A Transformational Program for Writing and Self-Discovery · Students Grades 5–12 · Summer Enrichment and Year-Round Options

Your Student Writes a Novel

The Promise
By the end of this program, your student will build confidence, develop a portfolio, and shape what college admissions are hungry for — the student beyond the file.
📍 Virtual · Google Meet · Summer Intensive Now Enrolling · Year-Round Available
This program is designed to help students step outside the anxiety machine. In my years teaching young people, I have seen how the ability to speak their truths translates into the ability to advocate for themselves. The cultivation of creative expression matters. Self-awareness and voice matter. We're looking for courageous students who want to take risks on the page.
Gabriel DiFeliciantonio, Lead Instructor
What the Program Produces

The student beyond the file

From
Idea
Portfolio

A fiction manuscript is evidence of sustained attention, creativity, and a capacity for self-reflection.

From
Credentialed
Admission

What catches the eye of a college application reader is a student with an active inner life and the ability to communicate it — a powerful asset in any authentic application.

Why self-directed creativity is important


  • Students learn to present themselves in genuine and compelling ways
  • Their voice is their own — not over-coached
  • Their novels reveal the connecting threads that make their future college applications coherent
  • Students produce individual signals in a world full of noise
  • They practice how to make choices aligned with who they are
  • They develop personalized toolsets for emotional well-being
  • Students experience the joy and accomplishment of creating their own work
Who This Is For

Is this right for your student?

  • Is a strong student academically who wants to explore their creative capacity
  • Is a curious thinker whose inner life is still finding form
  • Has passionate interests, looking to put it all together
  • Is preparing for college applications and wants a clearer direction
  • Is already a good writer ready to go deeper
  • Could benefit from a creative, confidential space to step outside the anxiety machine
  • Has a promising voice in search of an outlet

Open to students in grades 5–12. Exceptional elementary students considered on a case-by-case basis.

What This Program Interrupts
Online applications may have made it simpler to apply, but they have not changed the underlying system in which students feel they are submitting their worth for judgment rather than launching their future.
Jenny Rickard, CEO, Common App · US News & World Report
How It Works

Three stages. Five elements.

"When students begin writing a novel, the unexpected can happen. At the safe distance of fiction, they become capable of reflection they might not be used to accessing. Characters carry the questions students can't yet ask for themselves. And as students direct those characters toward growth, they rehearse the emotional challenges of transformation before they have to live them."

— Gabriel DiFeliciantonio, Lead Instructor
01
Generation

Students learn to write the next word with excitement — without insisting on a pre-determined outcome. We unlock voice and teach the art of moving forward without fear of imperfection.

02
Structure

Students learn to shape a story using the hero's journey and other narrative frameworks, moving a character through challenges toward transformation.

03
Craft

Students learn to write with evocative language and literary fiction techniques. As they understand the art of revision, their story comes to life in new ways.

Dilemma

What is limiting the growth of the characters and why does it matter?

🧭
Character

Who are the players of the story, and do we care about them?

🌀
Plot

What obstacles do the characters face, and are the stakes life and death?

🌍
World Building

Is the world of the story a new place readers can experience?

✍️
Language

Is the story communicated in the most effective way?

The Question on Everyone's Mind

Why write a novel when AI can do it for them?

01
AI is a storehouse of language without direction.

The student who has cultivated their own inner field — who knows what they believe, fear, and want — will always direct AI more powerfully than the student who hasn't.

02
Authentic voice is becoming more valuable, not less.

As generic content becomes easier to produce, readers prize what AI can't replicate: genuine voice, real self-awareness, and character.

03
The novel is not just a writing exercise.

A manuscript is evidence of a transformative process. The real outcome is a student who knows better who they are, what they value, and how to articulate it.

Packages

Three Ways to Begin

All sessions are 90 minutes, delivered virtually via Google Meet. Every package includes ongoing email support and parent updates.

Tier One
$1,575
Introduction
Six 90-minute sessions · 9 hours total
  • Introduction to all three stages of the novel-writing process
  • Substantial generative writing and a structural framework for your student's story
  • Voice development and creative risk-taking exercises
  • Ideal for younger writers or families exploring the program
Tier Three
$240/session
Year-Long Journey
Weekly 90-minute sessions · Ongoing
  • Full development from first spark to polished manuscript
  • Sustained growth across a full year
  • All three stages completed in full depth
  • Includes college admissions consultation with Rick DiFeliciantonio
  • Best for students whose manuscript could be a meaningful college application component
Rick DiFeliciantonio — former VP for Enrollment at Ursinus, former Associate Dean at Swarthmore — joins the process to position the student's creative work within a compelling college application narrative.
Not sure where to begin? Start with a single trial session — a 90-minute introduction before committing to a package.
$150 / single session
📧
Ongoing Email Support

Direct access to Gabriel between sessions for questions, momentum, and encouragement.

👨‍👩‍👧
Parent Updates

Follow-ups with parents on projects, progress, and next steps.

📄
Shared Google Docs

All work lives in a shared document the student owns — so the writing is always theirs to keep and build on.

🤖
AI-Use Instruction

Students are guided in appropriate use of LLM tools in the context of creative production.

What Students Say

In Their Own Words

My name is Gene and I was recently admitted to Harvard University, Princeton, Stanford, Brown, and many more. From 7th grade through my senior year, I worked with Gabriel regularly. He was very impactful in my writing journey. Something unique about his teaching style was the way he approached brainstorming and creative writing.

Gene Y. — Harvard Class of 2029

I considered myself a good writer before I met Gabriel, but speaking about myself was a weak point. He was really able to help expand all my ideas by encouraging me to abstract them more prior to solidifying them in a new way.

Owen S. — Swarthmore Class of 2029

Gabriel is a superb writing teacher. He helped my older son with his college application essays, which helped him win scholarships (the National Merit Scholarship) and multiple acceptances into elite colleges. Gabriel has also helped my younger son with all kinds of writing, including personal and formal essays, poetry, and academic prose. With pieces of writing Gabriel consulted on, my son won several state writing competitions (Georgia PTA Reflections Contest and Carson McCullers Literary Awards). I am always impressed by his pedagogical techniques, which he always has at the ready. He focuses on the process of writing and helping my children understand the steps needed to reach the most coherent and creative writing. I would recommend Gabriel to anyone who is looking for a competent and dedicated teacher.

Dr. Seon Jeon — Professor of English, Columbus State University
Ready to Begin?

Find the story only your student can tell

Summer enrollment is open now. Sessions fill quickly. Book a free 30-minute call to discuss which tier is right for your student.

Book a Free 30-Minute Call

Questions? Email gabriel@ecstawrite.com