Your story needs to be told. Whether it’s a memoir, fictional tale, spiritual journey, or metaphysical exploration – your story will live on through the people who read it.
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Influential Woman · Editing & Writing Services
Laura Bruce
Writer / Developmental Editor / Book Coach, Spiritual Journey Book Coach & Editor
Olympia, WA 98501
5Years experience
2Articles published
1Award received
Her Story
About Laura
Laura the Bruce is a writer, developmental editor, and book coach; originally from Texas, now based in Olympia, Washington. She specializes in helping authors transform personal experiences, ideas, and creative concepts into compelling, cohesive stories that can be published as books.
Through her work with Spiritual Journey Book Coach & Editor, she supports writers who are developing memoirs, spiritual and metaphysical journeys, fictional stories, and other manuscripts. With a lifelong passion for writing and a deep appreciation for the power of storytelling, Laura brings a thoughtful, encouraging approach to helping authors find the right words for their stories. She describes herself as a Catalytic Communicator and an Inspirational Instigator; in other words - an Inspirator.
Laura’s professional experience encompasses developmental editing, copy editing, formatting, ghostwriting, and book coaching. She has worked on a range of projects, including her own personal essays, which can be found on her Substack. Other projects include memoirs, self-help books, Romantasy novels, and the reformatting and editing of a previously published book from 1960 on Primary Water, titled NEW WATER FOR A THIRSTY WORLD.
Her background also includes account management, sales and marketing, professional organizing, networking, and business development. Before focusing more fully on writing and editing, she spent several years with the Association of Washington Business, Washington's state chamber of commerce, where she managed existing accounts, pursued new business, and developed a strong understanding of networking and relationship-building.
A lifelong learner and self-described Wisdom-Keeper, Laura draws upon decades of personal experiences, observations, and independent study to guide the writers she works with. She has spent over forty years exploring her own spiritual journey and brings that perspective to authors who are seeking to articulate profound experiences and personal insights.
Laura is known for her perseverance, organization, strong command of language, and ability to work with complex ideas while preserving an author's unique voice and vision. Her goal is to help writers move from an unfinished idea or deeply personal experience, to a polished manuscript that is ready to share with the world.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Laura
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to determination, perseverance, hard work, and a lot of support from my Angels. With commitment, courage, and a willingness to trust myself, my life's path has been about stepping into the next adventure, knowing that it will define itself and take me where I am supposed to be. Occasionally, I remember to give myself credit for how far I've come.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I remember receiving is to keep my money local. Help your community by supporting small businesses as much as possible.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Discover what lights you up and go after it. Believe in yourself, stay true to who you are, and don’t let others inflict their limitations on you. Have the courage to pivot when you need to. If you can't do what you love, love what you do.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The writing and editing field is huge. The written word has always been critical for our growth and sanity. A lot of people are worried that AI will destroy independent thought and replace people. It may - if we let it. It is like any other tool and should be kept in its place as such. I use it sometimes to check my punctuation, but it can't think like me, nor does it have any imagination. It can only imitate.
The human spirit has always proven to be indomitable. We just need to remember who's Boss.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I value honesty and integrity above all things. Always choose the truth - no matter how difficult it may be.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Laura
Spiritual Journey Book Coach
Bring Your Story to Life
5 Steps With the Spiritual Journey Book Coach That Will Bring Your Story to Life
You have a story to tell, but may hardly know where to start.
You need guidance. You need a book coach-someone who can relate to your experience.
YOU HAVE JUST FOUND THE HELP YOU NEED!
Your Spiritual Journey
You have had a spiritual experience, or perhaps a metaphysical epiphany, and feel that you must become a published author to share your story with the world.
As if it isn't hard enough to walk your personal path and live to tell about it, trying to capture your thoughts and make them stick to the page in a cohesive way can be challenging.
And then there's the editing, formatting, and publishing process.
You don't have to do it alone! I'm here to help!
Meet Your Book Coach
I'm Laura the Bruce-writer, editor, and Spiritual Journey Book Coach.
- As a developmental editor, I help authors transform meaningful experiences and creative ideas into polished manuscripts ready for publication.
- As a coach, I help you transform your thoughts into the story you want the world to hear.
As a book coach and developmental editor, I can:
- Help you focus on how you want your story to be presented.
- Help you outline, edit, and refine your story.
- Present a finished, polished copy of your manuscript, ready for the publisher.
Having been on my life path for over 60 years, I can:
- Help you integrate the journey you are on and put it into words.
- Walk with you and support you until your story is ready for the world.
A spiritual journey is an ongoing thing. It never really ends, you know.
An Editor Who Walks a Spiritual Path
There are any number of great editors in the world, but perhaps not so many who walk a spiritual path and can relate to your journey.
I have been on my own spiritual journey for almost 50 years and have written much about it along the way. I am intimately familiar with the challenges of trying to understand who we truly are while navigating everyday life.
I can empathize with the difficulties of the journey and encourage you to keep holding the light, especially when things go dark.
Experience in Many Genres
I have worked on a variety of projects, including:
- Spiritual and metaphysical works
- Memoirs
- Self-help books
- Nonfiction
- Romantasy
- Science fiction
- Many other creative and literary works
I help authors of all genres translate their ideas, experiences, and emotions into language that allows readers to see and feel the story.
How We Get There
First Step: Contact Me for a Free Consultation
At our first meeting, we discuss your experience and how you would like to present it. Mind-storming and heart-storming together helps me get to know you, and helps us both become clear on the details of your manuscript.
We will discuss your goals, how I can support you throughout the process, the costs, and any other questions you may have.
Second Step: Outline Your Story
Once we have agreed to work together, we will bring your ideas to life by identifying and outlining the most significant points, experiences, and moments in your story.
Creating an outline gives your manuscript direction and helps ensure that the heart of your story remains clear throughout the writing process.
Third Step: Edit and Refine Your Story
Once a rough draft has been created, I will begin the editing process, which includes correcting typos, sentence structure, punctuation, and formatting.
We will set a time once or twice a week to go over edits and discuss the progress of your manuscript.
Whether you're writing a memoir, spiritual book, self-help guide, work of fiction, or another type of manuscript, the goal is to help your story become the best version of itself.
When all is said and done, this is your baby. I will always respect your final decisions.
Fourth Step: Get Your Book Published
Once your manuscript has been read and polished to the point that you feel it is ready, I will provide you with a finished, formatted copy that is ready for the publishing process.
Whether you want to self-publish or work with a professional publisher, there are many options. I can offer suggestions and resources to help you decide which path is right for you.
If all you really need is line editing, a final proofreading, or perhaps formatting, I'm happy to help with those things as well.
Fifth Step: See It Done!
Imagine this…
- You are receiving guidance and support at every step of the writing and editing process from a book coach who can relate to your journey.
- Your ideas and spiritual experiences have been brought to life on the pages of your new book.
- You now have a completed manuscript in your hands and are moments away from submitting it to a publisher.
- You are now a published author!
Contact Me for a Free Consultation!
Your story needs to be told. Whether it's a memoir, fictional tale, spiritual journey, or metaphysical exploration, your story can live on through the people who read it.
As a book coach, I can help those who want to write about their spiritual journey put their thoughts into words and create a finished book. As an editor, I can polish and format most any manuscript for publication.
Whether you need inspiration, coaching, or basic editing, you can introduce me to your story and share your ideas for how you would like to present them to the world.
We will discuss how I can support you every step of the way, the costs, and any other questions you may have.
I will walk this journey with you to completion.
Let Us Begin…
Spiritual Journey Book Coach & Editor
Laura the Bruce ~ Writer/Editor/Book Coach
The sheet is symbolic of the “Veil” that was put upon us when we entered this realm. It helps us focus on the life at hand and keeps us from the distraction of the vastness of eternity.
THE LEAST NEEDED THING
Eternity's Divine Metaphor
THE LEAST NEEDED THING
There’s a party game that we played once back in the early ’80s. I don’t know its origin, and no one I’ve ever mentioned it to has heard of it, but it offers a great life lesson.
Ingredients of the Game – At least three or four well-toasted couples and a host[ess] to call the shots, along with a couple of others to referee and bear witness. Ideally, the game should be played after everyone has imbibed a bit. Folks are a little more gullible, and it adds to the fun.
Mix the couples up so no one is with their original partner. Choose one couple to start and send the rest off to another part of the house so they can’t hear what’s going on. Have the couple sit on the floor or in chairs and cover them both with a sheet. The host[ess] then begins to explain the rules of the game. It goes something like this:
“The purpose of this game is to discover one particular item you have on your body that you need the least. It may be your shoes or your watch, or an item of clothing that you can do without, but we’re looking for this one thing, and it’s up to you to discover what this one thing is. Once you figure it out and toss it out here to me, you win!”
You see the two heads under the sheet turn to look at each other, and you hear some whispering and giggling.
The host[ess] continues:
“Okay, so what is the one item you have on that you need the least? Again, it could be a watch or jewelry or shoes. The first person to figure it out and hand it over to us wins. So, let’s go! What is the one item you have on your body that you need the least?”
Again, the heads under the sheet turn to look at each other, and the witnesses see some scrambling around as a shoe comes flying out, or maybe a sock, keys, hair clips, or a wedding ring.
The voice of the host[ess] goes on, encouraging and cajoling:
“Well, that’s good, but it’s just not what we’re looking for, so we want you to keep thinking about it and give us the thing you have on your body that you need the least.”
When I played this game, I wasn’t wearing a bra—which would have been the first thing to go—so I offered up my shoes, all my jewelry, and even my glasses. I had on a one-piece outfit and refused to get naked, so I began to get a bit nervous as the voice continued to ask the same question:
“The thing we’re looking for is the one thing you have on your body that you need the least.”
The fellow next to me, Joe, was down to his pants and was also getting a bit nervous. One fellow who played the game managed to get his boxer shorts off while somehow keeping his jeans on. There was much scrambling under the sheet, and the girl sitting next to him was squealing and averting her eyes until a pair of underwear came flying out. That, by the way, was my ex-husband and the father of my child.
Unfortunately, none of this was what the Voice was asking for, and the game became more desperate, in a fun sort of way. At this point, I had given all I was willing to give, and yet the Voice droned on:
“The thing that we are looking for is the one thing you have on your body that you need the least.”
In my desperation, it finally hit me—the thing that I needed the least, that was on my body, was nothing that I had brought with me, and it had nothing to do with the alcohol or any other party favors. Just sayin’… It was what had been given to me. It was the thing that blinded me to all else.
The thing that was on my body that I needed the least... was the sheet!
Once it hit me that this was the trick, I yanked the sheet down and glared at my friend. She sat there grinning, and Joe, who was sitting beside me, was still looking around in confusion. We all started laughing, and it was time for another drink and to bring in the next round of victims.
Lifting the Veil by Unspoken 411
This simple, seemingly harmless game is a divine metaphor for the lives we are living. Just like any riddle that we rack our brains over to understand its secret, once we know the answer, we want to kick ourselves for not realizing the obvious. When we are so caught up in the game, we fail to see what is often hidden in plain sight.
The sheet is symbolic of the “Veil” that was put upon us when we entered this realm. It helps us focus on the life at hand and keeps us from the distraction of the vastness of eternity. Our little finite brains might explode were we to be subjected to all that is.
So where do we go from here? Now that we know, or at least have an inkling of what the “trick” is, how do we continue to walk around, attempting to keep up our human façade?
If you’re like me, you’re ready to blast out of here and be done with this madness. Then you remember—Oh yeah—I came here on purpose—to what? Alter this frequency? Change this paradigm? Heavy sigh… I so need a vacation—whatever that is. Can we just get this over with? Why are people so obtuse?! Hmmm… there was something about divine timing, too…
It would be so much easier if we could just line up the perpetrators and send them into the oblivion they deserve, but apparently, that would be too easy and would not get to the proverbial root.
I—must—alter—my—frequency—until—I—transform—the—template… as must those who also came here on this mission. It is the only way we will “break” this program and release the perps from their bondage.
Yes—I said “bondage.” Bondage begets bondage—did you not know?
Meanwhile, the sheet must remain while we are here to shield us from eternity. Those of us who realize the game must dwell within the façade and focus on our mission. Failure is not an option. Apparently, the Universe is watching and depends on this transition for the next phase in our evolution.
Bonsai!
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