Trash the templates.

Tell your story.

 

Meyers-Briggs Personality Type.
Enneagram.
Human Design.
Astrology.
Introvert.
Extrovert.
Love Languages.

Look at this not even remotely exhaustive list of ways you can make sense of yourself and tell people who you are. And folks are creating new ones every dang day.

They know just how uncomfortable and messy uncovering + developing your identity can be and Oh, mylanta! you just can’t possibly be uncomfortable! How awful! So they say Here, let me help you with that, push that weird button on the laser from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and then BAM.

They shrink your Whole Big Self down into four tiny letters.

But, hey! Now you can find all of the other people who hate confrontation & love acts of service! Then you’ll be in this really cool club and know that you’re not weird for sobbing into a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch every full moon!

Riddle me this, pal:

Do any of these labels we so proudly put on ourselves actually tell other people who we are, or do they just make us easier to consume and scroll past?

 

So much of the writing we do about ourselves—about who we are and why, which is VERY! BIG! AND! IMPORTANT!—gets treated like an afterthought.

We give tidbits and Cliff’s Notes instead of opening a window into the good, the bad, and the “Oh, wow, that’s wild!” that we’re made of.

We opt for fitting into four tiny letters instead of Hulk-ing out of tiny boxes and telling the whole-ass truth about who we are.

And that’s just not good enough for the dazzling, chaotic, once-in-a-lifetime event of a human you are.

MORE is the name of the game.

My job is to help you become MORE of your own specific brand of storyteller.

I help you express yourself fully, as you are, and show you how to take up MORE space and write MORE like yourself and less like everyone else.

“In trying to sum up the experience of working with Kelly the closest I have come is ‘roller skating with a unicorn under a moon sized disco ball while belting your favorite tunes.’

She brings such joy to the creative process. Whether you’re coming to her with a project already underway, the first wisps of an idea, or (like me) your love of writing has been waylaid by perfectionism and external expectations, she will coach you through it.

This is not a course to teach you the correct way to write. This is a collaborative space, the building of a supportive foundation to help you pursue your own path with confidence. 

Kelly’s not there to tell you how to write, what to write. You’re not getting graded. The entire purpose is to discover what you want to create and help you to create it. She listens with generosity, seeking to discover where you want to take your writing, and then gives truly constructive, well-educated (because she’s got the education to back it all up and continues to learn and grow as a person and coach) and detailed feedback, always with the intention of supporting you and your work. (Seriously, Kelly should teach a course on how to give proper feedback.) She recognizes the vulnerability of sharing creative work with another person and she holds space with such tenderness and respect. 

There is nothing casual, and yet it feels so very casual, about the magic of this space. The integrity, and energy, enthusiasm, hilarity, joy, and wonder with which it is held will leave you and your creative work absolutely transformed (but really, what else could we expect after hanging with a roller skating unicorn?)”

-Kiah L.

“Working with Kelly is a DREAM! I brought a mess of a project to Kelly and she helped me breathe life into it. Kelly is so enthusiastic in her support, and incredibly detailed and thoughtful in her feedback. I know if I have a specific concern, she’ll give her honest opinion, but work with me to make sure I can integrate changes as smoothly as possible. I wouldn’t give just anyone access to my project, and Kelly has been so welcoming, reverent, and supportive through all of it.

I always come away from our sessions feeling like I’m on the right track. Each session is magic! It’s fun, it’s collaborative, it’s expansive and she is a delight all around. People have asked to read my writing or see my project, and my immediate response was “no, you’re not Kelly!!” I would recommend working with Kelly even if you have a half-baked idea, a single line of writing, or a monster of a messy project. She’ll do her best to help you turn it into something alive.”
—Kate Y.


“I found Kelly through her supporting the work of black creators. When she came into my life it was at a point where I was afraid of the first draft of a book I had written. I wasn't totally sure how to take on the editing process alone. I sent Kelly a few chapters of what I had written and her response back was magical.

She came in with so much energy and humor and excitement and gave me back my desire to finish the book I had written.

There is nothing on this earth like the way that Kelly praises your writing when she loves what you're doing . Absolutely nothing like it. I feel like I could write down my shopping list and Kelly would hype me up for it.

She is so smart, talented, and fearless in her approach to writing that I cannot impress how much I wish I was like that.

If you're someone struggling with your writing, you need a pick me up, or you lost the love of writing, please, please, please reach out to Kelly and work with her. She will change your life and make you such a better writer in the process.”

-Nia Patterson

 

“I had the incredible opportunity to work with Kelly from Casual Magic writing, and I can't say enough about the profound experience she provided.

From the very first session, I knew I was in the right place. Kelly is not only an not only an expert in her craft but also immediately shows up as your biggest fan! She guided me with patience and unparalleled enthusiasm, nurtured my creativity and refined my skill and confidence.

Aside from her endless knowledge and passion for writing, what truly sets Kelly + Casual Magic Writing apart is her ability to meet you exactly where you are.

If you're on the fence about committing to writing with Kelly, I wholeheartedly encourage you to take the plunge. It's not just writing; it's a transformative journey. You'll leave with more than just improved writing skills, you'll leave with a newfound sense of purpose and a connection with one of the most compassionate human beings I've met in years.”

-Heather B.

 

“A mutual friend connected me with Kelly, and I was so impacted by my first conversation with her that I sent my friend a thank you card. Kelly's one-on-one mentorship and the Casual Magic writing community are among the top three reasons this year changed my life.

‘Casual Magic’ is the most precisely accurate name for what Kelly offers. 
The way she invites us, playfully and persistently, into our truth, the way she engages in the words that reveal themselves with voracious curiosity, the way she holds our work with utmost tenderness—it feels like a miracle. Like magic.

And the way she somehow laces it all with joy and humor makes even the heaviest of our words feel like hope, like maybe even they can be carried lightly. Casual. As someone who defaults to taking everything Very Very Seriously, her commitment to nonjudgmental, laughter-infused connection makes every opportunity to write with her and this community feel like dessert. Not the delicate, painstaking, intricate kind. 

Not ‘pastry.’ Like Grandma's peach cobbler, still warm with a puddly scoop of home-made vanilla ice cream. The kind you crank by hand in a wooden bucket taking turns and telling stories until it's ready. All salt and earth and sweetness and nourishment and that secret something that people mean when they talk about Soul Food. 

That is Kelly. That is Casual Magic. An unbelievable-until-you-taste-it treat.

I'm so damn grateful. I don't know what I did to deserve this. I'm also learning that we don't actually need to earn our dessert. We can simply choose it.”

-Heather G.

“Working with Kelly was a beautiful magical gift I gave to myself to truly inhabit my writing practice. I worked with Kelly as a writing coach and mentor and she has been a guide on my writing journey and an overall amazing and fucking hilarious human I have the joy of being in communion with on this whole life journey. Working with her has allowed me to cultivate my craft and practice of writing in a way that felt deeply relational and generative. We aren’t here to replicate bullshit perfectionist practices and Kelly embodies this in the way she shows up as a teacher, coach, mentor, and guide. She provides me with such thoughtful feedback and connection to phenomenal writing across genres that so deeply nourishes my love of writing and reading. The magic she weaves in her own brilliant writing is matched by the magic she weaves in creating space to build a thriving writing practice on your own terms. I cannot recommend Kelly highly enough and I am so grateful to be in community with her.”

-Jenn Schindel

Welcome to the buffet!

I don’t offer “packages” because your individual needs and processes are the focus of our work together. Some folks need weekly calls to discuss feedback and how they’re moving through their writing; some folks don’t. And our individual needs and desires change! Constantly! So what you see here is a buffet of options that’s a starting point for us & our collaborative work together. You know yourself & your needs, so you make the choices that feel most supportive to you; if you find that you need more or less as we work together, we make those changes. Simple. Casual. Magic.
(see what I did there?!)

  • Zoom calls
    Scheduled weekly or bi-weekly zoom calls to chat about what’s coming up for you as you’re writing, tending to your processes, any questions about feedback, or whatever your lil’ heart needs!

    These calls are recorded & uploaded to a shared Drive folder, so you can focus on being present and connecting instead of frantically taking notes (but totally feel free to take them if you wanna).

    Voxer + Marco Polo + WhatsApp
    Not to be all Kim Possible on you, but call me beep me if you wanna reach me.

    If you’re feeling stuck, aggravated, scared, excited--anything at all--about your writing and the process, you can tell me. I’m here to support & walk with you, not ahead of you; you’re always welcome to bring things to me that will help me see you more fully.

  • We choose a time to meet and write together! I write prompts for collective writing sessions and can write some specifically for you based on the project(s) you’re working on. I can record these sessions so you can focus on being fully present. Sessions can last anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours and can be useful when you’re writing about difficult stories or need some witnessing/reflecting.

  • I can offer written and/or audio feedback on up to three pieces of writing per week.

    I have deep, abiding feelings about what feedback is and what it’s meant to offer, so we will discuss this in a whole bunch of detail during the beginning stages of our process.

  • Currently my 1:1 coaching is offered with sliding scale payment options.

    Each person takes according to their need and gives according to their capacity, honoring the collaborative nature of our work and acknowledging the labor involved in such an intimate process. No explanation or qualification necessary to justify or explain the amount you choose--I trust you to do what’s best for you.

    The scale is $200-$800 per month, and if you’re someone who works with me long-term, I fully understand if you’re unable to maintain the same payment amount each month. Again--I trust you to do what’s best for you. I want to continue our relationship and we can collaborate on how to make that sustainable for us both.