Writing Coaching for Teens
I teach students to write with authentic voice, skill, and confidence.
What Parents are Saying
“Ashleigh’s approach was completely different. She taught my son how to use mini-prompts to brainstorm genuine ideas and write in his own voice. He started to enjoy writing and telling his stories in his own words. Ashleigh supported him with his high school application essays, and he was accepted to 4 of the 5 top NYC-area schools …and waitlisted at the fifth.”
— Janelle L.
“Ashleigh turned the college essay process from dread and anxiety into fun and delight, twice! After the first session, both kids…emerged from their rooms with a smile on their face, and from then on, they [looked] forward to their sessions. The final essays were beautiful, and the kids got into their dream schools.”
— Lorenz R.“Ashleigh is the best. Don't hesitate to work with her! My teenage son ‘hates writing’ but looked forward to his sessions with Ashleigh. His writing improved, but perhaps more importantly so did his confidence. Ashleigh's approach is both relatable and creative and she was really great with my teen. She's also an excellent communicator and very reliable.”
— Stacey H.
“Not enough stars or space available to tout the unique abilities and talents of Ashleigh. While her technical skills are exceptional, it is her wonderful ability to connect with kids on their level, and help them discover a voice they possibly didn’t know they had. Aside from being a complete ninja of an educator she is a wonderful person with a beautiful soul.”
— Eric F.
Write Well Brooklyn Services
I teach students to craft powerful admissions essays in their own authentic voice (and that resonate with top schools). Along the way, students build lasting skills—and everyone feels less stress. It’s a rich, rewarding process in every way.
Admissions Essays
Academic Writing Support
I help students interpret teacher feedback, level-up their writing skills, and navigate a range of essay forms—using creative, practical tools that prepare them for in-class and at-home writing. P.S. Students love our positive, supportive rapport!
Strengthening Voice
I help students learn to express their voice, ideas, and creativity with newfound confidence. In just a single writing program, students discover and strengthen the voice they’ll need not only on admissions essays, but for the rest of their lives.
Admissions Essay Success
College acceptances include into Columbia, UPenn, UVA, University of Maryland Honors College Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, Boston College, Babson College, Macauley Honors College, WashU in St. Louis, UT Austin, NYU, and more.
NYC high school acceptances include Regis, Trinity, Hackley, Beacon, Avenues of the World, LREI, Poly Prep, St. Ann’s, Dwight-Englewood, Columbia Prep, Fieldston, Berkeley Carroll, Riverdale, and more.
A Note on College Essays
Parents often find Write Well Brooklyn when their students have been struggling to navigate the writing advice of private admissions counselors.
While skilled at putting together college resumes and navigating stats, most admissions counselors are simply not professional writers—nor do they have decades of experience teaching writing.
As a professional writer, New York Times-reviewed novelist, and highly skilled educator of 20 years, I teach students to craft original, powerful essays that get them into their dream schools.
Parents rest easy knowing their teens are getting the close guidance they need to get results. Students feel supported, uplifted, and empowered—and grow as writers and humans along the way.
Upcoming Event: FREE College Essay Workshop for Parents
The college essay is one of the most important—and most misunderstood—parts of the admissions process. In this engaging, practical workshop, I’ll provide parents with strategies to help their student:
Break through overwhelm and get going with confidence.
Discover and develop their authentic voice.
Use a proven layered writing process.
Avoid the wrong kind of pressure.
Turn the essay process into a growth opportunity.
This workshop is ideal for parents who want to be informed, supportive partners in their student’s college essay success.
Check out my video on Three College Essay Mistakes—and How to Fix Them.
Curious about 1:1 admissions essay guidance?
Students today are facing a major challenge.
They need their voice to write admissions essays, speak with authenticity in interviews, express their ideas and feelings in personal relationships, navigate AI as a tool and not a crutch—and more.
Yet when it comes to writing, students often:
✏️ Get stuck before they’ve even started, stifling their ideas and creativity instead of freeing them—especially if ADHD is a factor.
✏️ Lack strategy for expanding ideas with meaning—not fluff.
✏️ Seek AI shortcuts or other quick hacks that fail to connect them to their ideas, voice, and vibrant inner world—much less strengthen their skills.
Do these challenges sound familiar? Let’s connect.
What Sets Write Well Brooklyn Apart?
Hi! Well, first, I'm a New York Times-reviewed author with bylines in Newsweek, G&G, New Stories from the South, and elsewhere.
More importantly, young people tend to connect easily with my personality…since all the way back in my college days as an in-demand babysitter.
My training goes beyond my 20 years in education. I’ve worked closely with not only education consultants and teachers, but also meditation teachers, somatic guides, and—I’m proud to say—a therapist.
In short, I know how to stay present with students and model authenticity, curiosity, and sheer enthusiasm.
I also use writing strategies that actually work. Outlines too early in the process, unstructured brainstorming, or a one-and-done draft—these strategies are ineffectual at best.*
*...and frankly, a direct result of too little diversity in academia for centuries—but that's for another soapbox!
Student successes speak for themselves. My students get into top colleges and NYC high schools. My creative writing mentees place in New York Times and Scholastic contests, and gain entry into prestigious summer writing programs like Iowa, Kenyon, and Sewanee.
Still, my favorite part of the job is witnessing teens grow and deepen as human beings.
My students learn scalable strategies that take them far beyond a single essay.
Want the full version of the Messy Model? It’s free!
After guiding 150 students through the hurdle of admissions essays to independent schools, I’m excited to share this downloadable starter pack for 8th graders applying to high schools. Inside, they’ll find:
- My best tools for creating great admissions essays!
- Outstanding example essays from NYC 8th grade students.
- My Admissions Essay Workshop slide deck with insight into voice and strategy.
- A guide to tackling daunting “XXL” prompts.
…and more!
Admissions Essay Starter Pack for 8th Graders
How I Arrived at Write Well Brooklyn
When I was a kid, I knew I longed to express myself in a big way—and at age 12, I got up the courage (despite being pretty shy) to audition for a musical. But when I opened my mouth to sing, no sound came out. NONE. Not even a squeak. Eventually, the accompanist suggested the other kids sing along—and while I managed to eke out the tune, it was the absolute opposite of that “big” self-expression I craved.
Decades later, and with an MFA in fiction writing, I fully committed to expressing my voice: I left a steady high school teaching job in Austin, Texas to write my first novel, and I supported myself with private tutoring.
I began to notice certain patterns in students. Whether writing for English class or a college admissions essay, they often got stuck before they even began—caught up by fear, self-doubt, or perfectionism.
The more I worked with teenagers, the more I realized our sessions involved something deeper than standard tutoring. My students not only learned skills, but gained confidence in their voice and began expressing themselves in new ways.
I eventually published that first novel,The Crocodile Bride, a New York Times Editors’ Choice. I moved to New York; founded Write Well Brooklyn; and tutoring morphed into coaching—a comprehensive term I find more fitting.
As a professional writer, I know first-hand how self-expression can empower, strengthen, and even heal us and others in surprising ways. At Write Well Brooklyn, I love guiding students toward impactful self-expression, too.
With a long-time student (once much shorter than me) in 2019.
With former students at a book tour stop in Austin, Texas in 2022.