Whenever people comment on my last name, I explain that my parents were born in Hungary and that our family name, “Sugár,” is a Hungarian word completely unrelated to sugar!
In Hungarian, “sugár” means beam, ray, and bolt. The verb “sugároz” turns the idea into communication — “sugároz” means to broadcast, transmit, relay. For the purposes of this writing support service, I’m most interested in another verb: “sugárzik,” which means to radiate or glow.
I want to help you feel that your message is radiating from your prose.
Most of all, I want you to leave our time together feeling aglow: settled, confident, and positive about your writing (and revising!) life.
I am offering three tiers of support. Each tier is provided on a month-to-month basis:
- The Writing Buddy
This is all about accountability and co-creating a plan for you to write at your dream pace, hitting a concrete goal by the end of the month. During our initial thirty-minute call or zoom, we will block out regular check-ins and deadlines that work for you, and while I may see your writing (up to 2,500 words a month), I will not be providing line edits or developmental notes — what I will provide is a general impression and an emphatic “Keep going!”
- The Workshop Friend
Each month, you will send me up to twenty pages double-spaced (up to 5,000 words) of a draft that you are working on. I will respond with detailed edits and comments as well as a written letter of high-level developmental feedback. After receiving the feedback, you’ll have the opportunity to meet with me for an hour-long call or zoom, to discuss the notes, any related questions, and potential next steps. This level also includes everything included in The Writing Buddy level.
- The Thought Partner
Looking for something a little more hands-on? As a thought partner, I will be in the gears with you, proactively thinking through your project and working on it too. We may have regular zoom meetings where we are actively shaping the piece together, or perhaps we are taking turns writing and revising asynchronously — let’s discuss the collaborative creative process that works best for you.
For more information about any of these tiers of writing support, please reach out.
I’ve worked with Julie many times, most recently at the Writing Buddy level. She has a remarkable ability to zoom in, with clarity and thoughtfulness, on a piece’s strengths as well as areas for improvement. Her consistent support has helped me stay focused on writing and pitching — goals that too easily can fall by the wayside. Julie is knowledgeable, generous, and a trusted thought-partner across a wide range of topics and writing styles.”
— Lindsey B., Denver
In my years of receiving notes on my writing from Julie Sugar, I have been nothing short of humbled by her professionalism, her artistic expertise, and her genuine love for each step of the creative process. Her notes are thorough, clear, and most importantly, they are actionable — her feedback just makes sense. The explicit goal of her note-giving is to selflessly ensure the best execution of each writer’s personal creative vision. Julie epitomizes what I see as every writer’s ideal reader and cheerleader.”
— Michael Busza, Los Angeles
Julie Sugar has made an indelible mark on my writing journey. As I was approaching my dream to publish a memoir, I was certain I would need to voice-note it all to another writer. I did not believe, whatsoever, that I had the patience or the talent to embark on such a monumental task myself. But after working with Julie, not only did she cultivate my writing talent, she gave me a real, joyful passion for the craft of writing. It is without a doubt that her confidence in me, her phenomenal skillset, and her contagious love of writing were the causes for this shift. She’s also an absolute blast to work with!”
— Rabbi Dov Yonah Korn, New York
Julie Sugar 