Essay Kickstart will help you avoid the frustration and overwhelm of staring at a blank page wondering how to start your essay.

I'll take you through a step-by-step process that includes videos, downloadable PDFs, and action steps to unlock the writing prompt, identify the central idea, and write your thesis sentence.

I'm Deborah Keeling, a credentialed English teacher with 20+ years of experience, and have taught hundreds of students how to write an essay.

Deborah helped me with writing and editing essays through a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and a Master’s Degree in Nursing. Her strong writing skills and step by step teaching style helped me from start to finish. In addition to identifying the topic and narrowing the focus, we worked on thesis statements, essay flow, paragraph construction and transitions, sharpening diction, grammar, spelling and citations. I couldn’t have done it on my own. I am a much more confident writer because of the time I spent working with Deborah. I continue to use the writing skills I learned from her in my current position as a clinical supervisor in the emergency room at a major hospital.

Aimee Olson, MSN, RN, CEN

I appreciate Deborah's attention to detail and her editing skills. She always has suggestions on how to clarify and strengthen the information and points that I want to communicate. When I was working towards a Bachelor's in Business, having her review and make suggestions on my rough draft always helped sharpen my essays. Getting a second set of eyes on the final draft made a big difference as well. By the time I was finished, it seemed like the more I reread the essay, the more I started to miss. I still appreciate Deborah's editing skills when it comes to projects or proposals in my profession.

B. Martinez, Pharmaceutical Professional

Deborah is an encouraging and positive writing teacher. She sees potential in her students and helps them build confidence in themselves and achieve their goals. She understands that not all students learn in the same ways or at the same rates and tailors her instruction to meet the needs of each student. Writing can be very frustrating, and Deborah has helped me wade through my frustrations. Deborah keeps up to date on English language conventions, grammar, and the writing process. She doesn't just go through and fix your essay. She explains why the grammar or sentence structure needs to be changed and teaches you how to do it yourself. She actually works herself out of a job as she teaches students how to be self-reliant in the writing process.

Tanessa M, Theology Student