Overview
I'm Tim Tolka, an author, editor, screenwriter, researcher, and journalist with more than a decade of experience. I prepare all kinds of written works, including creative projects such as screenplays, biographies, memoirs, as well as research and business articles for publication. I have written and edited screenplays in the thriller, drama, and true crime genres, and I have written several forthcoming memoirs, as well as articles for publication in newspapers and research journals. I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was a teenager, and I’ve spent twenty years developing my skills. Now, I work for a wide variety of clients, including journalists, authors, academics, economists, film directors, producers, as well as various companies in diverse sectors. My first book, Blue Mafia, is the true story of the 20-year battle of a civil rights attorney against two notoriously brutal police departments, now considered among the best ever written on the topic. I produce 250-500 words per hour, consistently, no matter the subject or topic. I have a Master’s degree in international political economy, a decade of experience in business, as well as years of teaching writing and business courses at universities and private schools. I support writers in all steps of the writing and publication process. I worked in the private sector for many years in NYC, SF, and DC. I later taught English grammar, project management, marketing, and business courses at private business schools and worked as a writing counselor at the Writing Lab at American University. Screenwriting I have provided screenplay coverage to award-winning screenwriters and I’m currently working for four producers on very diverse film projects. I didn’t study English or film although I knew I would be devoted to both in my career. Instead, I studied structuralism and systems theory, in philosophy and political science, respectively, because I wanted to be a writer who knows how to research. Now, my research skills inform my screenwriting, as does my extensive international experience, including travels spanning four years and forty countries, as well as stints in the most obscure corners of the US. I’m forty years young, and I’ve lived in 15 American states and many of the major cities, including NYC, DC, and SF, as well as a decade in various parts of the South. I am strictly bipartisan in my business. In my work, I strive for authenticity, no matter the message or story. Similarly, as with my research skills and my travels, my understanding of philosophy and literary theory informs my screenplay structure, character development, and story-telling, which is why I like to write about big themes, justice, love, poverty, right and wrong, etc. I also partner with a screenplay consultant and judge to provide coverage. My rate is pretty reasonable, but I endeavor to punch above it with the product I provide. Ghostwriting In 2018, I published a 300-page biography of a civil rights lawyer who spurred two federal investigations into Ohio police departments, which took five years to research, write, and edit. My first book was fundamentally a nonfiction biography, although it could also be classified as a "true crime" thriller or courtroom drama. I’m not an attorney, but I learned how to inhabit the headspace of my clients in order to speak with their voices, and since then, I’ve adopted the voice of a soldier, a cop, a drug dealer, a daredevil, a sexual assault survivor, and a surgeon to write the memoirs of people in those occupations. My expertise is to imitate your style and strike the appropriate tone for the genre, making your story sound just like you wanted it to. If you're interested, respond with a bit about your project, including the word count or length, and your deadline, and I'll get back to you ASAP. Get in touch! Thanks.