Writers
Proposal Writing | Concept Development | Editing Services
Writing is a collaborative process.
I work with clients to brainstorm ideas, create book proposals, and craft their narratives, be it fiction or nonfiction, screenplays, essays, or textbooks.
Writing is a process of discovery. My goal is to not only create a fantastic piece of writing, but rather for my clients to find their voice. We are all made up of stories, and those stories are composed of the little moments that can be easy to miss: a scent calls up a memory, the sound of a loved one’s voice who has been gone for too long, these are details that bring our thoughts to life, and tell our audience what we see, hear and witness, so they can experience the world through our eyes.
“As someone who speaks five languages, I believe that writing is translating, and translation is about more than semantics: it is about culture and meaning, history and personal associations. Writing is part grammar, part description, part sensual, part semiotic. It takes work, perseverance, courage, and resilience, to write a project to fruition.”
- Gabriela Garay
Interested in learning more? Prospective clients can book a free consultation call to get your questions answered!
Writers of all ages and experience welcome.
I work with aspiring writers as well as established ones.
My clients understand their need for collaboration, the importance of engaging someone impartial but supportive to bounce ideas off of, ask real questions, and offer honest feedback. It is especially helpful to have a second pair of eyes and ears when writing something that is not easy to face alone.
We work with ideas. Past clients have tackled subjects as broad as Judaism and history, relationships, language and filmmaking. We ask questions and guide writers to places they may not think to venture on their own. Together, we build trust, engage in dialogue with self-judgment, and transform a seemingly huge, and possibly overwhelming project into an easily palatable, doable, and — dare we say — fun one.
Meet weekly, monthly, in person, virtually or on the phone.
Some clients arrive at their first session with finished drafts, other times, the idea is still a kernel needing to be explored and expanded.
Working with writers is as much about figuring out how they write as it is about the content of their piece.
Clients prefer to meet weekly, or monthly, they request written feedback and phone conversations — each one has their own preference, and together, we figure out how to work in a way that best suits their needs. Writing is fluid rather than static; it is flexible, moveable, malleable, as is our collaboration.
Someone with domestic duties, children and/or a day-job will have very different needs than a person who is young and single, a professional writer can not be approached in the same way as someone’s first attempt at getting a story out.
I don’t believe there is a formula for writing. Countless books putting forth a vast myriad of theories have been written on the subject, but part of the task of every writer is to discover how they personally write best. That is our starting point: the parsing out of the idea and the most appropriate method for getting it onto the page. Some like to write by hand, others prefer to type, there are those who dictate and those who scribble wildly on the backs of napkins and bits of scrap paper as ideas appear. There are the night owls and the early risers, the walkers and the all-day sitters. I have clients who want advice on every detail of their routine, and others who know exactly what they need. In writing, right is what is right for you — and the only way to gage that is by the words on the page.
What Clients Are Saying
Gabriela is a fantastic writing coach.
Working with her helped improve my writing, clarify ideas, and even experiment with a different voice and style.
I highly recommend working with her.
— F.C., PhD.