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“My daughter had always been a creative writer but needed help in organizing her thoughts and writing. Ms Taylor worked with her weekly to fine tune the steps needed to write complex, detailed essays using required formulas. Kristin was patient, thoughtful in her lesson delivery and flexible with her time/scheduling throughout the process. It was quite rewarding for my daughter not only see her grades soar to A's, but also to see that writing can be fun.”
-Leslee Feldman
Parent
“Kristin has a great ability to search out inconsistencies and even more importantly, offers strong suggestions for improvement without intruding on the writer’s unique voice.”
-Barbara
Caridad Ferrer
Author of Adios to My Old Life (2006) and It’s Not
About the Accent (2007)
"Kristin is a blessing of an editor for a nervous writer like me. She gave me both encouragement and constructive criticism throughout the editing process for my thesis. This was the first time I ever had to use a professional editor, and I had no idea what to expect, but Kristin made me feel at ease immediately. I am very grateful for her guidance and patience and will definitely be calling on her editing skills again."
-C.J. Circo
Masters Candidate
"Kristin Taylor is the kind of teacher I wish my kids had—dedicated, enthusiastic, and respectful of individual writing process. She's a clear, vibrant writer herself, and when I see what she's done with her young students, I can only imagine the kind of support she can offer an adult who wants to take his or her writing to the next level."
—Amy
Garvey
Author of Pictures of Us (2009), Hot Date (2008), Room Service (2007), I Love You to Death (2006), Murder in the Hamptons (2005), and contributor to Bad Boys of Summer (2006) and Wicked
Women Whodunit (2005)
"Kristin has a remarkable ability to help struggling writers learn to articulate their thoughts."
-Matt
Hayden
Author of Sams Teach Yourself Networking in 24 Hours (2004) and
Teach Yourself TCP/IP in 24 Hours (1999)
“Forget
all the rules. Forget about being published.
Write for yourself and celebrate
writing.”
–Author Melinda Haynes
Inspire Writing
I provide three types of services: academic tutoring, professional editing, and creative coaching.
Academic Tutoring:
I work one-on-one with students (age 12+) and adults to help them become more comfortable interpreting literature, writing analytically, and understanding grammar and mechanics. I have more than a decade of English teaching experience at the high school level and can make you or your child a more confident reader and writer. I start at my clients' level of comfort and slowly build on their existing skills, whether they are a confident writer looking to hone their academic voices or are facing their first middle school essay. Learning to write better does not have to be a painful experience; in fact, my goal is to make tutoring sessions as enjoyable as they are educational.
Professional Editing:
I take editing jobs on a case-by-case basis depending on my availability. My editing experiences encompasses academic writing ranging from short papers to full-length theses; business writing including website content, professional resumes and cover letters; corporate writing; and short and long creative works.
Creative Coaching:
My goal as a writing coach is to help busy, successful adults who have lost sight of their own creativity or sense of self—people who want to rediscover a love of writing and don’t know how to do so. We will work together to develop your unique writing voice while improving your technical skills. These sessions focus on personal narrative and essay, short fiction, and poetry. Although I am happy to direct my clients to resources to help them get published, our work together should not be about publication. I want to help you to recapture the joy you felt as a child when you first discovered you had a story to tell. And told it, much to the chagrin of your parents.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much experience do you have as a writer/teacher?
If I hire you to be my creative coach, what exactly will I be doing?
What are you like to work with?
I've finished a novel/thesis/dissertation/screenplay already. Will you edit it?
I've finished a novel/thesis/dissertation/screenplay already. Can you help me get published?
I really don't have time to write this paper. Will you write it for me?
How much experience do you have as a writer/teacher/editor?
In addition to tutoring and coaching, I have taught literature and writing since 1997 and am a National Board Certified Teacher in English/Language Arts for Adolescents and Young Adults. As the New Faculty Coordinator at my current school, I provide peer support for veteran educators joining our community and work with beginning teachers throughout the year to develop and hone their skills. I have also led professional development sessions for teachers and have worked with adult writers, including professional authors, in a multitude of genres. I am a published essayist with a teaching-focused blog called “Little But Fierce.” Working with other writers is one of the great joys of my life. I am also a freelance editor with wide-ranging experience, from graduate-level theses and business websites to personal resumes and cover letters.
In terms of tutoring and coaching, I work with adults and adolescents (age 12 and up) and take on a very limited number of people so that their experiences are as rich as possible. All tutoring is one-on-one. For coaching I am available to meet individually or to run group writing sessions, and these clients range in experience from beginning writers to professional authors. All I need from you is a desire to write, a willingness to take constructive criticism, and an understanding that writing is an art that takes years to learn. My editing clients include graduate students, small businesses, and individuals working on creative projects.
If I hire you to be my creative coach, what exactly will I be doing?
Since writing is a deeply personal process, our work together will be centered around face-to-face meetings. You may have a central writing project such as a novel or memoir that they want to focus on or simply want a new creative outlet. I am very flexible and prefer to help you to uncover the genre and style that suits your writing voice best, whatever form that takes. We can work on your current projects (poems on backs of grocery store receipts count as “current projects” in my world) or start something entirely new. You can treat our sessions like yoga and come in each day with no objective beyond journaling for the fun of it or set a specific writing goal with targets to reach along the way. Either way, we will develop your goals together and then work at an appropriate pace to meet them.
Because I believe that good writing begins with thoughtful reading, I often use writing models and excerpts from books about writing to supplement and guide our sessions. We can also work on technical skills such as grammar, punctuation, and fluency. If you worry obsessively about your grammar, don’t. Pick up a copy of June Casagrande’s fabulous book Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies and we can use it to deconstruct those grammar boogiemen.
I teach on the Westside and live in Pasadena, CA. I offer tutoring/coaching sessions at a variety of locations, including libraries, schools, coffee shops, and personal residences. I am also available for online consultations and can communicate through email for editing work that does not require face-to-face meetings.
What are you like to work with?
As an academic tutor, I am patient, straightforward, and prone to laughter. I like to form close relationships with my students and foster a sense of trust so that they are willing to take academic risks. I expect my students to take our sessions seriously and come prepared, but I also want them to feel comfortable and have a good time. I fervently believe that education should be joyous, not painful!
As an editor, I am professional, constructive, and honest. I pride myself on quick, thorough, and accurate feedback regardless of the size of the project. I can provide feedback electronically via email and/or follow-up in person to discuss my questions and suggestions. For corporate or business clients, I generally receive projects electronically and edit independently. After this initial edit, my clients generally send a second draft back for proofing before seeking final approval and publishing the project.
As a creative writing client, prepare to write joyously, laugh frequently, and drink a lot of coffee (or tea, if you prefer). I balance professionalism with irreverence and prefer clients who are willing to relax and enjoy the process. If you are a Serious Person who Does Not Hold with Nonsense, I may not be the coach for you. I take my writing and my coaching very seriously, but I think that a sense of humor—especially about yourself—is essential during the writing process.
What is the editing process like for individual academic or creative work?
At our first meeting, we will discuss your goals and expectations, determine if we are a good writing/editing match, and, if so, negotiate a contract with which we both feel comfortable. Once the edit is complete, we will meet in person to discuss my notes on the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript and to determine your next step. Sometimes our work together ends there; other times, we may decide to work together throughout the revision process.
I've finished a novel/thesis/dissertation/screenplay already. Can you help me get published?
I can help you with
your actual writing process, but you’ll need an agent to seek a
publisher. Coaching and editing will improve your writing and may therefore
improve your chances of publication, but the sad truth is that the quality
of a manuscript often has little relationship to its chances for publication.
If you are ready to start shopping your
work around, you should find a good agent—they have the contacts
you will need. In other words, no, though of course I will always be thrilled if you do publish.
I really don’t have time to write this paper. Will you write it for me?
Did you miss the fact that I am a certified teacher? No, no, no, a thousand times no! I will happily tutor you through the entire writing process, but any paper coming out of a session with me will be yours and yours alone
Rates for individual and group sessions available upon request. Please contact me to discuss the services that interest you.
inspirewriting.com © Kristin Taylor