Jo Norland
Writing coach and creator of the Write in Ten writing program
Testimonials
“I couldn’t have done it without you, Jo. It’s as simple as that. All the characters were always there but I needed the one-on-one nurturing to get to the nub of the story. A few weeks in, through our meetings, there was a moment when I realised I was actually writing about myself — not just Ollie Alpaca — and it became a real story.”
Nicki Fisher, picture book author, Take a Look in the Nook
“It has been very helpful getting feedback from someone who is new to what I do and I see you TOTALLY GET IT!”
Jenny Hammerton, author, Cooking with Columbo and silverscreensuppers.com
“It has been SO USEFUL doing this [mindmap of my projects]. Seeing how everything has fed & still is feeding everything else. Thank you again for a fantastic session & creative food for the days ahead!”
Katie Bonna, playwright
“This manuscript would not exist without Joanna. Her complete investment, belief and joy in the two main characters has enabled me to keep writing and believing through the dips. Joanna has this deep and tactile understanding of the storytelling craft; she’ll guide you between the layers to discover what’s really making the thing tick. And her eagle-eyed editing is helping me buff this vast, middle-grade text into an honest and urgent story that’s fit for my audience.”
Cate Sloan, writer and user experience consultant.
"Thank you so much for your careful listening and interpretation... Your intervention was very helpful and important."
Kate Eastham, novelist, Miss Nightingale's Nurses series.
“I wish I had met you years ago. I think you would have smoothed my journey considerably. The questions you asked were incredibly insightful and made me really think about the deeper workings of my novel.”
K.M., middle grade author
"Thank you for helping me uncover the gold of the characters and the arc of the story and also for the notes. I like the way you work."
Steven Paul Barra, novelist and lawyer
"I just wanted to thank you again for your hugely perceptive and helpful insights on my book-in-progress as they really helped me clarify the core message, and to reiterate how much I enjoyed the [Starcroft writing retreat] wrap up session."
Tammy Christopherson, novelist and guest at Starcroft Farm Cabins
"I attended Joanna’s ‘Writers, Get Unstuck!’ course. Her delivery was articulate and authoritative. In the space of just two hours, she provided a solid framework with which I’m able to create order and clarity from the chaos of my ideas. Recommended for anyone who needs unravelling and demuddling."
Sarah Massini, picture book author and illustrator, Simon and Schuster, Bloomsbury, Puffin
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“I signed up for the “Writers, Get Unstuck!” workshop hosted by Joanna Norland not knowing what to expect. I have been thinking about a writing project for ages, but always felt stuck because I didn’t know where to begin. Not only did this workshop give me tons of useful tools and strategies to start writing, I now have so much more clarity about how to structure my book to get to the end. In fact, it gave me so many ideas that I will likely write more than one! Joanna has a clear communication style which made the concepts easy to understand and apply to my specific project. She was also open to interaction and answered all of the questions I had which was super helpful. I highly recommend Joanna’s workshop and look forward to working with her again in the future!”
Liz Lemarchand, professional coach, stand-up comic and author
"Jo's words of encouragement remind reluctant, stuck, or excuse-making writers that if we wait for ideal conditions, we'll end up with a missed opportunity. 'Ten minutes a day adds up to more than sixty hours in a year-a solid stretch of time, and often enough to draft a middle grade story.' Three Myths That Keep You From Writing is perfect for anyone ready to finally get their words onto the page.
Bonnie Grubman, picture book author, Walter and Willie series​
“Jo's planning workshop is fantastic for generating ideas and getting clear on what to work on for the year ahead. I uncovered ideas I didn't know I had - and the motivation to see them through.”
Nina Jervis-Green, ghost writer and author
“Since your presentation, i've been taking time to journal every day. Writing feels important and it's a neural pathway in my brain that I want to build, that ability to be creative and thoughtful and put the thoughts down."
Andie Mallory, Mallory Healing Arts
“You are such a great cheerleader for our soul work!"
Lydia Maier, Leadership coach, therapist and memoirist
"I learned a great deal about myself during Write in Ten--namely, how much I can accomplish with a slow, steady pace and a plan. Joanna, ever an optimist, has a knack for knowing what to say to uplift an author without over-emphasizing the hurdles of the publishing industry. Whether I'm pulling together a blog post, query, or manuscript edit, I've found the consistent accountability of Write in Ten keeps me on track. I enjoy the community aspect of joining the group for silent writing sessions. I'm signing up for another 2026 session with a longer project! Highly recommend Joanna's one-on-one coaching as well."
Lynn Street, picture book author, The Blue Jays That Grew a Forest
As soon as I joined Write in Ten, my "writing life" took off. The clever and varied scaffolding Write in Ten provided actually turned my long held passion project into a purposeful habit (and 12 chapters of a memoir that now exist!) Jo's frequent, playful and pithy cheerleading texts and invitations to share vulnerable daily musings and writing time together created a burgeoning camaraderie in a mini writing community, something I hadn't realized I needed. The expectations are manageable (10 minutes a day) but the payoff is high; if you're curious at all about your writing potential, I can't recommend this low-barrier but fabulous experience highly enough!
Lydia Maier, Leadership coach, therapist and memoirist