Cat Dean | Helping Women 50 Become the Writers They Secretly Long to Be

About Cat

I work with women who want to write — but aren’t quite sure how to begin. Maybe you’re still searching for the idea. Maybe you’ve started something and lost momentum. Maybe you’ve never said out loud that you want to write a book.

I’ve been there too.

I’ve spent my career immersed in words. I'm a Teaching Fellow at the University of Edinburgh where I teach creative writing and I've also worked at Canongate Books. I hold a Master’s in English Literature, a certificate in adult education, and I’m trained as a coach with the Coaches Training Institute.

I’m also a certified book coach through Author Accelerator — a rigorous, evidence-based programme that trains coaches to guide writers through every stage of the process, from first idea to finished manuscript.

But here’s what really matters: I didn’t start taking my own writing seriously until I turned forty.

Like many of my clients, I had always wanted to write… but life, perfectionism, and self-doubt got in the way.

Since then, I’ve had work published in literary magazines, won national competitions, been shortlisted for multiple awards, and I’m now preparing to self-publish my first novel.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned through it all, it’s this:

Good feedback changes everything.

Each time I received thoughtful, professional input on my work, it moved me forward — fast. Not because someone told me what to do, but because they helped me see what was already there, waiting to take shape.

That’s what I offer my clients:

A nurturing, safe space to begin.
A structured path forward.
And honest, kind feedback that helps your writing grow.

You don’t need to be confident. You just need to be ready to begin.

If something here resonates, my free Get Started Pack is a natural next step — an invitation to begin your own writing journey.

Get started

About Cat

But here’s what really matters: I didn’t start taking my own writing seriously until I turned forty.

Good feedback changes everything.

Kind words from a former student