You can try my writing tutor services for free. If you want to be a better writer yourself, or if your child or someone you know needs help developing writing skills, I will be happy to show you how to get started, and it will cost you nothing.

Before retiring in May 2007, I taught writing and literature for 32 years to all sorts of students, ranging from special needs to AP English Language, and all ages at the secondary level (grades 7-12).

During those years, I developed a successful writing program, and I have recently decided to make it available online to people who are willing to work and learn. Besides hiring out as a personal tutor, I am very active in community theater, I still teach part-time at my old school, and I’m seeking a position with an established online writing institution.

These web pages will serve to illustrate my instructional methods. You will immediately notice how labor intensive this work can be. However, I have developed two innovations that help make it manageable:

The first is my own revision manual. In 1989, I began keeping track of common mistakes in student writing. Over the years, I made notes on those errors and began to develop what might be considered a booklet of condensed grammar lessons. I have included a few pages out of my booklet and placed them on my “Revision Manual” page for you to examine.

My second innovation is a growing number of “macros,” or Microsoft Word key commands, that facilitate the production of individual responses to student work. These “macros” permit me to access useful instructional passages I have prepared. The passages can be reused, but they can also be customized to suit many specific situations. They allow me to address extremely difficult matters such as a writer’s syntax, his or her use of examples, the need for qualification of language, and the issue of proofreading. The macros are not a “magic” solution. The work is still very difficult, but it is more manageable than it might otherwise be.

To address the most complex concerns, I have found it necessary to explain specific, individual writing problems and then to demonstrate ways of addressing them by rewriting those passages myself. I have included examples of my instructional work on the “Sample Responses” page. I provide them for one main reason: Most people find it difficult to believe that I actually put this much effort into my work. I will deliver valuable instruction. The “Sample Responses” also illustrate clearly how individualized my methods can be.

The “Scenario” pages will show you exactly what to expect if you try this program.