ACADEMIC WRITING COACHING
Need help getting your ideas across?
Finding the right words for assignments and publications can be really difficult, but it's essential to academic success. I can help you there.
Students
You perfectly understand what your lecturer has been teaching you. You pay close attention to every instruction. You have the most brilliant ideas for your essay.
And yet, you never seem to do as well as you feel you can. Somehow, you just can't translate your thoughts into words that your lecturer will understand.
I've worked with lots of students who had really amazing insights but struggled to communicate their brilliance in written work.
As an academic writing coach, I work with students to address issues with writing, working with you to dissect your work and figure out what you can do to make it shine.
Academics
Your career hinges on your ability to get your work published. Getting published is easier when your writing is compelling. Your writing needs to showcase your expertise in a way that leaves no one in any doubt about how brilliant you are and how important the work is.
There's often a fine line between conveying the complexity and sophistication of your work and making sure a paper is accessible to the audiences who might read it. Getting the balance right can help get your work into the right journals and books.
As an academic writing coach, I work with academics at all levels of their careers to fine tune written expression for publication.
Frequently asked questions
What does writing coaching involve, exactly?
It depends. In general, once you've booked an appointment with me, I'll ask you to send through a writing sample by a certain date. I'll read this before we meet, paying particular attention to anything you're looking to address (eg. grammar, correct word use, structural problems, clarity, style guide adherence, etc). When we meet, I'll talk through my feedback on your sample, and I'll provide you with a marked up copy of your work with detailed comments. It's not quite editing - you won't usually get a thorough proofread/edit of your work, but it addresses your common errors and shows you how to fix them for yourself.
Who do you work with? What kinds of writing can you help with?
Academic writing and feedback is a specialty of mine, and in general I work with students and academics in the humanities and social sciences, because that's where my expertise lies. If you're in a different field and you'd like to speak about whether I can help you with your writing, please book a free discovery call and we can work out whether I'm the right person for the job.
I'm happy to work with you on a sample of a longer piece, or on a whole paper. Just note that if you'd like guidance on structure, it's generally better to work with something in its entirety.
Will you write my assignment/article for me?
No!!! You should be aware of the student statutes or academic integrity policies that apply to whatever it is you're working on. It is your responsibility to ensure that what we work on does not contravene any policies on academic misconduct for your institution or field. I can talk you through what's generally appropriate - please contact me if you have any questions about this.
Don't lecturers just give the same kind of feedback? Why should I employ a writing coach?
Lecturers sometimes give feedback on your writing, but more often they simply don't have the time to provide detailed enough, or targeted enough, guidance on how to improve your use of language - their focus is usually on the substantive content of the assignment. When we mark assignments, we're likely to be allocated 10 - 15 minutes per 1000 words, if we're lucky.
Why should I ask you to coach me on my writing?
I used to think writing was what I was best at. And look, I am pretty good, and I do have an excellent track record for success with my written work (highly regarded thesis examination, high success rate with funding applications, almost flawless acceptance rate for publications, etc, etc). But during the course of my academic career I discovered that I have an even greater talent - the talent for helping other people to write better. I can view your written work with a technical eye and identify what's going wrong, where you're not quite transmitting your excellence through your words. And I can go one further and explain this to you in a way that you can understand, with guidance you can act upon.
Can you guarantee my work will get a high grade/get published?
No, I can't make any guarantees on this, but I can give you the tools to make sure the quality and clarity of your writing isn't what's holding you back. The rest - the excellent ideas, the evidence-gathering, the analysis, the putting my guidance into action - that's all down to you!
What does it cost?
Please contact me for a price list.
How do I book?
You can contact me or book online. If you're unsure, please feel free to call me for a chat or schedule a free discovery call to find out if I'm the right person to help you.