Lisa Cooper Ellison: Writer, Editor and Coach in Charlottesville Virginia

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What I do

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Private Coaching

Starting a new project, feeling overwhelmed, or looking for feedback before you move forward?

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Classes and Seminars

Interested in building new skills, developing a network, and taking your writing to the next level?

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Getting Started

Schedule a free 30-minute consultation to see what services might be right for you.

Testimonials

“Lisa is a capable, empathic and insightful writing teacher who creates and sustains a safe, warm space for students to learn and become successful mindful writers themselves.

Rita Hart, book publisher in Melbourne, Australia

“I would highly recommend Lisa even to the most experienced writer.”

Katie Rose Guest Pryal, author of Entanglement

“LIsa's incisive commentary on my work has been extraordinarily helpful. She got me to see my work in a different way and to imagine new possibilities. What more could you ask for?”

Phil Quam, Indonesia, author of “Inmates” published in Word Riot

About Lisa Ellison Cooper

Lisa Ellison is an editor, writing coach, and speaker with an Ed.S in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a background in mindfulness. She has spent the last two decades helping clients and students turn difficult experiences into art and currently teaches courses in memoir, creative nonfiction, and mindful writing practices. Her life story and essays have appeared on NPR’s With Good Reason and in Hippocampus Literary Magazine, Kenyon Review Online, Huffington Post, and The Guardian, among others.

More about Lisa

Contact Lisa

Slow Pieces Blog

All stories contain a certain architecture. To understand your story, learn how to “beat it out.”

by lisacooperellison | Jul 26, 2021

Last weekend I had the privilege of speaking at the 44th annual Compassionate Friends Conference. For those of you unfamiliar with this organization, Compassionate Friends supports parents, grandparents, siblings, and others as they grieve. The conference was an...

Heroes are only as strong as their urges. Learn what can make a good protagonist great.

by lisacooperellison | Jul 13, 2021

Over the weekend I went to an old-school arcade filled with the video games I played as a kid—Ms. Pacman, Galaga, Kangaroo. For twelve bucks, I could fight as many arcade bosses as I wanted and play pinball until my pointer finger ached. Walking into that steamy,...

Do the words logline or elevator pitch make you cringe? Use Blake Snyder’s three ingredients to create a winning pitch.

by lisacooperellison | Jul 6, 2021

What’s your book/essay/short story/project about? This is the question authors are most frequently asked. But how do you distill art into a few lines—especially when you’re mid-project? Most writers, including myself, tighten their neck scarves when hearing the...