Hi! My name is Tobia
Growing up home-schooled on a Fraser Valley farm, I was mainly self-taught through books. I had always been one of the quiet bookworms, preferring words on the page over actual conversations. I enjoyed the peace of my rural setting, where I could cultivate ideas as well as blueberries. But expressing these thoughts to others — verbally and on demand — was difficult. Even today, my speech will come out stilted as I search for the words I need. What I need is paper, a pen, and the freedom to write.
My earliest stories were terrible in every way, with an abundance of spelling errors, a deficiency in plot, and weak dialogue. I loved them. The more I wrote, the stronger my grasp of the English language became. But I wrote for the fun of it. Stories had become more play than English assignments. As my love for creative writing grew, and my confidence in the craft increased, the more possibilities were opened to me.
I wasn’t simply creating fictional characters in fictional worlds. I was building my own character and connecting to my own world. Poetry became an outlet for my love of horses. A short narrative of a dragon and knight expressed my struggles with mathematics. Writing down my problems became a way to pinpoint and deal with them. Writing down my ideas gave them form, flow, and refinement. I trace it all to the time of my earliest homeschooling memory, when I was encouraged to make up a story.
My youngest brother loves stories, and yet he is reluctant to read and write. Remembering my childhood, I gave him a blank home-made book. We are slowly working through it together. I know the frustrations of feeling unable to understand a school subject, and I also know the frustrations of feeling unable to properly express myself. But I also know how exciting it is to be able to unleash a story.
My goal is to help your child through one-on-one guidance to inspire familiarity and confidence in creative writing. Please visit my creative writing programs page for more information.
Here are a couple of comments from my student and her parent:
I really liked the way Tobia gave me pointers on how to improve my story. She was very kind about it and made some very good suggestions. It was really thoughtful of her to take the time to draw a picture of a cat holding a 'basket of blessings' for the cover of my story! I would definitely send her my stories in the future!
- Carina C. (Student)
My daughter is very interested in writing and so I am glad to have found someone that has the skill to offer suggestions on her writing in a constructive and kind manner. Tobia was quick to respond to our request and lovely to work with. I would highly recommend her to anyone that is looking to take their writing to the next level!
- Leah P. (Parent)