You still want to write. Something just won’t let you.
Coaching sessions for romance writers who’ve been stuck a lot longer than they’d like to admit.
1:1 virtual coaching sessions from the comfort of your home.
Are you a romance writer struggling with writer’s block, second-guessing every scene, or wondering whether you can pull it off, either for the first time or all over again?
You’re in the right place!
I Work With
- Newer romance writers who have a story they can’t stop thinking about but worry they aren’t good enough to finish it.
- Published and bestselling authors carrying the pressure to top the last book, meet reader expectations, or prove they can do it again.
- Writers who freeze at the vulnerable scene, keep rewriting the opening, or avoid the moment their story needs most.
- Writers who used to love writing and can’t understand why sitting down at the page feels so hard now.
Some blocks are about plot, structure, time, or craft. This work is for the ones that feel more like fear, shame, pressure, or freeze.
Hi, I’m Dana.
Certified life coach, certified Brainspotting practitioner, romance author, and founder of Sparks & Swoons Coaching.
I know what it’s like to have a story in your head and feel your whole system pull away when it’s time to put it on the page.
I also know that the pressure doesn’t necessarily disappear once you’re published. Sometimes it gets louder. A difficult review, disappointing release, looming deadline, or fear that you can’t do it again can follow you straight into the next manuscript. Sometimes it’s life events that hold you back: grief of a loved one, relationship loss, or chronic illness.
Through Sparks & Swoons Coaching, I help romance writers get curious about what’s happening beneath the block. Together, we listen for what your inner self may be trying to protect you from and help you reconnect with the story you want to tell.
I won’t tell you how to write your book or hand you another productivity system. You already know more than you think you do.
We’re here to help you access it.
If you’re tired of staring at the same chapter, avoiding the scene that matters, or wondering where your spark went, I see you.
Let’s help you find your way back into the story.
HOW A SESSION WORKS
Bring the block, not the outline
You come with the scene you keep avoiding, the chapter you’ve rewritten nine times, or the deadline that tightens your chest. We don’t analyze your manuscript. We start with what happens in your body when you think about it.
Find the brainspot
Where you look changes what you can feel and reach. Together we find the eye position that connects to the block — and we stay there.
Let your system do the work
This is the part writers don’t expect. I’m not talking you through it or handing you a technique. I hold steady, focused attention while your own brain does the processing. You stay awake, eyes open, and in charge the whole time.
Return to the page
We ground before we finish, and your brain does the rest over the next couple of days. Blocks have shifts and momentum can continue.
“I’d recently lost my father and was struggling, so I reached out right away. It was the best move ever. Just one session helped me with my grief. A second session helped me dig out of a creative hole. I highly recommend Dana and Brainspotting.”
Melissa McClone
USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Story Breakthrough Intensives
Three hours of focused Brainspotting for the block beneath the writing block
Your writing may be where you notice the problem, but the block may be connected to money wounds, grief, burnout, imposter syndrome, visibility fears, criticism, or the pressure to succeed.
This isn’t story coaching. We won’t troubleshoot your plot or tell you what to write. We’ll focus on what’s making it difficult to create, publish, promote, earn, or stay connected to your work.
The three-hour format gives us time to stay with one meaningful block without rushing—and to see where it leads.
Let’s Make Getting Unstuck Simple
Book a Free 15-Minute Call
Tell me what’s happening with your writing, ask questions, and see whether this approach feels like a good fit.
Choose Your Session
Begin with a Story Breakthrough Session or choose an Intensive when your block needs more time and space.
Find Your Way Back In
Your brain does the processing. We pay attention to what changes, and to the next thing you feel ready to write.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Brainspotting?
Where you look affects what you can feel and reach. In a session, we find an eye position that connects to what you’re carrying, and hold focused attention there while your own brain does the processing. You stay awake and in charge the whole time. It was developed by Dr. David Grand.
Is this therapy?
No. These sessions are personal and creative coaching — not psychotherapy, counseling, or medical treatment. I don’t diagnose or treat mental health conditions here, and coaching is not a substitute for therapy. If something surfaces that belongs in a therapy room, I’ll say so and help you find the right person.
Do I need to know what my block is before we start?
No. “I freeze every time I get to the love scene” or “I’ve been rewriting chapter one for three years” is plenty to work with. Finding out what sits underneath it is part of the work.
Will you read my manuscript or help me fix my plot?
No. This isn’t story coaching or editing. I won’t troubleshoot your outline or tell you what to write. We work on what’s making it hard to create, publish, promote, earn, or stay connected to your work.
What if I get emotional?
That happens, and it’s encouraged. Emotions coming out allows the brain to release what it’s been holding. We go at your pace, you can pause or stop at any point, and we ground before we finish. Nothing is forced and nothing is rushed.
I’m neurodivergent. Is this going to work for me?
Yes, and you don’t have to mask here! Brains are all different and that is not something to “correct.” Fidget, stim, move, hum, close your eyes, take a break, hold onto your safe stuffie, lower the lights in your space, tell me when a phrasing isn’t landing — none of that interrupts the work. Brainspotting also fits well in a practical way: your gaze rests on a pointer or a spot in your space, not on my face, so there’s no eye contact to manage while you’re processing.
I can almost never focus on my brainspotter when I’m doing the work because it always makes me want to cry – it’s just too intense for my AuDHD self, and that’s totally okay!
How long is a session, and what are my options?
A Story Breakthrough Session is a single focused one-hour session that can be scheduled one-time or as needed. A Story Breakthrough Intensive runs three hours long, for a block that needs more room or needs to process more quickly. We’ll talk through which one fits on the free 15-minute call.
Do we meet in person or online?
Online, by video, from wherever you are! Brainspotting works well virtually. You’ll need a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted, a device you can see clearly, and headphones or stereo speakers. I use bilateral music during the session — sound that moves back and forth between your ears — and headphones give the clearest separation.
Do I have to be published?
No. I work with writers who haven’t finished a first draft and with authors many books in. The block doesn’t care about your backlist.
Is this right for everyone?
No, and I’d rather say so up front. If you’re in crisis, managing active trauma symptoms, thinking about self-harm, or what you actually want is to process trauma, coaching isn’t the right container — I’ll point you toward licensed clinicians instead. Some blocks are also about craft, time, or life load. This work is for the ones that feel like fear, shame, pressure, or freeze.
How many sessions will I need?
There’s no set number. Some writers come once for one specific block; others work through a short arc of sessions, or come back when something new shows up. We’ll talk about what makes sense for you rather than committing you to a package up front.