I help writers discover and deliver their messages with power, grace, and clarity.

I work with two sets of writers:

1. Those with a clear, short-term project to complete, such as an application or important letter.
2. Those who are writing or wish to write a book – fiction, non-fiction, or poetry.

Working with me will help you a great deal if you identify with any of the following statements:

• You know you would benefit from gentle structure and loving support in your writing
• You want to find a new way to write – one that feels more fun, life-giving, and exploratory than the old “buckle-down” methods that have failed you in the past
• You’ve dabbled with your writing but never achieved what you desired or hoped
• You want an expert eye on your writing during the revision process to help bring it to the highest level possible
• You are done with feeling frustrated, stuck, and disappointed with your writing

You can call me in at any stage of the work:  brainstorming, development, or revision.  When you get in touch, we’ll talk over the aim and scope of your project and the best way to tackle it.  Sessions are available in-person or on Skype.

How I help writers

I’m a passionate, practicing writer and a loving and experienced teacher of writing.  My own work has been published in books, magazines, scholarly journals, poetry magazines, and essay collections. I’ve taught writing at Harvard and Brandeis Universities for more than a decade and have coached dozens of writers outside academe.  Along the way, I’ve learned lots of strategies to guide writers towards flow, enjoyment, and discovery.  I believe that clarity + delight = gorgeous writing.

Here are the main areas where I can help:

œ♦I’m great at catching sparks. 

I train all my focus and intuition on you as you speak your ideas, noting when you come alive.  I help you move in the direction of excitement, eagerness, passion, and flow because that’s the energy that produces not just great writing, but completed writing!

œ♦œI love helping writers go deeper.

Through questions and listening, I help you see the even richer springs beneath your first thoughts and words.  I work a lot with questions – especially “why” questions – which energize our writing, drive us towards more exciting ideas, and help us to connect more readily with our readers.

œ♦œI help you think like a reader.

This is THE essential skill for writing that has the power and effect we desire.  In fact, I used to tell my students at Harvard and Brandeis that this one thing is what separates the boys from the men and the girls from the women:  remembering the reader and kindly, consciously attending to his or her needs.

œ♦œI help you put the pieces together to best support your ideas. 

I notice that we writers often know in our bones that two things (ideas, pieces, sections) are connected but we haven’t quite done the work of explicitly connecting them – often because we’re not quite sure how yet.  I like helping writers stitch the pieces together.

œ œ♦I have a knack for getting you unstuck and excited again about what you’re creating. 

It’s a privilege to hold up a mirror to the power and beauty of your message.  When the writing process gets wonky – and it DOES get wonky – I help you re-connect with what’s true, delicious, and important to you so you can keep going.