Lauren Kay Johnson

Looking for support while you polish up that essay or complete a book manuscript? Need an extra set of eyes on a cover letter for your dream job or your college application? I offer individualized writing consultations and coaching on a one-to-one basis, covering a full range of services for a wide variety of nonfiction projects, including:

I appreciate how difficult it is to trust someone with the blood, sweat and tears of your writing. I see consulting as a collaborative effort and want to make sure I’m helping you work toward your goals in the best way possible. offers; sessions are tailored to meet the specific goals and needs of writers. I’m happy to work with writers of all skill levels and experience.

More About Me:

I have a background in journalism, which is where I fell in love with nonfiction writing and storytelling. I think real life people are fascinating! My own writing typically slants toward memoir and personal essay, incorporating elements of reportage to place the story in a larger social/historical context. As a military veteran I have a (somewhat morbid) obsession with war literature, but I love learning about new things in surprising ways that don’t feel like I’m learning, and any character-driven narrative that captures the emotional landscape that makes us all human—whether through memoir/personal essay, biography, literary nonfiction, journalism, or a combination thereof.

In addition to my own writing, I’ve worked with several literary journals, including as editor-in-chief of Redivider and as a current nonfiction editor at Wrath-Bearing Tree. I’ve been on both sides of the submission process and am happy to share my lessons learned. I’m fortunate to have had proposals accepted for literary festivals and conferences around the county, including the Boston Book Festival, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs national conference, the Examined Life Conference at the University of Iowa, and Litquake, San Francisco’s literary festival.

My professional resume is pretty varied, but in a strange way, a lot of my disparate experiences lend themselves to different writing skillsets. As a military public affairs officer I honed the art of concise writing with talking points and press release copy. A book publicity internship showed me how to apply these techniques to the writing and publishing industry. While at a nonprofit, I wrote grants, marketing copy, event proposals, and strategic plans.

Chances are, if you’re looking for support with something in the nonfiction realm, I’ve dabbled there! If I don’t feel like I can offer meaningful feedback to your unique project, I will be forthright and, to the best of my ability, recommend other consultants who might be a better fit.

Read my full bio.

Client Testimonials:

“You’ve helped tremendously and have been both supportive and instructive.“

“Thank you so much for your answers and your honesty! It gives me the courage to keep writing.“

“This piece has become more than I thought it could be thanks to your advice, support, and expert editing. You were able to help me address what wasn’t working in such a kind way.“

“Your edits breathed new life into me and I’m excited to bring the book to the next level. You’re spot on with everything!” 

“I want to say thank you for reading my book and helping me make it better. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts and I think they were spot on! As hard as it is to think about making more changes I know that I can make the book more powerful and a better read. Your feedback was exactly what I was looking for and will certainly help me do that.”

“Thank you again for the excellent feedback and edits. I agree with everything you’ve written. The process of “killing your darlings” is hard but I agree that its necessary and you’re giving me the motivation to do it.”

“I really appreciate you taking such care and consideration with my writing.”

“You’re helping me make my book much better. I’ve put an enormous amount of time and effort into it so I want to make as good as it possibly can be . . . I can tell by the depth of your comments, your edits, long emails etc. that you’re putting in a lot of effort and I know this is a time consuming process!”