About Me

Hi, I’m Kelly, a freelance editor, creative consultant and writing coach. I’m passionate about helping writers tell their stories, find their style and polish their words. The writers I have worked with have gone on to land publishing deals, be longlisted for the Richell Prize, win Varuna fellowships and RWA awards, and achieve success in independent publishing.

I hold qualifications in creative writing (UTS), business and TESOL, and have over 25 years combined experience working as a writer, editor, copywriter/marketer and English language teacher. The past eight years I have worked almost exclusively with fiction writers and am a Senior Tutor/Editor for The Writers Studio , where I teach story structure and novel writing.

As a writer, I have written two short films and numerous short stories, and been published in print, as well as on the web. One of my essays was chosen for a Louise Hay book – Modern Day Miracles, and another was selected for a Covid Anthology, Stories from the Heart, Penning the Pandemic, published in cooperation with The Royal Historical Society of Queensland. My most unusual publication was of an 8 word story about CHANGE which appeared on a Queensland Writers Centre billboard in Brisbane. Not your usual place to see a story in print, but it was a real thrill.

When I’m not writing and editing stories, I’m reading, watching or talking about stories. In my down time, you will find me wrangling children and dogs, and juggling my yoga practice with a deep love of cake.

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Testimonials

Maya Linnell

Author

Kelly provided wonderful advice during the second draft of my novel Wildflower Ridge. Her structured approach and strong grasp of captivating plot lines helped amplify pressure and create tension throughout the book. As well as loving what she does, Kelly is enthusiastic about helping writers get the best out of their work. Nothing was ever too much trouble, no question too trivial. Kelly was happy to work at whichever pace I set and became a friend as well as a thoughtful and professional editor.

Emma Lord

Author

I’ve worked with Kelly for many years, and I am a much stronger writer for it. A compassionate and motivating mentor, she has been instrumental in helping me better understand story structure, pace, character motivation, and the all-important character emotion (my personal steep learning curve!) - and how to best incorporate them. In addition to her natural skills as a teacher, Kelly also has an editing eagle eye, with a knack for cutting through the fluff and pinpointing precisely what is and isn’t working within your manuscript. Whether it’s broad structure or line editing, your manuscript, synopsis, or pitch letter – she always provides constructive and incisive feedback guaranteed to take your writing to the next level.

Jodi Gibson

Author

I first engaged Kelly's coaching services to help me nut through the draft of what would become my second novel, The Five Year Plan. Kelly's advice and knowledge of writing and story structure were invaluable. She helped me work through plot holes, cement character motivations and held my hand while I restructured a major part of the narrative which made the story so much stronger. Kelly is now helping me with my third novel and has become more than just a coach and mentor. Her enthusiasm for story and character, her wisdom and knowledge on everything writing, and her kind and encouraging nature lend herself perfectly to what she does. I trust Kelly completely and highly respect her input. I have no doubt she has helped me grow as a writer. If you are after a writing coach or mentor, I cannot recommend Kelly highly enough. She's the gold standard!

Kylie Hough

Author

Kelly offers a comprehensive coaching service I highly recommend. With her knowledge and experience, she challenges me to write my best, and to simply write, no matter what. Kelly's patient and caring attitude enables me to let go, and push through insecurities to give my all without being self-conscious. Working with Kelly inspires me to write to the best of my ability, but also to be the best person I can be.

Tanya Nellestein

Author

Kelly was one of my first writing coaches - and she is the one I ultimately stuck with. When we first began working together, I had no clue about story structure or character arcs. Now, I hear her voice in my head as I write, reminding me to ground the characters in the scene, or questioning the point of a particular chapter! Kelly’s ability to hold my story in her mind as it develops has always astounded me. She just gets my vision. Not only that, Kelly is able to take my writing and my ideas to the next level. When she really believes in you as a writer, she gives you everything she has. Including the truth. When I need to do better, she lets me know. Her notes and feedback are always comprehensive - and her willingness to talk it through and brainstorm with me has helped me out of many black holes. As an editor and writing coach, there is none better than Kelly Rigby.

Sandra Taylor

Be You Yoga

Kelly is a great communicator and editor.  When I try to articulate my esoteric ideas plus my Spanish background, writing can get a bit complicated.  Kelly’s open mind and love for writing expression, gently helps me to express my ideas in a way that everyone can understand and enjoy. Thank you dear Kelly, writing in a second language is fun with you.

Dr Johanna Skinner

Author

When I decided to fulfill a long held desire to write I was very fortunate to have Kelly Rigby as my tutor and mentor. When I applied her methods, I was able to breathe life into my characters and my vague ideas were transformed into stories. Kelly is a master of the art of the storytelling and has an uncanny intuition for story structure. Without her techniques and mentoring, I would never have have had the courage to enter a competition. Over the past year, my stores have been long listed twice and short listed once in a flash fiction competition. Kelly is currently supporting me through the final stages of a novel and her regular detailed feedback has completely transformed it. Kelly consistently has pushed me outside my comfort zone and has not only taught me how to construct an engaging story but has changed my self belief. With her practical tried and tested tips and regular feedback, she has enabled my dream to write to come true.

Natalie Saleeba

Author

Kelly has tutored & mentored me over the past couple of years while I was finishing a manuscript. Her feedback was always clear & direct, and facilitated an improvement in my writing & storytelling. Kelly is an efficient & thorough editor, and her expert notes have deepened my knowledge, understanding & practise of the craft of writing. As a mentor, she always offered words of encouragement & support when I needed them, which helped me get through the more challenging times. She tells the truth & doesn’t sugar-coat things which I appreciated, and I believe her ability to be honest while always providing constructive solutions is a valuable asset to have in a tutor if you genuinely want to improve as a writer.

Sharita Russell

Author

Kelly has a way of getting to the crux of any issues in a manuscript. She never tells you what to write— she draws the story from you with encouragement and insight. She was instrumental in getting the structure of my novel as tight and clear as possible.

Ann Jackon

Author

Kelly gives 100%... always. Since working with her, I completed my first novel and have written a second. My confidence has grown and my writing has hit new and exciting levels. She has shown me how to tap into my characters and bring them alive, as ‘people’ with real emotions. She is patient with a capital P, and an incredible editor with a knack of finding the kernel in those important but overlong scenes we all tend to write. She teaches how to trim the excess and get those scenes doing the job they’re meant to, keeping readers hungrily turning pages. Kelly inspires you to ‘play’ and fall in love with story writing. Above all, she has encouraged me to believe in myself and follow my dreams. With Kelly as your coach and mentor, be prepared to be dazzled by what you will achieve.

Jim Walters

Author

As a coach, Kelly is fully invested in your story and is firmly in your corner as you write. As an editor, I found her professional expertise and eye for detail invaluable. Her understanding of structure helped me build a story framework that made sense, then, with both content and line edits, Kelly was exacting, but always encouraging. Together, we got my manuscript, Child of Dark, through to the submission stage, a place I doubt I would ever have seen if not for her patient, educative involvement in every aspect of my journey. Kelly knows the writing game from the inside. She not only understands industry standards but also understands the exciting, terrifying, maddening trip you are on and is with you, inspiring, supporting and grounding - sometimes all at once! (Oh, and another thing - so generous with her time; you never feel like you’re flying solo.) If you want your manuscript to be the best it can be, I highly recommend Kelly.