Guidance from a Professional Writing Teacher

It’s a big step to realize you need guidance from a professional writing teacher, and a bigger one to jump in and start searching for the right one.

I strive to be the kind of writing coach I would entrust my own writing to: seasoned, curious, encouraging, honest, flexible, organized, clear, easy to talk to, fun to work with, attentive to both detail and the big picture, ready with lessons, tips and inspiration, impatient only when a student isn’t trying and intolerant only when it comes to platitudes and abstractions.

The Process

The first thing I do is make the task manageable. I show you the specific spots in the text that are and are not successful, explain why, and provide copious comments and suggestions in the text itself. We trade emails and text, we talk on the phone, we get comfortable working together. I listen hard and get to know your process and rhythms.  I root for you and revel in each small triumph. I give you the perspective that eludes you because you’re so close to the work. I send you off after each session focused, hopeful and itching to get back to work.

I have spent my life immersed in writing, editing and teaching. I have also studied the creative process itself – the seemingly potent forces of resistance within us that can tamp down our imagination or stop us altogether, prevent our writing from flourishing freely or compromise its quality. I can help you establish new habits that will serve you better and make you a smarter, more relaxed and more intuitive writer.

My Students

My students are beginners and professional writers, teenagers and retirees and everyone in between. I have worked on literary short stories and novels, genre novels (historical, fantasy, scifi, thriller), and memoirs. Post-pandemic I can meet you in your home or in a coffee shop if you're in New York, or on the phone, on Zoom, or via e-mail, on whatever complicated schedule you may have.

Rates

No two jobs are alike. Email me at [email protected] and tell me what you need. I'll respond, usually within a day.