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AP English/College Essay Specialist; Academic/Manuscript Editor
Marianne B.

5.0 (1,317 ratings)

4,199 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee
Hourly Rate: $125
Contact Marianne

Response time: 3 hours

Marianne B.'s Photo

AP English/College Essay Specialist; Academic/Manuscript Editor
AP English/College Essay Specialist; Academic/Manuscript Editor
Marianne B.

5.0 (1,317 ratings)

4,199 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee
5.0 (1,317 ratings)

4,199 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

About Marianne

Bio

As one of Wyzant's highest-performing tutors, I successfully guide students toward writing that is clear, concise and polished by showing how to move drafts from being writer-based to reader-based. My students learn to analyze their strengths and weaknesses and move from idea generation to the final draft in a productive, strategic and rewarding process. By clarifying objectives, reviewing, editing and polishing, the student learns how to ensure their writing is interesting, valuable,...

As one of Wyzant's highest-performing tutors, I successfully guide students toward writing that is clear, concise and polished by showing how to move drafts from being writer-based to reader-based. My students learn to analyze their strengths and weaknesses and move from idea generation to the final draft in a productive, strategic and rewarding process. By clarifying objectives, reviewing, editing and polishing, the student learns how to ensure their writing is interesting, valuable, graceful, and pleasurable for the reader.

My admission positions at two selective institutions and my experience as a college admission essay coach means I've been responding to high-level college application essays for over 20 years. With sessions devoted to choosing your best topic, style, and structure, and through targeted feedback with an appreciation for your unique personality and voice, you’ll find interesting connections that result in a meaningful essay that exceeds the reader's expectations and contributes to a more compelling and successful college application.

I take a holistic approach to enhance mastery of any writing. I create high-level writing lessons that boost reading, logic, and writing skills that strengthen the bridge between ideas and writing. I incorporate proofreading appointments, where I provide written actionable feedback, resulting in students feeling much more prepared and less stressed during the writing process.

With an MA in teaching academic writing and a BA in English, I inform each session with scholarship based on a multi-faceted educational pedagogy. I individualize each session, preparing custom documents and, afterwards, writing a detailed report on what we accomplished and the next steps. I create a shared google folder for each student, which serves as a rich resource of custom writing instruction and information.

I love teaching writing, along with the creative problem solving skills, like developing an idea and using logic, that help students express their ideas.

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Education

Illinois Wesleyan University
BA in English
DePaul University
MEd
St. Bonaventure University
Graduate Coursework

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $125
  • Rate details: Rates: * $125/hr College Admission, Supplement, and Scholarship Essay Process *$95/hr Academic Writing Support *$75/hr Academic and Creative Writing Editing Services
  • Lesson cancellation: 3 hours notice required

  • Background check passed on 8/3/2020

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Schedule

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Subjects

Corporate Training

ESL/ESOL,

ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL Qualifications I have five years experience tutoring international students at DePaul University's Multicultural Center for Writing and Reading. I tutored English language learners from a multitude of countries using popular methodologies and components of major language areas: listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar. I planned and implemented effective lessons, using my knowledge of TESOL, English grammar, and applied linguistics .
Grammar,

Grammar

I have taught high school grammar. I have graduate-level coursework in Grammar for Teachers and Advanced Linguistic and Traditional Grammar. I have tutored countless students on grammar-based issues. I have graduate-level coursework in editing for grammar.
Proofreading

Proofreading

I am a highly qualified, professionally trained academic editor with over 15 years of professional editing experience and expertise in all high-stakes business and academic writing: university undergrad and graduate admission essays, university assignments, master's thesis, PhD dissertations, and manuscripts for journal submission. I am efficient and effective, providing suggested in-text and actionable margin comments that adhere to all conventions of excellent writing: Organizing for logical flow of ideas for clarity Identifying and correcting sentence-level issues in terminology, tone, and syntax by rephrasing awkward sentences Correcting formatting issues My collaboration with your writing project will improve the value of your work for the reader, so you can focus on your writing and submit your final draft with confidence.

Elementary Education

Grammar,

Grammar

I have taught high school grammar. I have graduate-level coursework in Grammar for Teachers and Advanced Linguistic and Traditional Grammar. I have tutored countless students on grammar-based issues. I have graduate-level coursework in editing for grammar.
Vocabulary

English

ACT English,

ACT English

My ACT English tutoring plan helps students develop a strong skill set to master the three parts of the English exam: Grammar, usage, and rhetoric, Reading, and Writing. I individualize the plan to meet each student’s goal for the ACT--whether it’s to improve grammar and usage, reading, writing, or all three. English Grammar and Usage: Students learn to quickly identify and correct errors in the grammar and usage conventions typically used on the exam. These conventions, which comprise 40 out of the 75 English questions, are: Punctuation: internal and end-of-sentence punctuation, with emphasis on the relationship of punctuation to meaning and avoiding ambiguity. Grammar and usage: agreement between subject & verb, pronoun & antecedent, and modifiers & the word modified; verbs and verbals; tense and aspect; and idiomatic usage Sentence Structures: compound and complex sentences, relationships between and among clauses, conjunctions, placement of modifiers, shifts in construction and focus, a Rhetoric: phrases, nominal structures, revising for clarity and conciseness Reading: Students learn ways to quickly analyze the four subject passages-- social studies, natural sciences, literature, and humanities— to identify the main idea, compare ideas, generalize ideas, identify relationships such as cause-and-effect, and define words based on context Writing: Students learn to use advanced rhetoric to write a unified, coherent essay that clearly states an insightful perspective on an issue and supports a nuanced, precise thesis. They learn to develop the significance of the issue in logical and organized paragraphs. Test-taking Strategies: Students learn to unpack each multiple-choice item and eliminate wrong answers. They learn to engage with the readings and pay close attention to questions. They learn strategies for when they are stuck on a question, word, or section of a passage. They learn the difference between reading, skimming, and scanning. And last, but certainly not least, they learn how to manage
ACT Reading,

ACT Reading

I began my graduate studies in education with courses such as Reading and Learning Disabilities, Assessment and Diagnostic Teaching of Reading, Human Development and Reading, and Literacy for the Exceptional Child. As a high school English teacher, I was committed to improving the literacy challenges of my students who struggled with reading. While I’m a born reader, I wanted to understand how the brain learns to read and why decoding skills frustrated bright students. My strong background in graduate-level instruction in reading and my experience in teaching reading as a high school English teacher allow me to offer personalized reading instruction to any student. Whether my students are preparing for the ACT, SAT Reading exams or reading literature and poetry for high school or college assignments, they all enjoy gains in their reading comprehension and speed.
English,

English

Nearly every year, my AP Lit & AP Lang students beat the national pass rates in AP English Exams by 48%. I've been specially trained to teach AP Lit and AP Lang courses as a high school English teacher, and as a tutor, I develop individual lessons for each student, helping them through their coursework and offering additional official AP materials to guide practice writing exercises. I provide valuable and actionable feedback that moves their writing from the high school level to the level that AP Lit & Lang essay assessors expect-- the college level. My work as a writing tutor at a major university involved being embedded into college courses, from all disciplines, to present writing-based lessons and work individually with students on all genres of writing. I take the same systematic, organized approach to my AP tutoring, creating a plan for each student to identify and strengthen their weaknesses in all phases of their writing, from idea generation to the final proofread and polish.
ESL/ESOL,

ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL Qualifications I have five years experience tutoring international students at DePaul University's Multicultural Center for Writing and Reading. I tutored English language learners from a multitude of countries using popular methodologies and components of major language areas: listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar. I planned and implemented effective lessons, using my knowledge of TESOL, English grammar, and applied linguistics .
Grammar,

Grammar

I have taught high school grammar. I have graduate-level coursework in Grammar for Teachers and Advanced Linguistic and Traditional Grammar. I have tutored countless students on grammar-based issues. I have graduate-level coursework in editing for grammar.
Linguistics,

Linguistics

My approach to tutoring English is based on the fundamentals of linguistics, the scientific study of language. I’ve done a great deal of linguistic research, as a graduate student and life-long linguistics fanatic, to understand the structural grammar, syntax, and diction underlying all versions of the English language. When working with college writers, ESL students, and students preparing for the AP Literature and AP Language exams, I start them thinking about word categories and sentence structures to help them objectively evaluate the English language, paying particular attention to how words change form and how they function in sentences.
Literature,

Literature

Nearly every year, my students beat the national pass rates in AP® English Literature by 48%. My experiences as both a high school AP Literature English teacher and a college-level tutor has equipped me with effective strategies that can help you develop the following skills with any work of prose or poetry: a more active and interrogative mode of reading, a higher-level response to the work, and an an interesting, complex claim that is defensible with evidence from the text. Our collaboration will also expand your ability to draw conclusions, synthesize ideas, and form an understanding of the work, including the genre and literary movement. With AP Lit, I work by teaching strategies for writing the FRQ responses such as literary argument, analysis & interpretation, and criticism. Together, we dig deeper so you can confidently comment on the eternal questions that literature asks us to grapple with.
Proofreading,

Proofreading

I am a highly qualified, professionally trained academic editor with over 15 years of professional editing experience and expertise in all high-stakes business and academic writing: university undergrad and graduate admission essays, university assignments, master's thesis, PhD dissertations, and manuscripts for journal submission. I am efficient and effective, providing suggested in-text and actionable margin comments that adhere to all conventions of excellent writing: Organizing for logical flow of ideas for clarity Identifying and correcting sentence-level issues in terminology, tone, and syntax by rephrasing awkward sentences Correcting formatting issues My collaboration with your writing project will improve the value of your work for the reader, so you can focus on your writing and submit your final draft with confidence.
SAT Reading,

SAT Reading

Through graduate courses such as Reading and Learning Disabilities, Assessment and Diagnostic Teaching of Reading, Human Development and Reading, and Literacy for the Exceptional Child and as a high school English teacher committed to improving the literacy challenges of my students who struggled with reading, I am uniquely poised to offer help in ACT/SAT Reading exam preparation. My strong pedagogical and teaching background has lead to me to understand how the brain learns to read and why decoding skills frustrate bright students. Whether my students are preparing for the ACT, SAT Reading exams or reading literature and poetry for high school or college assignments, they all enjoy gains in their reading comprehension and speed.
Writing,

Writing

During my years of teaching high school English, tutoring writing at DePaul University, and as a private tutor, I've helped students with all kinds of English homework assignments. My methods include showing students how to analyze the rhetorical demands of the writing task, generate and focus ideas at the prewriting stage, ensure they are addressing the writing assignment directly and effectively, elaborate and rework a rough draft after hearing the writer read the draft aloud, discover their strengths and weaknesses in a particular rhetorical context, strengthen arguments, spot weak rhetorical choices and make more effective choices, and address formatting or other surface-level concerns.
SAT Writing, Vocabulary

Homeschool

English,

English

Nearly every year, my AP Lit & AP Lang students beat the national pass rates in AP English Exams by 48%. I've been specially trained to teach AP Lit and AP Lang courses as a high school English teacher, and as a tutor, I develop individual lessons for each student, helping them through their coursework and offering additional official AP materials to guide practice writing exercises. I provide valuable and actionable feedback that moves their writing from the high school level to the level that AP Lit & Lang essay assessors expect-- the college level. My work as a writing tutor at a major university involved being embedded into college courses, from all disciplines, to present writing-based lessons and work individually with students on all genres of writing. I take the same systematic, organized approach to my AP tutoring, creating a plan for each student to identify and strengthen their weaknesses in all phases of their writing, from idea generation to the final proofread and polish.
ESL/ESOL,

ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL Qualifications I have five years experience tutoring international students at DePaul University's Multicultural Center for Writing and Reading. I tutored English language learners from a multitude of countries using popular methodologies and components of major language areas: listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar. I planned and implemented effective lessons, using my knowledge of TESOL, English grammar, and applied linguistics .
SAT Reading,

SAT Reading

Through graduate courses such as Reading and Learning Disabilities, Assessment and Diagnostic Teaching of Reading, Human Development and Reading, and Literacy for the Exceptional Child and as a high school English teacher committed to improving the literacy challenges of my students who struggled with reading, I am uniquely poised to offer help in ACT/SAT Reading exam preparation. My strong pedagogical and teaching background has lead to me to understand how the brain learns to read and why decoding skills frustrate bright students. Whether my students are preparing for the ACT, SAT Reading exams or reading literature and poetry for high school or college assignments, they all enjoy gains in their reading comprehension and speed.
Writing

Writing

During my years of teaching high school English, tutoring writing at DePaul University, and as a private tutor, I've helped students with all kinds of English homework assignments. My methods include showing students how to analyze the rhetorical demands of the writing task, generate and focus ideas at the prewriting stage, ensure they are addressing the writing assignment directly and effectively, elaborate and rework a rough draft after hearing the writer read the draft aloud, discover their strengths and weaknesses in a particular rhetorical context, strengthen arguments, spot weak rhetorical choices and make more effective choices, and address formatting or other surface-level concerns.

Language

ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL Qualifications I have five years experience tutoring international students at DePaul University's Multicultural Center for Writing and Reading. I tutored English language learners from a multitude of countries using popular methodologies and components of major language areas: listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar. I planned and implemented effective lessons, using my knowledge of TESOL, English grammar, and applied linguistics .

Most Popular

English,

English

Nearly every year, my AP Lit & AP Lang students beat the national pass rates in AP English Exams by 48%. I've been specially trained to teach AP Lit and AP Lang courses as a high school English teacher, and as a tutor, I develop individual lessons for each student, helping them through their coursework and offering additional official AP materials to guide practice writing exercises. I provide valuable and actionable feedback that moves their writing from the high school level to the level that AP Lit & Lang essay assessors expect-- the college level. My work as a writing tutor at a major university involved being embedded into college courses, from all disciplines, to present writing-based lessons and work individually with students on all genres of writing. I take the same systematic, organized approach to my AP tutoring, creating a plan for each student to identify and strengthen their weaknesses in all phases of their writing, from idea generation to the final proofread and polish.
ESL/ESOL,

ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL Qualifications I have five years experience tutoring international students at DePaul University's Multicultural Center for Writing and Reading. I tutored English language learners from a multitude of countries using popular methodologies and components of major language areas: listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar. I planned and implemented effective lessons, using my knowledge of TESOL, English grammar, and applied linguistics .
Writing

Writing

During my years of teaching high school English, tutoring writing at DePaul University, and as a private tutor, I've helped students with all kinds of English homework assignments. My methods include showing students how to analyze the rhetorical demands of the writing task, generate and focus ideas at the prewriting stage, ensure they are addressing the writing assignment directly and effectively, elaborate and rework a rough draft after hearing the writer read the draft aloud, discover their strengths and weaknesses in a particular rhetorical context, strengthen arguments, spot weak rhetorical choices and make more effective choices, and address formatting or other surface-level concerns.

Other

College Counseling,

College Counseling

My extensive college admission background at two selective institutions means I know what admissions committees are looking for in the admission essay. It has given me special insight to guide prospective students throughout the entire application process, from crafting successful admission and scholarship essays to assisting with supplementals, activities lists, and wait-list letters. My expertise in teaching writing means my students write thoughtful application essays by engaging each step of the writing process: understand the demands of the prompt, generate unique ideas at the prewriting stage, elaborate and revise the rough draft, and proofread the final copy. Throughout the process, my students eliminate predictable, cliché, (and maybe boring) ideas, spot weak rhetorical and organization choices and make appropriate ones, and correct grammar and other surface-level concerns. After working with me, students have developed a complex, meaningful, polished essay written in their own voice. The result is a more confident student and a more valuable personal essay that is immersive, thought-provoking, and natural-sounding to the admission reader.
ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL Qualifications I have five years experience tutoring international students at DePaul University's Multicultural Center for Writing and Reading. I tutored English language learners from a multitude of countries using popular methodologies and components of major language areas: listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar. I planned and implemented effective lessons, using my knowledge of TESOL, English grammar, and applied linguistics .

Summer

ESL/ESOL,

ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL Qualifications I have five years experience tutoring international students at DePaul University's Multicultural Center for Writing and Reading. I tutored English language learners from a multitude of countries using popular methodologies and components of major language areas: listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar. I planned and implemented effective lessons, using my knowledge of TESOL, English grammar, and applied linguistics .
Writing

Writing

During my years of teaching high school English, tutoring writing at DePaul University, and as a private tutor, I've helped students with all kinds of English homework assignments. My methods include showing students how to analyze the rhetorical demands of the writing task, generate and focus ideas at the prewriting stage, ensure they are addressing the writing assignment directly and effectively, elaborate and rework a rough draft after hearing the writer read the draft aloud, discover their strengths and weaknesses in a particular rhetorical context, strengthen arguments, spot weak rhetorical choices and make more effective choices, and address formatting or other surface-level concerns.

Test Preparation

ACT English,

ACT English

My ACT English tutoring plan helps students develop a strong skill set to master the three parts of the English exam: Grammar, usage, and rhetoric, Reading, and Writing. I individualize the plan to meet each student’s goal for the ACT--whether it’s to improve grammar and usage, reading, writing, or all three. English Grammar and Usage: Students learn to quickly identify and correct errors in the grammar and usage conventions typically used on the exam. These conventions, which comprise 40 out of the 75 English questions, are: Punctuation: internal and end-of-sentence punctuation, with emphasis on the relationship of punctuation to meaning and avoiding ambiguity. Grammar and usage: agreement between subject & verb, pronoun & antecedent, and modifiers & the word modified; verbs and verbals; tense and aspect; and idiomatic usage Sentence Structures: compound and complex sentences, relationships between and among clauses, conjunctions, placement of modifiers, shifts in construction and focus, a Rhetoric: phrases, nominal structures, revising for clarity and conciseness Reading: Students learn ways to quickly analyze the four subject passages-- social studies, natural sciences, literature, and humanities— to identify the main idea, compare ideas, generalize ideas, identify relationships such as cause-and-effect, and define words based on context Writing: Students learn to use advanced rhetoric to write a unified, coherent essay that clearly states an insightful perspective on an issue and supports a nuanced, precise thesis. They learn to develop the significance of the issue in logical and organized paragraphs. Test-taking Strategies: Students learn to unpack each multiple-choice item and eliminate wrong answers. They learn to engage with the readings and pay close attention to questions. They learn strategies for when they are stuck on a question, word, or section of a passage. They learn the difference between reading, skimming, and scanning. And last, but certainly not least, they learn how to manage
ACT Reading,

ACT Reading

I began my graduate studies in education with courses such as Reading and Learning Disabilities, Assessment and Diagnostic Teaching of Reading, Human Development and Reading, and Literacy for the Exceptional Child. As a high school English teacher, I was committed to improving the literacy challenges of my students who struggled with reading. While I’m a born reader, I wanted to understand how the brain learns to read and why decoding skills frustrated bright students. My strong background in graduate-level instruction in reading and my experience in teaching reading as a high school English teacher allow me to offer personalized reading instruction to any student. Whether my students are preparing for the ACT, SAT Reading exams or reading literature and poetry for high school or college assignments, they all enjoy gains in their reading comprehension and speed.
College Counseling,

College Counseling

My extensive college admission background at two selective institutions means I know what admissions committees are looking for in the admission essay. It has given me special insight to guide prospective students throughout the entire application process, from crafting successful admission and scholarship essays to assisting with supplementals, activities lists, and wait-list letters. My expertise in teaching writing means my students write thoughtful application essays by engaging each step of the writing process: understand the demands of the prompt, generate unique ideas at the prewriting stage, elaborate and revise the rough draft, and proofread the final copy. Throughout the process, my students eliminate predictable, cliché, (and maybe boring) ideas, spot weak rhetorical and organization choices and make appropriate ones, and correct grammar and other surface-level concerns. After working with me, students have developed a complex, meaningful, polished essay written in their own voice. The result is a more confident student and a more valuable personal essay that is immersive, thought-provoking, and natural-sounding to the admission reader.
SAT Reading,

SAT Reading

Through graduate courses such as Reading and Learning Disabilities, Assessment and Diagnostic Teaching of Reading, Human Development and Reading, and Literacy for the Exceptional Child and as a high school English teacher committed to improving the literacy challenges of my students who struggled with reading, I am uniquely poised to offer help in ACT/SAT Reading exam preparation. My strong pedagogical and teaching background has lead to me to understand how the brain learns to read and why decoding skills frustrate bright students. Whether my students are preparing for the ACT, SAT Reading exams or reading literature and poetry for high school or college assignments, they all enjoy gains in their reading comprehension and speed.
SAT Writing

Examples of Expertise

Marianne has provided examples of their subject expertise by answering 1 question submitted by students on Wyzant’s Ask an Expert.

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Ratings and Reviews

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5.0 (1,317 ratings)
5 star
(1,290)
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Reviews

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Magical!

Marriane is everything you want in a professional tutor. She is direct and gentle which allows the student to hear criticism and learn without feeling disparaged. Marianne's knowledge is extensive and I couldn’t be happier with our progress thus far! Only wish we found her earlier!

Donna, 2 lessons with Marianne

Excellent tutor for college essays.

Thank you Marianne for working with my high school senior on her college essay. We will be making another tutoring session with you soon. You helped her organize her thoughts and create an excellent draft.

Lori, 1 lesson with Marianne

Knowledge and helpful

Marianne has help me construct my college essay. It is still a work in progress but she is very helpful at every meeting and afterwards. Thanks you. I will continue to work with Marianne throughout this process.

Lisette, 4 lessons with Marianne

Amazing tutor!

Marianne helped me to proofread and further improve an important statement essay in a very short time. Thorough and nice! Really appreciate all her great work! Thanks so much!!!

Ali, 1 lesson with Marianne
Tutor responded:

Ali, It was a real pleasure to assist you in securing a medical school teaching position by offering suggestions on your teaching statement. As I mentioned to you, from what I’ve learned about you from your statement, you have the social, emotional, and intellectual skills to be excellent at anything you do, especially as a med school teacher. Your students will be lucky to have you. Best wishes always, Marianne

The best writing tutor!

The most helpful writing tutor Marianne helps you grow as a writer, she guides you and points out your weaknesses. She will give you hints and tips on each session on how you can improve. She teaches to how become a better writer. Thanks to Marianne I feel more confident and proud of myself each day.

Maximus, 12 lessons with Marianne

Highly recommend Marianne

Marianne is amazing! She helped my son with his college admission essay and really understood who he is and was able to help him portray his true self in his essay. She gave him some much-needed hope and encouragement as he tries to get off the waitlist at his top-ranked college. It was beautiful and priceless to see the transformation in my son from desperation and sadness to hope and confidence in himself and his writing, even if our last-minute efforts do not result in an admission. She gave him something more than that; she saw him for who he is and understood him. My only regret is that we didn’t work with Marianne sooner in the admissions process. Highly recommend Marianne.

Sue, 2 lessons with Marianne

The best writing tutor!

The best writing tutor I ever had. Marianne helps you grow as a writer, she guides you and points out your weaknesses. She will give you hints and tips on each session on how you can improve. She teaches to how become a better writer. Thanks to Marianne I feel more confident and proud of myself each day.

Maximus, 12 lessons with Marianne

Knowledge and very patient

Marianne was very patient. She did a very good job explaining the why we do what we do. She was prepared and did not waste time getting to work. She was very informed and took the time to talk with me as to what I needed.

Tanja, 7 lessons with Marianne

The best writing tutor!

Marianne helps you grow as a writer, she guides you and points out your weaknesses. She will give you hints and tips on each session on how you can improve. I absolutely love that she supports you, but she does not do the work for you. She teaches to how become a better writer. Thanks to Marianne I feel more confident and proud of myself each day.

Maximus, 12 lessons with Marianne
Hourly Rate: $125
Response time: 3 hours
Contact Marianne