Coaching
I help artists develop exceptional creative work.
Alongside my own creative practice, I mentor writers through one-on-one coaching, helping them develop work that is ambitious, authentic, and unmistakably their own.
Whether you're working on a short story, a novel, or your first manuscript, I offer thoughtful editorial guidance designed to help you realize the strongest version of your work—without losing your voice. I believe writers grow through careful revision, honest feedback, and meaningful creative conversation.
Writing may be solitary, but great writing is rarely created alone. Every manuscript reaches a point where another thoughtful reader becomes invaluable. Knowing what isn't yet working—and why—is often the hardest part of revision. That's where an experienced creative partner can make all the difference: asking difficult questions, recognizing untapped possibilities, and helping illuminate the path toward a stronger manuscript.
For more than thirty years, I've helped creative people do their best work. As a UX Design Director at Microsoft, I led teams of visual, interaction, and content designers, mentoring them through creative challenges, collaborative critique, and long-term professional growth. What I loved most wasn't managing projects—it was helping talented people discover what they were truly capable of.
Today I bring that same approach to writers through one-on-one coaching, editorial guidance, and manuscript consultations. I hold an MFA in Creative Writing, serve as Faculty Advisor and Senior Fiction Editor for Sierra Nevada Review, and have worked with writers at every stage of the creative process, from early drafts to manuscripts preparing for publication.
I'll never tell you what you should write. My role is to ask better questions, offer honest critique, and help you uncover the strongest version of the story you want to tell. My hope is that you'll leave not only with a stronger manuscript, but with greater confidence in your own instincts as a writer.
Work with me.
My philosophy
I don't believe in imposing my voice on someone else's work.
The best editorial conversations aren't about making a manuscript sound more like the editor. They’re about discovering how it can more fully become the most potent version of itself.
My role is to identify what a piece is trying to accomplish, where it's succeeding, where it's falling short, and what opportunities remain unexplored. Sometimes that means discussing structure or pacing. Sometimes it means examining character, language, or point of view. Often it means asking questions beneath the surface:
What is the work trying to do?
Is this emotionally honest?
Is this the strongest version of itself?
How do structure, voice, and form support meaning?
What is the deeper idea underneath this scene or story?
My goal is always the same: to help you become a stronger writer as we work together to produce a stronger draft.
My background in both painting and fiction also shapes how I read creative work. I think about composition, rhythm, negative space, symbolism, pacing, visual metaphor, and narrative architecture as intrinsic to the creative process, no matter the discipline.
Services
Developmental Editing
Ideal for writers who have completed a draft and want comprehensive feedback on structure, pacing, character, point of view, theme, and overall narrative architecture. Together, we’ll identify what’s working, what may be holding the manuscript back, and where its greatest opportunities for revision lie.
Manuscript Evaluation
A strong fit for those wanting a clear, thoughtful assessment of a completed manuscript without extensive margin notes or sentence-level editing. You’ll receive a comprehensive editorial letter outlining the manuscript’s strengths, central concerns, and practical next steps for revision.
Line Editing
Best suited to work whose larger structure is already in place but would benefit from close attention at the sentence and paragraph level. I’ll focus on clarity, rhythm, precision, flow, and consistency, helping you hone and elevate your prose so that each passage is working in its most potent form—while preserving the qualities that make your voice distinctly your own.
Short Story Critique
Designed for writers preparing a story for publication, a contest, an MFA application, or workshop. I’ll provide focused feedback on both the larger elements of the piece and the sentence-level choices that shape its emotional and artistic impact.
Creative Coaching
An ongoing creative partnership for writers seeking one-on-one guidance throughout the writing process: drafting, revision, creative blocks, accountability, submitting your work, career questions, and the challenges of sustaining a meaningful creative practice.
Testimonials
“As a writer, the hardest thing to find is someone with the editorial acumen to give a high level evaluation of your work, who is also willing to say what’s needed. Jamey Baumgardt reads with clear eyes, excellent empathetic capacities, a mind filled with years of reading and studying great works of literature, and a benevolent heart. He understands the assignment—nurture what is right in a manuscript and with exacting precision address what deserves a deeper look. I trust him completely with my work. He pushes me, encourages me, and I am a better writer for the role he plays in my artistic life.”
—Alan Heathcock, author of VOLT and 40
“I've had the privilege of workshopping with Jamey, and he's one of the most insightful readers of fiction I've encountered. He has a remarkably tuneful ear for dialogue and an exceptional ability to identify what a story needs without ever imposing his own vision on it. His editorial eye is rigorous, perceptive, and generous. He consistently spots both structural issues and small, sentence-level opportunities that make a manuscript stronger. I would recommend him wholeheartedly to anyone looking for thoughtful, incisive guidance on their work.”
—Deniz Kuypers
“During a two-week-long intensive and prestigious writing workshop, I had the great fortune of being placed in the same group as Jamey Baumgardt. Each time my pages were discussed, Jamey was ready early, preemptively sending me suggested line edits, annotated margins on my document, and a detailed end-note filled with encouragement and constructive ideas for how to develop my work. NONE of this was required of Jamey, as we were only meant to show up and discuss the work we had read, but he truly went above and beyond without being asked. I assumed at first that this was because Jamey and I both write about young LGBTQ+ folks trying to find their voices and navigating their less-than-perfect love lives, but I later learned that this is a courtesy and diligence inherent to who Jamey is as a person. He is not afraid to point out the issues with a piece of writing and send the writer in an alternative direction, but he has such a keen sense of a) how to do so while building the writer up and highlighting their best skills, and b) how to take the writer's own voice into account. He is never trying to turn my writing—or anyone else's—into what he would write. He learns so quickly what matters to a writer's individual sensibility, and he always goes the extra mile to draw out his peers' and mentees' best work. Jamey will remain a first reader for all work I produce in the future, as he has proven time and time again not only that he cares deeply about my work and mission as a writer but that he also has the skills to sharpen any piece of writing beyond what I thought imaginable.”
—Porter Yelton
“Jamey gives thoughtful, well-communicated notes. He is a smart reader and strong critical thinker. Jamey helps writers embrace and strengthen their own voices. He approaches the writer’s work with curiosity and care. Jamey is efficient, timely, and dedicated. His warmth and kindness power his ability to mentor.”
—Kate Busatto Goyal
Who I work with
I enjoy working with writers at every stage of their creative journey, from first-time authors completing an initial draft to experienced writers preparing work for publication. While my own work is rooted in literary and upmarket fiction, I'm most interested in collaborating with writers who are serious about developing their craft and creating work that is honest, ambitious, and deeply personal.
Although my own writing is rooted in literary and upmarket fiction, I welcome conversations with writers at every stage of their creative development. I particularly enjoy working with:
Literary fiction writers
Upmarket fiction writers
LGBTQ+ writers
Emerging novelists
MFA students and applicants
Writers preparing work for publication
Established writers looking for another thoughtful reader
FAQ
Will you rewrite my manuscript?
No. My goal is to strengthen your work while preserving your voice.
Do I need to have a finished draft?
Not necessarily. Some writers benefit from feedback during the planning or early drafting stages.
What genres do you work in?
My primary focus is literary and upmarket fiction, though I'm happy to discuss projects in adjacent genres or those that may span genres.
Do you work with beginning writers?
Absolutely. The quality of the conversation matters far more than where someone is in their writing journey. I aim to meet every client where they are and partner with them on the path to improving their writing and realizing their creative ambitions.
How does the process begin?
We begin with a conversation about your project, your goals, and the type of feedback you're looking for. From there, I'll recommend the service I believe will be most valuable and provide a proposal outlining the process, timeline, and fee.
Working together
Every project is different. Some writers are looking for an editorial assessment of a completed manuscript. Others are seeking ongoing guidance throughout the revision process. Before recommending a service, I like to learn more about your project, your goals, and where you are in the writing process.
If it seems like we're a good fit, I'll recommend the approach I believe will be most helpful and provide a detailed description of the process, timeline, and associated fee.
Every manuscript presents its own challenges, and every writer has different goals.
Whether you're revising a short story, completing a first novel, or looking for an experienced creative partner to help you move your work forward, I'd love to learn more about your project.
Get in touch.