessions aren't quick fixes—they illuminate your compass when you’re alone in the dark. The light shifts what you repeat: you see better and take steadier steps.
Path 2: Manuscript collaboration & co-writing.
For projects of broader scope or more complex layers—shaping a book's structure, revising a full manuscript, or co-writing sections—I create custom proposals.
These collaborations typically include:
Initial manuscript read and seeing the shape of your manuscript
A series of working sessions (via Zoom or asynchronous feedback) to chart your revision path
Ongoing editorial guidance as you revise, with specific attention to emotional throughline and craft
For co-writing projects: collaborative drafting of sections in your voice, including introductions, connective tissue, or chapters that need to exist but haven't been written yet
Your investment. It will range from $1,200 to $20,000+, depending on word count, project stage, and level of collaboration. Smaller projects, such as guided journals or workbooks, typically fall in the $1,200- $3,500 range, while full-length manuscripts requiring extensive collaboration tend to be higher.
This might be a good fit if you:
Have material to work with (even if messy or incomplete)
Know your story matters, even if you're still discovering how to tell it
Are willing to be guided through significant revision, including cuts
Want a partner who's as invested in the manuscript as they are
Are ready for sustained collaboration over weeks or months
If this description resonates with you, you are standing on a threshold.
The next step is to send a written inquiry.
Here’s what our collaboration looks like.
We follow one rule: trust the process of emergence.
Our collaboration isn’t about formulas or aggressive timelines. It's about sustained attention to what your work needs, paired with steady companionship as you bring it into being.
Every collaboration includes ongoing support between sessions; you're never alone with the questions that arise.
And at the end, you'll receive a small surprise in the mail as a thank-you for trusting me with your work.
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I read your work with full attention—not to fix it, but to understand what it's trying to become. I notice the patterns, recurring images, and moments that carry the most weight.
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For Coaching: Come as you are. It can help to note your questions, your confusion, or simply where you're stuck.
For Editorial Assessment: Send your manuscript (up to 10,000 words for the base price) at least one week before we schedule any follow-up call.
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I create a roadmap tailored to your manuscript and your process. This might mean returning to write fresh material. It might also mean restructuring, deepening certain scenes, cutting material that doesn't serve, or identifying what's missing.
We break everything into manageable steps.
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As you work, I stay steady. We meet for sessions (live or asynchronous), and I respond to drafts with specificity and honesty. When you feel stuck, we pause and recalibrate. When something new emerges, we follow it.
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Revision shows you what the story actually is, not what you thought it would be. I help you stay open to that while keeping what's true intact.
FAQs
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I suggest you choose Writing & Creative Practice Coaching if you need to talk through a challenge, decision, or sticking point about your manuscript or writing practice.
Choose Life Alignment Coaching if you're translating creative insights into life changes or rewriting limiting stories about what's possible.
And choose Editorial Assessment if you have written material and need specific feedback on what's working and what to revise.
Still not sure? Email me at hello@rumitsuchihashi.com and I'll help you decide.
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For Coaching: Come as you are. Bring your questions, your confusion, or simply a sense of where you're stuck.
For Editorial Assessment: Send your manuscript (up to 10,000 words for the base price) at least one week before we schedule any follow-up call.
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That's completely normal. If you're earlier in your process or want to experience my teaching first, start with the Wonder Journal (a one-hour workshop, $50) or the free audio series. You can always come back to one-on-one work when you're ready.
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Yes. Many writers start with a single session before deciding whether to pursue manuscript collaboration. There's no pressure to continue—these sessions stand on their own.
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Life happens. If you need to reschedule, just let me know, and we'll find a new time.
Please note that I ask for 48 hours’ notice to avoid a cancellation fee.
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For Editorial Assessments, yes—I'm happy to split the investment into two payments.
For Coaching Sessions (both writing and life alignment), payment is due in full at booking.
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Not at all. Many writers come to me with fragments, scenes, essays, journals, or simply a sense of the story. We start exactly where you are.
For single sessions, you can come with questions and no pages. If you’re seeking manuscript collaboration, you'll need some material to work with—even if it's messy or incomplete.
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More than okay—that's often where the most meaningful work begins. Together, we find the shape by paying attention to the patterns and moments that reveal what matters most. Not knowing your arc isn't a barrier; it's part of the process.ription
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Then you especially belong here. Your voice, exactly as it is, is enough to begin. Many of my clients arrive with this same doubt—and discover through our work together that the question itself was keeping them stuck.
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Choose one-on-one work if you have material you're working on and want personalized guidance specific to your project.
Choose a course (Wonder Journal, Tiny Shifts to Joy) if you're building your foundation, want community, or are exploring the practice before committing to deeper work. You can always move from one to the other.
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Memoir, personal essays, narrative nonfiction, guided journals, workbooks, and hybrid projects. If you're writing from lived experience—whether confessional or not—we can work together.
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My work centers on developmental editing—shaping the structure, themes, and emotional logic of your story.
When line-level refinement is helpful (finding the right word, tightening a sentence, enhancing rhythm), I'll guide you there with specificity.
But I don't do copyediting (grammar, punctuation, style consistency.) That comes later in your process, and I can guide you to an array of resources fhat fit your budget.
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Writing groups offer community and peer feedback. I offer precision tailored to your specific manuscript and sustained companionship through your revision process.
I see patterns you can't see, help you make structural decisions, and stay with you over time as the work evolves. It's intimate, focused, and designed around your project's unique needs.
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Yes, at the level of preparing your manuscript and shaping your project for publication. Query letters, book proposals, and strategic next steps can be part of our work together, depending on your goals. I don't act as an agent, but I can help you get ready for that stage.
“Rumi is a gem. She has a calm and deeply thoughtful presence that helps you ease into telling your story authentically.”
— Marci Tonnemacher
“Rumi is an incredible guide for noticing what happens when we shift our focus and see what really matters.”
— Caroline Harveyabout your guide.
Rumi Tsuchihashi (she/her) is the author of three books of small, true stories, including I Want This For You: Mothering What Matters Most, a finalist for the Tucson Festival of Books Literary Award. She is an experienced book editor of personal narrative and poetry who champions works that elevate everyday life. Her micro-memoir, “Where Our Palms Touch,” has appeared in the New York Times column, Modern Love.
Ready to begin?
If you've read this far, something in you is stirring.
Maybe it's clarity about what you need. Maybe it's hope that this kind of partnership exists. Maybe it's simply recognition—oh, this is what I've been looking for.
Trust that feeling.
Your story matters. The work of shaping it with care—slowly, thoughtfully, in partnership—is worthy of your time and investment. You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to be willing to begin.
For single sessions, book directly, and we'll meet soon.
For manuscript collaboration, please take a moment to submit your inquiry. Let it be a reflective practice, not a rushed application. Write from the place that knows why this story needs to exist.
Either way, I'm here for you.
