Writing Instruction for Kids & Adults
(see thewritingquest.com for more)
Offering both academic and creative writing instruction for students in grades 6-12, I aim to meet each individual wherever they are both emotionally and academically, and with patience, understanding, and acceptance.
Academic Writing: There are essays and papers every student will have to write for school and beyond. There is no way around it, nor should there be. But first we need to build confidence. My goal is to encourage you to think, be patient with yourself, and be open to the unique process of articulating thoughts on paper. Through a combination of guided instruction, brain-storming, discussion, and reflection, I offer you a safe and supportive one-to-one environment in which to brainstorm, make mistakes, learn from them, and write.
Creative Writing: Offering one-to-one instruction, I encourage you to discover your inner poet or storyteller by creating, drafting, editing, and re-writing. As you gain confidence in your creative writing, you gain confidence in all your writing. During our sessions, you will explore your imagination through creative writing exercises, poetry, and story building. And you will play with the absurd, the colorful, and the wild, as we talk, wonder, and write.
The High School Essay: Some students need to write a personal essay as part of the application process to many NYC high schools and boarding schools. Because this process is often stressful for families, I offer calm and objective writing instruction with a clear goal to help you find your stride, your confidence, and your voice. Let's begin in the spring of your 7th grade or summer of 8th grade so you are ahead of the game when the fall of 8th grade comes rushing in with tours, open houses, interviews, exams, and applications.
The College Essay: More than ever, college applications are being reviewed with a keen focus on your personal essay. Much like we do when we write creatively, we take care to explore and celebrate you by best highlighting your strengths and curiosities and embracing vulnerability, all while writing from a place that matters. By using College Essay Guy's endless resources, you will write with passion to find that essence. Then, by paying attention to word choice, sentence structure, grammar, and organization, we work together to create an essay with energy, integrity, and innovation that feels true to you.
Academic Writing: There are essays and papers every student will have to write for school and beyond. There is no way around it, nor should there be. But first we need to build confidence. My goal is to encourage you to think, be patient with yourself, and be open to the unique process of articulating thoughts on paper. Through a combination of guided instruction, brain-storming, discussion, and reflection, I offer you a safe and supportive one-to-one environment in which to brainstorm, make mistakes, learn from them, and write.
Creative Writing: Offering one-to-one instruction, I encourage you to discover your inner poet or storyteller by creating, drafting, editing, and re-writing. As you gain confidence in your creative writing, you gain confidence in all your writing. During our sessions, you will explore your imagination through creative writing exercises, poetry, and story building. And you will play with the absurd, the colorful, and the wild, as we talk, wonder, and write.
The High School Essay: Some students need to write a personal essay as part of the application process to many NYC high schools and boarding schools. Because this process is often stressful for families, I offer calm and objective writing instruction with a clear goal to help you find your stride, your confidence, and your voice. Let's begin in the spring of your 7th grade or summer of 8th grade so you are ahead of the game when the fall of 8th grade comes rushing in with tours, open houses, interviews, exams, and applications.
The College Essay: More than ever, college applications are being reviewed with a keen focus on your personal essay. Much like we do when we write creatively, we take care to explore and celebrate you by best highlighting your strengths and curiosities and embracing vulnerability, all while writing from a place that matters. By using College Essay Guy's endless resources, you will write with passion to find that essence. Then, by paying attention to word choice, sentence structure, grammar, and organization, we work together to create an essay with energy, integrity, and innovation that feels true to you.
Editor of Memoir, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry
I have helped some clients bring their work to publication with houses such as Simon & Schuster, while others prefer to self-publish. Having edited my father's book of poems, I know how to listen and pay attention, how to engage and celebrate, and how to question with respect and courage.
Regardless of where you wish to share your work, I stay present in each moment to carefully and respectfully help you find your authentic story, image, and thought. We explore your characters. Who and why are they? What do they eat? What is the smell of the grass beneath their feet? We play with plot and story. We delve deep into your memoir, peer at each sensitive switch, tangle and detangle your history, wonder why, and play with all of your answers. And, of course, poetry. Here we seek the fresh, the new, the unseen. I will always ask questions. And I will always honor your dignity.
After the creative work is done, it is time for the practical and precise art of editing. Here, I enjoy fixing and cleaning. It's a habit of mine, and I'm good at it!
Regardless of where you wish to share your work, I stay present in each moment to carefully and respectfully help you find your authentic story, image, and thought. We explore your characters. Who and why are they? What do they eat? What is the smell of the grass beneath their feet? We play with plot and story. We delve deep into your memoir, peer at each sensitive switch, tangle and detangle your history, wonder why, and play with all of your answers. And, of course, poetry. Here we seek the fresh, the new, the unseen. I will always ask questions. And I will always honor your dignity.
After the creative work is done, it is time for the practical and precise art of editing. Here, I enjoy fixing and cleaning. It's a habit of mine, and I'm good at it!