Meeting a writing coach and feeling a bit disheartened

[AnyaKimlin]

lol the person has now emailed and asked if I want to meet a new coach. I did some research this time. This new coach has published photography books... how the he’ll is that suppose to help me. I think I’m done with the coaching...

I had coaching with Ben Galley and it was great. It would have been better if my crazy life hadn't got in the way (a story that would take more than 90,000 words to tell). The amount I have learned about self publishing has stuck with me and no matter what I do with my writing it will be useful.

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

It can get worse.

In business the good old government used to give grants for people to "improve" their business.

Unfortunately this usually took the form of employing an "expert" who would charge you say $4000 and the government would pay half of it so as a company you only had to pay $2000 to the "expert".

One favorite was for carbon reduction.

You would get a report on how to reduce your energy use in your rented building. Maybe spend $10,000 changing all the light bulbs, adding extra insulation to reduce heat loss. Adding seals round doors (never open the roller shutter). changing the landlords boiler for him, to a new more efficient type. Needless to say all this cost would take longer than your lifetime to repay the outlay (similar to cavity wall insulation - another favorite in the report)

Worry not we never paid. The thing was the advice was basic common sense that every one and his dog new about but the costs involved would have bankrupted the business so the next guy to rent it would reap the benefits.

In the mean time the "expert" made a nice income for a standard word document template output.

In the case of writers this might go.

Check your punctuation. never start a sentence with the word Gobolagy.

Count your quotation marks. always use single/double quotes.

You get the idea.

**There was a time when companies would distribute low energy bulbs randomly to doorsteps so they could claim they had reduced energy use and so had met their carbon footprint requirements. It went:-

"You need to reduce your energy by 50 killowatts."
"How the hell do we do that. were operating the boiler with a candle now?"
"You go out and buy 500 100w equivalent low energy bulbs and get someone to dump them round the town."
"What!!"
"Better get a few more to allow for the 18W the new bulbs use."
"This is maddness"
"Yes but now you've reached your reduction target."

 

[Hyba]

So I’ve been trying seriously to write a novel now for almost 7 years. It was an on and off thing until i got older, got a job and made a serious block of time for it daily. I've been on this forum since I was around 18! I am now 32. time flies! I've grown up and learned a lot about the world and the novel I started in my 20's has expanded and changed quite a lot.. I finally broke through and wrote a couple chapters until I hit a large plot hole and went back to the drawing board but I fixed that recently and am moving forward again.
I know 70% of my plot and I’m almost there! For me it has been about plotting and plotting. I fear pantsering even now...

Recently, on a Facebook group a person reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in having a writing coach. The first session would be free. I figured it couldn’t hurt. Why not?

So she set me up with a woman who has written and published two books. I was hoping to hear about her writing process. Unfortunately I walked away from the meeting feeling a bit disheartened.

Within 10 minutes, I could tell something was wrong. I must’ve rubbed her the wrong way. I know I mentioned some books that I liked and disliked. Perhaps one of the ones I disliked was special to her. Regardless she began by saying that my book cannot fall into the two categories it is currently in. Fantasy and Sci-fi. Every so often as she spoke she would give a high shrill laugh with her eyes closed and shake her head as if, "heres another aspiring author idiot. Just like the rest of them..."

My book takes place in a futuristic setting, however some people still use magic, an old form of technology. she said there wont be readers for that. It's either sci-fi or fantasy not really both. I argued that all the mainstream stories out there combine the two a lot. Star wars has the force, Marvel movies are big and they are basically futuristic heroes with powers. I'm quite sure my story will find an audience. I set out to write a book that I would want to read, and I enjoy the mainstream stories out there. My goal is to write a good story and then worry about those things afterwards. Besides I am quite sure fantasy and sci-fi is "writing to market" as she says.

Then I told her I have 3 point of views. This upset her greatly. Again she laughed and made a dirty face like I had let a turd simply drop out of my backside. She said I should stick with one point of view as a beginner writer. I'm not exactly about to change my whole book because I am a beginner. All the characters are important at this point. It should be noted that while I have 3 points of view, I have one main character. the other point of views are secondary and only have a few chapters each.

The three point of views are: my protagonist, a kidnapped girl, and the antagonist's sidekick. The sidekick is only 2-3 chapters and lets us have a glimpse of what the antagonist is up to. Sort of teaser chapters. One in the prologue and two others later on. The kidnapped girl came about on its own and she has a small story arc thats quite exciting. I liked the game of thrones books because of the idea of having a few main characters, but I found it difficult to know who to root for. In my book there is a clear protagonist with some side characters weaved in. I was happy.

Then she discussed how my book MUST follow the three act structure. I'm not sure it does. Every story has a beginning, middle and end. However I found that trying to stick to a rigid format made the book seem stale and forced. For me it's about creating conflict as soon as possible and adding fuel to the fire as we go. Eventually everything will get resolved in the end. In hindsight maybe the book will fall into a three act structure, however I am not thinking about that and I can't see some of my favorite books working that way. I also read books on writing (Stephen kings, and a few others) and I like watching Brandon Sanderson clips on youtube. I find myself agreeing a lot with the things he says and he doesn't say you need to follow anything rigidly.
At some point she just began to shake her head "no" for the remainder of the zoom call. Her face said "this call was a mistake and a waste of my time." :/

She asked me if I would be traditionally publishing or self publishing and I said I have not gotten there yet. However I graduated in graphic design and know how to use inDesign seriously so I might give self publishing a try. I also know where I can hire some illustrators for the cover.
At this she almost died of laughter as she bounced up and down on her chair that squeaked away in agreement. The very idea of me trying to self publish! Now there's a good laugh!

"Sweety! If you want to be part of the professional world of writing you better hire someone to do the publishing for you. You can self publish, but please hire a professional. I'm just trying to help you here." She said, her face full of sadness and sympathy. "You don't want your book and cover to look like what I see in those... those silly forums and facebook groups!"

She has not read a word of my book. All I did was tell her what it's about. She seems to think it sounded ok, although her face was telling a very different story.

I may have animated her a bit more than she really was in the text .
So am I crazy? Should I be removing some characters and change the story? Am I trying to fly before I can walk or something? Is it bad to have magic and science mixed? Can I self publish? Why am I suddenly doubting my entire book....

From what I've read, this doesn't sound like the most professional coaching session, free or otherwise. A writing coach should give you advice, but said advice should take into consideration your writing process, your strengths, and more. I wouldn't put too much stock in what she said, especially since every writer has their own way of going about their process. I'm working on my first books, too, and I aim to self-publish (and I'm also thinking of making my own covers and such), and I also have stories with multiple POVs, and even stories that follow multiple protagonists. I'm checking off all the boxes here! Even as a newbie, though, I can see that this isn't the kind of coaching that will help any writer.

A lot of responses here convey my feelings on the matter, so I'll just say: I don't think you should worry about doing things the "right" way; there really isn't any when it comes to writing, in my opinion. Trying to follow a rigid structure will probably do more harm than good, which is why I would also say that when it comes to writing advice in general, whether online or otherwise, always take it with a grain of salt. It's always flexible. Besides, there are many writers who defined genres and didn't play by the rules, but rather set the rules because of their own unique and successful styles. Just find out the process that works for you and write the story the way you want it written!

Hope this helps in some small way at least! Best of luck!

 

[Mad Alice]

So I’ve been trying seriously to write a novel now for almost 7 years. It was an on and off thing until i got older, got a job and made a serious block of time for it daily. I've been on this forum since I was around 18! I am now 32. time flies! I've grown up and learned a lot about the world and the novel I started in my 20's has expanded and changed quite a lot.. I finally broke through and wrote a couple chapters until I hit a large plot hole and went back to the drawing board but I fixed that recently and am moving forward again.
I know 70% of my plot and I’m almost there! For me it has been about plotting and plotting. I fear pantsering even now...

Recently, on a Facebook group a person reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in having a writing coach. The first session would be free. I figured it couldn’t hurt. Why not?

So she set me up with a woman who has written and published two books. I was hoping to hear about her writing process. Unfortunately I walked away from the meeting feeling a bit disheartened.

Within 10 minutes, I could tell something was wrong. I must’ve rubbed her the wrong way. I know I mentioned some books that I liked and disliked. Perhaps one of the ones I disliked was special to her. Regardless she began by saying that my book cannot fall into the two categories it is currently in. Fantasy and Sci-fi. Every so often as she spoke she would give a high shrill laugh with her eyes closed and shake her head as if, "heres another aspiring author idiot. Just like the rest of them..."

My book takes place in a futuristic setting, however some people still use magic, an old form of technology. she said there wont be readers for that. It's either sci-fi or fantasy not really both. I argued that all the mainstream stories out there combine the two a lot. Star wars has the force, Marvel movies are big and they are basically futuristic heroes with powers. I'm quite sure my story will find an audience. I set out to write a book that I would want to read, and I enjoy the mainstream stories out there. My goal is to write a good story and then worry about those things afterwards. Besides I am quite sure fantasy and sci-fi is "writing to market" as she says.

Then I told her I have 3 point of views. This upset her greatly. Again she laughed and made a dirty face like I had let a turd simply drop out of my backside. She said I should stick with one point of view as a beginner writer. I'm not exactly about to change my whole book because I am a beginner. All the characters are important at this point. It should be noted that while I have 3 points of view, I have one main character. the other point of views are secondary and only have a few chapters each.

The three point of views are: my protagonist, a kidnapped girl, and the antagonist's sidekick. The sidekick is only 2-3 chapters and lets us have a glimpse of what the antagonist is up to. Sort of teaser chapters. One in the prologue and two others later on. The kidnapped girl came about on its own and she has a small story arc thats quite exciting. I liked the game of thrones books because of the idea of having a few main characters, but I found it difficult to know who to root for. In my book there is a clear protagonist with some side characters weaved in. I was happy.

Then she discussed how my book MUST follow the three act structure. I'm not sure it does. Every story has a beginning, middle and end. However I found that trying to stick to a rigid format made the book seem stale and forced. For me it's about creating conflict as soon as possible and adding fuel to the fire as we go. Eventually everything will get resolved in the end. In hindsight maybe the book will fall into a three act structure, however I am not thinking about that and I can't see some of my favorite books working that way. I also read books on writing (Stephen kings, and a few others) and I like watching Brandon Sanderson clips on youtube. I find myself agreeing a lot with the things he says and he doesn't say you need to follow anything rigidly.
At some point she just began to shake her head "no" for the remainder of the zoom call. Her face said "this call was a mistake and a waste of my time." :/

She asked me if I would be traditionally publishing or self publishing and I said I have not gotten there yet. However I graduated in graphic design and know how to use inDesign seriously so I might give self publishing a try. I also know where I can hire some illustrators for the cover.
At this she almost died of laughter as she bounced up and down on her chair that squeaked away in agreement. The very idea of me trying to self publish! Now there's a good laugh!

"Sweety! If you want to be part of the professional world of writing you better hire someone to do the publishing for you. You can self publish, but please hire a professional. I'm just trying to help you here." She said, her face full of sadness and sympathy. "You don't want your book and cover to look like what I see in those... those silly forums and facebook groups!"

She has not read a word of my book. All I did was tell her what it's about. She seems to think it sounded ok, although her face was telling a very different story.

I may have animated her a bit more than she really was in the text .
So am I crazy? Should I be removing some characters and change the story? Am I trying to fly before I can walk or something? Is it bad to have magic and science mixed? Can I self publish? Why am I suddenly doubting my entire book....

Only a complete amateur would be so arrogantly self indulgent as to spout off such nonsensical hyperbole.
Books DO NOT have to have a three act structure. There are five act, seven act and twelve act structures. As well as one act structures!
Three act structures are/ were made popular through media based story telling like television and radio plays, and three acts were designed to create the most commercial opportunities within a given program.
Yes there was a book describing the three act structure, but that was given as an explanatory example, it was on classically structured greek plays and was only described as an example in the first half of the book.
Anyone who ascribes rigidly to that format HAS NEVER READ THE ENTIRE BOOK (and is therefore either misinformed or ignorant).

When to Discard the Three-Act Story Structure

There are times to follow the rules of story, and there are times to break the rules. When to use and when to discard the three-act story structure.

thewritepractice.com

Books CAN have more then ONE point of view. Though one per scene or chapter is considered standard.

6 Quick Tips For Writing Multiple Points of View – Writer's Edit

writersedit.com

There IS a genre called Science Fantasy which combines elements of science fiction and fantasy.
Technology and Magic. There has been since roughly the nineteen seventies. You might have actually heard of the breakout novel of the genre, Neuromancer by William Goldwin, from 1984. I sincerely doubt that your "writing coach" has.
So I don't believe fifty years extant of a genre is neveaux and does not have a reading audience. In fact according to Forbes magazine, that I believe is more accurate a source (then some random Facebook goodquotes clone perpetuating the mythos that she is in any way shape or form qualified to act as a writing coach), the reading audience for all forms of science fiction fantasy has doubled in growth compared to all other genres which have dropped in sales over the past two years alone, and quadrupled in growth comparatively as opposed to all other types of fiction since the onset of the big book phenomenon of Harry Potter. But perhaps even your writing coach doesn't know about the Harry Potter marketing phenomenon. Which is odd since she is all about success.

8 Books That Blend Science and Magic, Minus the Fantasy Tropes - B&N Reads

www.barnesandnoble.com

Sometimes the best person to critque your work is you yourself.

The 4 Hidden Dangers of Writing Groups | Jane Friedman

Writing groups can cause frustration, self-doubt, and sometimes years of wasted effort. Learn the common dangers of writing groups and how to avoid them.

www.janefriedman.com

If you believe in what you are doing then simply get on with getting on.
Should I understand your initial concern correctly, your fundamental reason for initiating contact with this person was to increase your output or productivity.
For that I would recomend partaking of Nanowrimo and it's concurrent exercises designed especially for increasing your writing speed and output. Much more positive and supportive environment then some washed up hack whose book sales have withered to the point where to have any viable income stream they must flog themselves and their questionable skillset upon social media Ober sites AND have their erstwhile friends doing cold calling of passersby for drumming up sales of their services.
Did you perhaps notice a Carnie barker pounding their schill? Some Pimp daddy talking about setting you up for a ride? They picked you out from the crowd and successfully culled you from the herd. Never an event that usually ends well whether you are on the plains of the serengeti or on the city streets.
Nanowrimo is legitimate, registered and it's currently running. And it's certainly better then having your soul crushed by that institution escapee Attila the writing coach you met up with.
NaNoWriMo
Their word sprint exercises are legendary epically effacious for increasing ones output. And you CAN work on a previous project. You just have to get your word count in to be a winner.
Now as for coaching, why not try actual recognized writers and authors? Guess what? They are running writing groups off their blog pages. They do feedback for subscribers and believe me you won't be paying 300 plus for the attention of some of the best writers on the planet.
hollylisle.com

Chuck Wendig: Terribleminds

Apple-Obsessed Author Fella

terribleminds.com

Being but a couple of the ones whose advice I admire.
Perhaps try the availability in the local shops maybe?
In fact our own Teresa Edgerton does copy editing and such services.

Now for the important question. Did you wear a mask? Because the woman sounds madly contagious in her negativity.
Since you were outrageously purloined of your hoped for mentoring, here I offer you your first writing coaching lesson.
Write. Then write more. And when they tell you that you can't write?
Damn the bastards and write anyways.

l

 

[Jo Zebedee]

As a professional coach I’m concerned about some of the posts here not understanding what the coaching process is for and being incredibly dismissive of it. A nanowrimo group will not cover the same ground as a professional one to one coach - which is not to say it does not have a role and purpose but it’s intent is different.
Anyone looking into coaching as a model of development (an established model with strong theory and evidence behind it to show its effectiveness) should consider some things before they employ a coach

are they qualified?Anyone can call themselves a coach, it is largely unregulated, and that’s where the reputational damage is often done. Ask what their coaching qualifications are - which awarding organisation, which level and where they completed it. I’d be looking for a level 5 qualification at least.

are they occupationally competent? Have they written books? Are they in your genre? Do you like their books?

are they experienced and up to date in their practice? Ask to be put in contact with past coachees and find out if the process was useful.

then you should have a contracting session where you can outline what you want from the sessions, and they can explain their approach. If that doesn’t work for you (as if hasn’t here) you’re the wrong match. Walk away. It’s easy. The coach here has done nothing wrong - they have told you their approach prior to commencing your programme. Their advice does not feel right and you’ve walked away. That’s what contracting is for.

but please don’t write off coaching when it’s an established, respected professional model used in a range of places. Unlike it’s been intimated here companies don’t just throw money at consultants who know nothing - they throw money at professionals with specialist experience.

 

[Mad Alice]

@shamguy4 You don't have to write your book consecutively. As for writing the ending? The ending you choose to write now may not be the ending your book needs.
Scrivener is a bit anti intuitive for me. I prefer plot factory.
Is a plot hole where you are getting stuck in writing a scene?
If so maybe try having a break there and then continuing the action with a new scene. This is a great technique for building tension. Or if you absolutely need the scene written?
There are many little tricks you can use.
You could have something unexpected happen to add to it. A new character. An incident.
Change your pace.
Breakaway to something else for a second. If you are in dialogue, go descriptive. If descriptive, initiate a conversation.
Change the mood of the character to add flavourful insights to the scene. (Anger sorrow joy pain doubt).
Reminisce. Have something bad happen. Have something good happen.
Have someone else talk and say what you can't.

If the unwritten scene is getting in the way of you writing the next that you do have words for, put a placeholder description down, point form if its that difficult. Then write what you can then go back and flesh out the scene.
Try the men in black 3 approach. Stop thinking and eat the pie. Do something different for a while. Write something unrelated. Sleep on it. Give your writing brain the day off. Then try when the ideas return.

@Jo Zebedee now that is a description of a reputable coach!
I agree that coaching and group work and workshops are all very good resources for writers and help in their own ways and are not interchangeable. The idea that there are people are out there professing themselves to have the training when they don't just serves to make a mockery of good professionally qualified peoples efforts, with their dodgy scams.
I realize I was testy in my previous reply. I blame a missed nap and empty biscuit barrel. That always sets me on the lookout for everyday villiany.

 

[tinkerdan]

You still need to find someone who is a good fit.

Unlike it’s been intimated here companies don’t just throw money at consultants who know nothing - they throw money at professionals with specialist experience.

Someone so focused on their own method might be good for some but not in the least bit helpful to others.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

You still need to find someone who is a good fit.

Someone so focused on their own method might be good for some but not in the least bit helpful to others.

Absolutely. I did say that above - that’s why there should be a contracting process.

 

[tinkerdan]

Also, despite the constant advice to have have one, not everyone has a thick skin.
And everyone's thick skin has its limits.
If you hire or are looking to hire someone who berates you constantly, you have to dig deep to decide early on how much you can take before you kill them.

 

[Juliana]

please don’t write off coaching when it’s an established, respected professional model used in a range of places

Absolutely. One of my critique partners is getting certified as a coach. It's a long and demanding process, with a lot of hard work on her side to get her credentials. She has a Master's degree in writing, so arguably she could just go into business and say she knows what she's doing, but she's taking the time to learn how to do it properly.

You don't have to write your book consecutively. As for writing the ending? The ending you choose to write now may not be the ending your book needs.

There's actually a writing technique where you start at the end and work your way backwards to the start of the story. I've never tried it, it makes my brain hurt just thinking about it, but I've heard a couple of people swear by it...

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Also, despite the constant advice to have have one, not everyone has a thick skin.
And everyone's thick skin has its limits.
If you hire or are looking to hire someone who berates you constantly, you have to dig deep to decide early on how much you can take before you kill them.

But coaches don’t expect everyone to have a thick skin. They don’t set out to give people criticism to make them feel bad. That’s so far from what coaching is about it’s talking about a different process altogether. Coaching looks to support, to build confidence. It can be challenging, for sure, and is a space to explore challenging questions but that challenging is done in a supportive space. It’s also very much about empowering - the person getting coached drives the process - the coach supports and guides.

 

[The Big Peat]

There's actually a writing technique where you start at the end and work your way backwards to the start of the story. I've never tried it, it makes my brain hurt just thinking about it, but I've heard a couple of people swear by it...

I'm currently sort of trying a model where I'm trying to plot out X from the start then X from the back, then another X from the start and another X from the back, and so on until I hit the centre. That's plotting and not writing though, and I'm trying to think how that would go for Discovery Writers...

 

[AnyaKimlin]

There's actually a writing technique where you start at the end and work your way backwards to the start of the story. I've never tried it, it makes my brain hurt just thinking about it, but I've heard a couple of people swear by it...

Agatha Christie swore by her stories writing backwards.

 

[Mad Alice]

I'm currently sort of trying a model where I'm trying to plot out X from the start then X from the back, then another X from the start and another X from the back, and so on until I hit the centre. That's plotting and not writing though, and I'm trying to think how that would go for Discovery Writers...

With all the x's would it be about pirates and buried treasure?

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

For the record I do developmental editing. TheDustyZebra is the one who does copy-editing—as well, I believe, as other services. There are other editors who are members here. There is a thread somewhere around here that lists several of them. Jo has done coaching in several professional fields.

A good writing group can be invaluable (I have always said that new writers should look for one of those in their area before considering employing someone like me), as can trusted Beta readers. When considering paying a professional, see if they have worked for people you know and trust, and find out if they will provide testimonials. Having published a book or even several does not mean that a person has the knowledge or skills necessary for editing or coaching (although if they do have those skills, being also a writer can be a plus). Not having written a published book does not mean that those skills are absent. As I said, ask around among writers you know for recommendations.

 

[Robert Zwilling]

You write your book the way you want to write it. It's your story you are telling. If you let other people tell you how to say it, your ideas might get across but it won't be your voice saying it.

Sounds like the advice the coach gave you is how they write stories and possibly it worked good for them and so everyone should follow that formula. Or maybe it didn't work and since that is all they know, they switched over to telling people how stories should be written.

If you like to write but your style is too complicated and most people can't follow it, you can always rewrite it, or write another story. Many of the "rules" are designed to maximize the readership by making the style of writing something more people can understand. Translation is the reader doesn't get confused by what they are reading, because if that happens, for a lot of people, the only response is to put the book down. But that doesn't mean you have to write that way.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

But there is really nothing wrong with wanting to share one's story with a great many other people, to write it in such a way that others will receive the same pleasure from it that the writer does. To even, if possible, make a career of it, and sell a lot of different stories to a lot of different people. (There is nothing wrong with writing only for oneself, either. But then the need for advice is less. In fact, the need to write the story down at all is less. If it is just for us, we can keep it inside our own heads forever, where it will always be closer to our own vision than anything we could possibly ever put on the page, and also it will remain fluid forever, so that we can change it whenever we want, in whatever way we want. There is a lot of pleasure to be had in doing it that way. I should know. Although I have written down some of my stories and had them published, I have also been telling myself stories just for myself as long as I can remember.)

Because if some people were not writing stories to share them with others, and to write them in such a way as to communicate those entrancing visions in their minds to other minds as clearly and engagingly as possible, well then, where would we all be? I mean, I assume we here are all readers as well as writers, and someone has to write the books and get them published, one way or another, before we can read them. Speaking for myself, as much as I love my own stories, I do want a steady supply of other people's stories that I can enjoy, and in order for that steady supply to exist, someone (a lot of someones, actually, because I am a voracious reader) has to be writing for publication.

And if we do want to write books that others will want to read, then it makes sense to get other opinions from those who aren't distracted by the vision of the story that we carry around in our own heads, and therefore can see more clearly the story as it exists solely through the words on the page—and maybe help us find ways to bring those two stories closer together.

Whatever one's goals as a writer, I don't think we should be made to feel ashamed of them. But depending on what those goals are, that may influence where (or even if) we go looking for advice: a writer's group, beta readers, writing classes, people we meet and become acquainted with on forums like this one; or professional literary consultants, coaches, and editors.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Teresa makes a good point above and it’s one of the reasons why the most prevalent (but by far not the only) coaching model begins with identifying and then setting Goals.

It’s the first question i ask - what do you want to get from this? Do you want a book that might get an agent? Or one that you want for your family and something more personal? Do you want to just get it finished? Once that is set, then we explore what to do next. And those goals get revisited and updated throughout.

The coachee and what they want is at the centre of the process - and if someone’s response to question a was I want to be a traditional best seller the Options explored (the 3rd part of the model) will be different than if they want a momento for the family.

 

[apocalypsegal]

$350 a session

Considering you were contacted by someone, without asking for help (it seems), who recommended this person, I'm going to say stop worrying about it. One of the easy ways to make money is to get it from people trying to learn a skill. You don't need this woman, she doesn't respect you, she just wants your money. We see a lot of this sort of thing in self publishing. Someone to format, someone to edit, someone to do covers, all for a hefty fee. They claim to be "self publishing companies", or "hybrid publishers", but all they are looking for is to take your money.

Writing takes time to learn. It's not a couple of months jotting ideas and suddenly you are a skilled storyteller. Put the effort in, learn the skills, practice them. You can learn from books, and there are legit courses. Get into a good critique group, to make sure you haven't totally screwed it up, and keep writing.

Everybody has doubts. You have to work through that and get your stories told. No magic beans, just the determination to write.