I usually teach about 9-10 creative writing courses per year and take on additional freelance projects as I’m able. My availability shifts depending on time of year and how many other clients I’ve already committed to. If you’d be interested in working together, send me a note letting me know what you’ve got in the works, and we’ll take it from there.
PRICING
Pricing varies based on project length and service. For an estimate, please contact me with a quick summary of the project's history and your goals for it, and I’ll be in touch as soon as I can.
REFERENCES + SAMPLES
Client references and work samples are both available.
TEACHER / COACH
I’ve been developing and teaching creative writing courses since 2003, including friendly and generative introductory classes for beginners, deep-dive courses for continuing and returning writers, and intensive seminars and special topics classes for advanced and graduate students. I’ve enjoyed developing and teaching semester-long, quarter-long, multi-week, and one-off classes for formal institutions including DePaul University, National Louis University, Medaille College, and Rutgers University; for informal institutions including The Loft Literary Center and The Newberry Library in Chicago; and independently. There is truly nothing I enjoy more than working with students of all ages and levels of experience to get their writing out there. Be in touch if you’d like to discuss a teaching or coaching opportunity! I’m interested in all of it.
MANUSCRIPT CONSULTANT
I’ve consulted with all kinds of writers on a wide variety of projects, from literary and upmarket novels to memoirs, young adult novels, short fiction and essay collections, individual essays and short stories, “stuck” manuscripts, residency and fellowship applications, contest submissions, graduate applications, and flash. I can provide big-picture feedback involving a read-through and in-depth discussion with you; I can provide detailed, in-line notes on your manuscript; I can provide a heavy or light copyedit. If you’ve got a project in the works and could use another set of eyes on it, send me a note and we’ll talk. I’m a warm, receptive, and thoughtful reader who wants nothing more than to help you get your project where you want it to go.
READER / CONTEST JUDGE
In addition to my work as a teacher (which often involves reading and responding to 60+ stories, essays, and poems a week), I also serve or have served as Assistant Fiction Editor for Split Lip Magazine (2019-present); member of the Curatorial Board at Ragdale Foundation, where I evaluate residency and fellowship applications (2016-present); Guest Editor for SmokeLong Quarterly (2018); Fiction Reader for The Masters Review (2018-2019); and Manuscript Reader for both the Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction and AWP Prize for the Novel (2021). I am available as a submissions or applications reader, manuscript screener, or contest judge.
COMMERCIAL + NONPROFIT WRITER/EDITOR
I also do a lot of “side work” writing print and web content for a variety of commercial and nonprofit organizations, particularly (though not exclusively) those involved in arts, education, environment, and family engagement. I have experience drafting and/or editing program guides, artist and speaker bios, product/catalog/collateral copy, web copy, curriculum elements, blog content, grant applications, video scripts, teacher and family guides, newsletters, etc.
Work With Me
People have said...
Molly’s editing eye is impeccable. I have found her feedback respectful of my writing style while helping me fulfill the intention of the story. She is a great reader: astute, encouraging, and no BS.
– HZ
Molly read with a smart and empathetic eye, highlighting what was working well and making constructive, helpful suggestions for revisions. I appreciated her detailed, thoughtful, and encouraging written notes on my story, and I’ve returned to them often for guidance as I’ve revised the piece.
– KLG
Molly is my favorite cheerleader when I doubt myself and she never steers me wrong!
– AE
Molly was able to take my piece and mold it into a successful application for a BreadLoaf scholarship. Her feedback was plentiful, critical in the best possible way, and respectful to the goals of the piece. She was able to clearly identify my piece's obstacles and provide actionable suggestions to overcome them.
– DC
Molly provided me with incredibly useful feedback on the novel chapters I submitted. She’s a very close reader with a keen eye for emotional subtext, narrative structure, and dialog. Her feedback and line edits were invaluable and she’s a gem of a person to boot.
– JBE
Molly has a special combination of sharp eye and kind heart. Each time she has read my writing, she sees something I didn't; things that make the work stronger and deeper. She is skilled at seeing both the big picture (in my case, the whole of a novel) and the small details that make a scene sing or trip up the reader and take them out of your made-up world. And she talks you through her edits with such kindness and encouragement that you always know she is genuinely pulling for your success.
– KM
Molly is an empathetic and clear-eyed editor, the best combination there is. She has the skill and kindness to help chisel a trim and elegant essay from raw material. In the process, you’ll find her suggestions strengthening your voice. She has improved every piece of mine on which she has worked.”
– EC