The unicorn of writing guidance: strategy-based and tuned-in.
I don’t promise quick fixes or short-cuts for school assignments or admissions essays.
I definitely do not write for students; they always do the heavy lifting.
I do, however, offer positive support, connected mentorship, and a lot of humor.
And I teach students a revision-based model of writing that builds lasting skills.
Students today are facing a major challenge.
They need their voice to write admissions essays, speak with authenticity in interviews, express their ideas and feelings in personal relationships, navigate AI as a tool and not a crutch—and more!
Yet when it comes to writing, students often:
✏️ Get stuck before they’ve even started, stifling their ideas and creativity instead of freeing them—especially if ADHD is a factor.
✏️ Lack strategy for expanding ideas with meaning—not fluff.
✏️ Seek AI shortcuts or other quick turnarounds that fail to connect them to their ideas, voice, resilience, and vibrant inner world.
Do these challenges sound familiar? Let’s connect!
What Sets Write Well Brooklyn Apart from Standard Tutoring?
Hi! Well, first, I'm an award-winning and New York Times-reviewed author with bylines in Newsweek, G&G, New Stories from the South, and elsewhere.
More importantly, young people tend to connect easily with my personality…since all the way back in my college days as an in-demand babysitter! With 1:1 coaching, connection is essential as students take what I call "the risk of effort.”
My training goes beyond my 20 years in education. I’ve worked closely with meditation guides, somatic coaches, and—I’m proud to say—a long-time therapist. I stay present with students, paying attention to cues that let me know if there’s confusion or clarity, exhaustion or energy. I model authenticity, curiosity, communication, and sheer enthusiasm!
I use writing strategies that ACTUALLY work. Outlines too early in the process, unstructured brainstorming, or a one-and-done draft—these strategies are ineffectual at best.* My approaches—some my own, some borrowed from from my own teachers and mentors—truly help young people write successfully.
*...and frankly, a direct result of too little diversity in academia for centuries—but, ahem, that's for another soapbox!
Student successes speak for themselves. My admissions essay students have achieved entry into top universities and NYC high schools. My long-term students have placed in Scholastic Contests, the NYTimes Summer Reading Contest, and more. Check out a broader list of student accolades here (but personally, my favorite part of the job is guiding teens to grow and deepen as human beings).
After helping over 150 students navigate the hurdle of admissions essays, I’m excited to share this comprehensive starter pack for 8th graders applying to high schools, including:
My best tools for creating great admissions essays!
Six outstanding example essays from NYC 8th grade students.
My 2025 Admissions Essay Workshop slide deck with insight into voice and strategy.
A guide to tackling daunting prompts.
…and more!
Admissions Essay Starter Pack for 8th Graders
Personality is probably the most important factor in deciding on the right coach for your kid or teen. You’ll get a sense of mine in these videos—along with a couple of my favorite tips and strategies.*
*You’ll also gain insight into the various forms of expression my hair takes on without my input.
Write Well Brooklyn students are gaining confidence and achieving their dreams.
My NYC high school applicants have gotten into Regis, Hackley, Beacon, Avenues of the World, Spence, LREI, Poly Prep, St. Ann’s, Dwight Englewood, Columbia Prep, Fieldston, Trinity, Berkeley Carroll, Riverdale, and more.
My college applicants have gotten into University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, Boston College, Sarah Lawrence, Babson College, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Texas at Austin, New York University, Parsons, Savannah College of Art & Design, and more—and all with essays entirely in their own voice.
Finalist in The New York Times Summer Reading Contest.
Publication & awards in Stone Soup, a children’s literary magazine.
Scholastic Art & Writing Contest awards.
Want learn more about how my coaching programs can help your kid or teen?
How I Got Here
When I was a kid, I knew I longed to express myself in a big way, but wasn’t sure how. Then, at age 12, I got up the courage to audition for a musical—but when I opened my mouth to sing, no sound came out. NONE. Not even a squeak. Eventually, the accompanist suggested the other kids sing along—and while I managed to eke out the tune, it was the absolute opposite of that “big” self-expression I craved.
Decades later, and with an MFA in fiction writing under my belt, I fully committed to expressing my voice: I left a steady high school teaching job in Austin, Texas to write my first novel, and I supported myself with private tutoring.
I began to notice certain patterns in students. Whether writing for English class or a college admissions essay, they often got stuck before they even began—caught up by fear, self doubt, or perfectionism.
The more I worked with them, the more I realized my “tutoring” involved something deeper and more long-lasting than academic support and skill-building alone. My students were gaining confidence in their voice, too.
I eventually published that first novel, The Crocodile Bride, a New York Times Editors’ Choice. I moved to New York; Write Well Austin morphed into Write Well Brooklyn; and tutoring morphed into coaching—a term I find more fitting.
As a professional writer, I know first-hand how self-expression can empower, strengthen, and even heal us and others in surprising ways. At Write Well Brooklyn, I love guiding students toward impactful self-expression, too.
With a long-time student (once much shorter than me) in 2019.