Aren X. Tulchinsky
Mentoring
"If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
- Toni Morrison
Aren X. Tulchinsky is a novelist, screenwriter, instructor and writing coach. He has taught novel writing and screenwriting at Langara College and the University of British Columbia.
writing is hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it.
You’ve decided you want to write. Like every skill you want to master, writing takes talent, discipline and craft. You might have a great idea for a short story, novel, memoir or screenplay, but you don’t know where to start.
Maybe you’ve had an experience like this:
THE TRUTH IS...
Amber has a full time job, a partner who does shift work, two kids and a dog. She has a great idea for a novel, but has no idea where to start and she’s having a hard time squeezing writing into her busy life. She’s made a couple of false starts in what little spare time she has, but is frustrated with her progress. She’s taken a few writing courses, but once the class is done, she doesn’t know what to do next.
In her case, I would teach Amber some basic writing skills and techniques, help her figure out a realistic time frame to work on her project, offer her feedback on her writing and give her small writing deadlines to keep her on track, all in a safe supportive environment.
AMBER NEEDS A WRITING COACH.
"We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down."
– Kurt Vonnegut
You might have written a first draft, but you don’t know how to edit and rewrite your project into a publishable book or a screenplay that you can pitch.
Your struggles might be like Fariq’s:
Fariq has no formal training. In his spare time, he has completed a first draft of his first SciFi novel. He feels good about the story but he knows the writing could be better. He wants to get a publisher, but he knows his novel needs work. He’s tried to rewrite it on his own, but he doesn’t really know how to edit his own work or what to even look for in his manuscript. He needs guidance from an experienced writer.
FARIQ NEEDS A WRITING COACH.
In Fariq’s case, I would read his entire manuscript and compile notes on my feedback. We would then meet for a (Zoom) call, during which I would go over my feedback with him. After the call, I would email Fariq my written notes. Before I send him on his own to work on his rewrite, I’d provide him with skills and techniques to use, as he addresses my notes, one at a time, until he has completed a full rewrite. At this point, he might feel ready to submit his work. Or he might want to fine tune his novel and we would repeat the process.
" We are all broken, that's how the light gets in."
– Ernest Hemingway
Jayden has always dreamed of writing a screenplay. She holds a degree in creative writing and knows a lot of writing skills and techniques, but she’s having a hard time fitting writing into her busy schedule. She has started a couple of scripts (she has a million ideas), but she’s never been able to complete a screenplay.
In this case, Jayden might want to meet with me once a week to keep her accountable. She might want to send me a few pages of her work each week to get my feedback. She might run into a block and want to run something by me. Together, we would come up with strategies to keep her on track. As a writing coach, I would personalize my approach to suit Jayden’s needs.
JAYDEN NEEDS A WRITING COACH.
" Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work."
– Stephen King
Kenji knows he has a novel in him. He has booked a month off work, rented a cabin, stocked it with groceries and writing supplies, set up his laptop at a desk with a gorgeous view, but when he sits down to write, he finds himself staring at a blank screen. Kenji needs to work with a coach to learn strategies for defeating writer’s block.
In Kenji’s case, I would meet with him (online) at the start of each week, during which I would teach him the cure for writer’s block. Just like in life, overcoming writer’s block is a journey, not a destination. We would discuss strategies I have learned and developed over the years to write through the blocks. I would act as an ongoing support person to help keep Kenji writing productively and help him complete his project.
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forgethow you made them feel.”
– Maya Angelou
KENJI NEEDS A WRITING COACH.
WRITING TOOLS FOR YOU
I will teach you what tools writers have at our disposal to make a good novel (or screenplay) great. There are skills and techniques I have developed in my own writing practice that will assist you in developing 3-dimensional characters, believable dialogue, suspenseful action, vivid descriptions, an engaging plot and more.
WHAT'S THE COST?
It depends on what you are looking for. I will customize the mentorship/coaching for each writer. We would discuss your needs in a free consultation.
Get feedback, support and individual coaching to complete your writing project.
"When I started working with Aren, I was at a point with my manuscript where I didn’t know how to move forward. I was stuck and I needed professional objective eyes on my work. Teaming up with Aren X. Tulchinsky, gave me the push, the feedback, and the confidence boost I needed in order to keep plugging away. The feedback was clear, constructive and concise and always left me feeling positive about the writing/editing challenges that lay ahead. Without Aren's sincere desire to see me succeed, I might not have finished my novel. But I did. And in November of 2022, I fulfilled a dream of mine when Nightwood Editions published my debut novel. Working with Aren was a game changer."