Writing Tutoring
One-on-one coaching for students at every level — online, at your pace
One-on-one coaching for students at every level — online, at your pace
Writing is a skill, not a talent — which means it can be taught, practiced, and genuinely improved. I work with students one-on-one to build the specific abilities they need: essay structure, argument, voice, and the confidence to approach a blank page without freezing up.
I’ve taught writing at the university level, worked in a university Writing Center, and tutored students from middle school through college. I bring both the patience of an experienced teacher and the perspective of a working writer who has wrestled with the same problems my students face.
In an age when AI can generate a passable essay in seconds, the students who stand out are the ones who know how to think — and how to find their own voice. My sessions focus on developing that thinking and that voice, not on producing polished text by shortcut. The goal is a writer who doesn’t need the shortcut.
Structure, argumentation, clarity, and voice. Academic essays, analytical writing, and personal essays. All levels from middle school through college.
Finding the specific, honest story that makes an application memorable. Moving past generic toward something genuinely personal and compelling.
Fiction and nonfiction. Voice, structure, point of view, pacing, revision. For students developing a practice or working on a specific project.
Close reading, literary analysis, and essay writing in response to texts. Understanding what a work is doing and how to write about it clearly and insightfully.
Building a reliable process for on-demand writing — identifying what a prompt is asking, structuring a response under pressure, developing ideas without freezing up.
Graduate school applications, law school letters of interest, professional proposals. High-stakes writing that needs to be specific, honest, and persuasive.
I work from the belief that every student already has ideas worth expressing — the work of tutoring is helping them find and articulate those ideas. Sessions are conversation-driven: I ask questions, push back on vague thinking, and help students discover what they actually want to say before they worry about how to say it.
For ongoing students I typically assign short practice exercises between sessions and provide written feedback on drafts. For one-time sessions focused on a specific piece, we work through the material together in real time. All sessions are conducted online via Zoom or Google Meet.
I hold an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, where I taught undergraduate composition, literature, and creative writing. I have worked in a university Writing Center and tutored students privately at the middle school, high school, and college levels. My own writing has been recognized with fellowships from Yaddo and the MacDowell Colony, a Pushcart Prize nomination, and selection for Best American Essays.