This is a remarkable opportunity for your young writer to experience a tailor-made writing course. The online program allows us to strengthen your child’s writing skills faster than any other method. Each Tuesday a custom-made assignment based on your goals and your child’s writing needs arrives in your inbox. Your child emails their completed lesson to me by Friday evening. The following Tuesday, I send specific feedback as well as the next assignment.
All WriteHomeStudio students begin with a creative writing piece. Many stay in the creative vein throughout the course, honing and sharpening their skills. Others move on to essay writing once a solid foundation in creative writing is established.
In both “tracks,” assignments proceed incrementally, which allows the child to focus on one or two key concepts per week. This prevents frustration and promotes retention.
After the initial month (also referred to as the evaluation month) you decide whether to commit to the three-month program (minimum).
Unlike other online courses, WriteHomeStudio’s Writing Coach program provides you with daily access to me via the personal coaching email. I check this every morning and answer questions immediately. No waiting until the next scheduled contact!
Due to the nature of this course, I ask that potential students possess a desire to improve their writing skills. If this mentoring relationship sounds appealing, I urge you to contact me as soon as possible.
Elementary through college-aged students all have a place at WriteHomeStudio! That said, the majority of students I coach fall between eight and seventeen. We don’t base instruction on chronological age, but rather on writing ability and readiness for the coaching experience.
If your child has intermediate to advanced level creative writing ability (typically this includes children ten and above), or if you’re interested in an essay track or SAT/ACT preparation, the answer is yes.
WriteHomeStudio is blessed to have gifted children’s author Scott Stroud on the coaching team. He is a passionate and skilled writing coach for younger children. Scott’s online course is perfect for the beginning writer (usually between seven and ten), and lays the foundation for great creative writing. If your young writer needs grounding in the basics of story development, Scott is the coach for you! His beginning track follows the same format and price structure as does the more advanced course. Wondering which course is right for your child? Our initial evaluation removes all the guesswork. Find out more about Scott Stroud at his website: http://www.homescoolkids.com/.
Your child is a class of one. We don’t waste a minute in areas where your child demonstrates mastery. This means more progress in less time. I design assignments specifically based on your child’s needs and our agreed upon direction.
My grandfather had a workshop—it was a magical place. Your child’s own writing becomes our workshop. In it we build, shape, re-work, fine-tune and occasionally play, but always with the goal of moving your child forward, pressing your child’s writing deeper. We write and re-write! I generate assignments to address areas of revealed weakness. The writing coach program allows us to address characterization, point-of-view, theme, plotting, pacing, overwriting, organization, emotional writing, transitions, word choice, sequencing and passive structures within the context of your child’s writing. Unlike many writing programs, assignments arrive with detailed lessons that address your child’s individual needs. Save these lessons! They become an invaluable reference later on in your child’s writing career.
Absolutely! When you decide to sign up for the evaluation month, I ask if you have any writing goals for your child. I take those seriously and work them into your child’s program. Feel free to contact me at any time if you question a concept or skill on which we’re working. If you have no concerns, that is fine as well. We will work off your child’s writing needs.
We address grammatical issues in the context of creative writing and essay composition. Learning grammar is like learning to swing a hammer. I won’t find your child a board, draw a picture of a nail head, and tell him/her to pound. This program teaches your child to swing straight and true while he/she is building the house. When we’re through, they won’t wonder if they possess needed grammatical tools; they will have a polished product that proves it.
At the end of each three-month cycle, I write up a progress report. It is usually expressed as a narrative. However, if you prefer a grade for reporting purposes or personal consistency, I will certainly accommodate.
Yes. Upon entering the course you and your child receive a special email address. It is yours to use whenever you need clarification. I check the account every morning at 7:00 a.m. This is one of the unique benefits to this course, as it gives your child access to me daily.
I spend up to five hours on your child’s writing each week, planning personalized assignments, critiquing his/her work, answering emails. It is possible your child may spend the same amount of time writing and re-writing. However, I realize that writing is one of many subjects, and your child may spend considerably less time completing the assignments. A great deal depends your child’s writing passion.
We work around vacations by adding missed weeks to the end of your cycle, and yes, I teach year-round. If your school system or homeschool breaks for summer, a payment for the first month you wish to resume holds your spot in my roster. Summer is a wonderful time to focus on writing!
Absolutely! Your first month’s payment secures your spot in our program no matter when you’d like to begin. We start new students the first of every month, providing you the ultimate in flexibility.
The evaluation month is $75. This includes:
At the end of the evaluation month, you may decide it’s not a fit for your family. You may take your professional feedback, which provides a clear picture of your young writer’s writing strengths and weaknesses, and opt-out without further obligation—but I doubt you will! Each subsequent month of the three-month cycle is $95. At the end of the third month, you then have the option to re-enroll.
I’ve designed the course to be a commitment—a relationship. I invest heavily in the success of your child. When you consider that each month I’ll spend up to 15 hours developing your child’s writing abilities, and you’ll have daily access to me, I think you’ll find this to be an incredible opportunity. What would you pay for 15 hours of piano lessons?
Please send a sample of your child’s written work—at least one full page—to [email protected]. Please ensure that "Writing Coach Sample" is in the subject line. The sample can be sent within the text of the email or by attachment. Even if you’re interested in the essay or SAT/ACT tracts, I’d like the sample to be a creative writing piece (a true story is fine), instead of a report or research paper. It can be a portion of a longer work. The only stipulation is that the writing must be 100% your child’s. Along with the sample, any relevant background information about your child is helpful (previous writing courses, general attitude toward writing, etc.). If you are concerned about a specific aspect of your child’s writing, be sure to include that information as well.
Publication is one last bonus to writing mentorship. I attempt to include each of my student’s writing in my monthly e-newsletter. It’s a thrill for the kids to see their work in the newsletter and realize their words are touching so many families.
I don’t coach during December. We also break for Easter and Thanksgiving. Though I travel to Writer’s conferences across the country, our online correspondence means we won’t skip a beat. I’m presently filling up my 2007 roster. By signing up now, you will also have the preferential option to continue with me into 2008 when I scale back the number of students I coach. This is due to the writing deadlines of my own novels.
Lastly, and most importantly, WriteHomeStudio is a Christian organization. We write because excellent writing brings glory to God our Father! We do not, however, use explicitly Christian material in our assignments. We exhibit our faith through our honest and sensitive dealings with children and their parents, in addition to our utmost regard for you as final authority in your young writer’s education. Due to our beliefs, we keep all assignments age-appropriate and want you involved with every step of your child’s writing process.
