I'm a New York Times best-selling novelist; and an Oprah book club author. For two years, I wrote a regular column for The Atlantic Monthly magazine that examined well-written passages from new book. For several years, I taught English to 10th, 11th, and 12th graders at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, and before that I taught English to 11th and 12th graders at the Field School in Washington, D.C.. At Yale, I earned both a BA and an MA in English. This is all to say that I know quite...
I'm a New York Times best-selling novelist; and an Oprah book club author. For two years, I wrote a regular column for The Atlantic Monthly magazine that examined well-written passages from new book. For several years, I taught English to 10th, 11th, and 12th graders at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, and before that I taught English to 11th and 12th graders at the Field School in Washington, D.C.. At Yale, I earned both a BA and an MA in English. This is all to say that I know quite a bit about writing!
As a full-time writer, I missed interacting with students, and so began tutoring one-on-one. Over the last 30 years, I’ve helped high-schoolers with college essays, analytical essays, creative writing projects, and prep for the verbal sections of the SAT and the ACT. I’ve also worked with middle-schoolers on analytical reading and writing skills, as well as on the SSAT and the ISEE.
I specialize in the college essay, because it’s a daunting project. It demands keen self-awareness, unfaltering coherence, firm direction, precise language, and a genuine voice. It’s also a precious chance to show college admissions committees who you are–what excites you, what you value, how you negotiate life's vicissitudes and savor its pleasures. The stakes are high, which can be paralyzing, but to emerge with a thoughtful, sensitive, stylish piece of writing about an important subject–you--is exhilarating.
Although I can join a student at any stage, the process of working on an essay can begin with questions designed to help discover the richest material. At subsequent meetings, I read and assess drafts, pushing students to develop ideas and improve clarity by sharpening language and structure. I show them how to shape an essay by moving from concrete observations to abstract concepts and how to make phrasing graceful and, of course, grammatical. As students hone their ideas by writing and rewriting, they establish their own powerful personal style.
