Joshua Doležal
Coach and Editor

Tell Powerful Life Stories

One Discerning
Reader Beats
the Workshop

Do you have a manuscript that you want to take to the next level? Or an idea for a project, but you don't know where to start? 

Let's tackle it together. I made major breakthroughs as a writer by working one-on-one with a mentor. You can do the same by working with me.

Joshua Doležal Writer. Coach. Editor. portrait holding a coffee cup in front of bookcase

How Can I Help You?

Joshua Doležal Writer. Coach. Editor. portrait working in his office

Coaching

I am a thought partner and a reliable stand-in for the readers you most want to reach. 

Photo of Joshua Doležal Writer. Coach. Editor. editing clients and students work

Editing

I can level up your manuscript with tools honed over 20 years of experience in publishing and editing.

Joshua Doležal Writer. Coach. Editor. image of laptop, coffee, writing notepad and pen

Advising

I can make your college essay or personal statement stand out from the crowd. I also offer guidance for researching target schools and networking with faculty.

What Clients have said
about working with Josh

  • "I can’t thank Josh enough for the transformational experience I had working with him as a writing coach. Josh has an uncanny ability to help writers tap into their inner power. His keen eye for detail helped shape the memoir in ways I hadn’t imagined possible. He encouraged me to embrace my unique voice and style, empowering me to write with confidence and conviction."

    — DJ Lee, author of Remote: Finding a Home in the Bitterroots

  • "Before working with Josh, I had not completed a draft that I loved in about ten years. After ten sessions, I have written several drafts that are quite dear to me. I feel confident that when new ideas come, I have the tools to help them live outside of me."

    — Joseph Hirsh

  • "Working with Josh has absolutely improved the quality of my writing. But the greatest benefit is having a thought partner. It’s so easy to treat writing as a solitary experience when writing, for me at least, is really about sharing and being in conversation."

    — Beth Anne Macdonald

  • "Josh's feedback on my writing helped make my application essays much stronger and made me feel more confident. His suggestions helped me develop a compelling narrative that blended my personal story with my professional experiences and this significantly strengthened my PhD application."

    — Gabe, PhD Candidate in Biosciences

  • "Josh can help people who have never felt successful putting their story to paper, and he can also help those who want a fresh take on how they present themselves to the world in writing. His abilities to meet individual needs and draw out focused, thoughtful inquiries are his greatest attributes as a coach."

    — Matthew, PhD Candidate in Musicology

Shortlist, 2016 William Saroyan International Prize 

Down
from the
Mountaintop

From Belief to Belonging

“Joshua Doležal traces the map of his life with the instincts of a poet and the sure direction of a cartographer.” —Kim Barnes, author, In the Wilderness: Coming of Age in Unknown Country

Front cover of Joshua Doležal Writer book, Down from the Mountaintop from Belief to Belonging

Writing
& Resources

Blog
3 Reasons to Use an Authority List
3 Reasons to Use an Authority List

I don't believe in writer's block. When most people talk about block, they're really talking about DOUBT.

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3 Tools for Drafting Your Book
3 Tools for Drafting Your Book

Most of my clients have hired me because they have a book idea but they don't know how to bring it to completion.

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Awaken Your Memoir By Making It Strange
Awaken Your Memoir By Making It Strange

Defamiliarization will transform your scenes from prosaic sketches into haunting images that live on in your reader’s memory long after they have left the page.

Read More →
Joshua Doležal Writer. Coach. Editor. Portrait in his office holding a book

Writer. Coach. Editor.

About Josh

I am a writer and award-winning teacher with 20 years of experience in publishing and editing.

My work has appeared in more than 50 magazines.

To get a sense of my writing, check out my Substack, The Recovering Academic. Or read my memoir, Down from the Mountaintop: From Belief to Belonging.