Writing Workshops
We develop customized writing workshops, tailored to the needs and goals of the participant group or organization. Groups have ranged in size from 8 to 30 participants, and workshop length varies from three hours to one weekend to two weeks. Past topics have included the following.
Dissertations and theses
overview of the dissertation as a writing genre: structure, underlying assumptions, content, and expectations- survey of the research space and ways to narrow a topic down to a researchable question (or set of questions, or thesis statement)
- guidance on understanding and writing introductions, literature reviews, methods, results chapters, and findings—presented in manageable chunks, one "bite" at a time
- academic writing hints to improve formal academic voice
Writing skills and the writing process
reviews of basic academic writing in a bachelor's completion program for returning students- advice on U.S. academic writing for international graduate students
- refinement of critical reading skills with an eye toward effective literature reviews
- management of the emotional aspects of the writing process: learning to stop worrying and love your project, accepting existential angst and self-questioning, psychoanalytical approaches to minimizing procrastination
- brainstorming sessions for viable, interesting research questions, followed by a zeroing-in process to narrow them appropriately for the project
- sane approaches to drafts through recognizing that "better is the enemy of good enough," controlling your inner critic, and a three-stage process for writing drafts
- optimization of writing skills: a review of grammar pitfalls, citations and reference lists, and formal academic writing voice
Non-native speakers
- everything from how to cope with continued language learning in a U.S. graduate-school environment to U.S. approaches to academic writing
- explicit and implicit expectations—of students, professors, and different writing genres
Non-traditional learners/writers
- Auditory writers, who access what they know in conversation but find themselves blocked when sitting alone at the computer
- Kinesthetic/embodied writers, who need more time to absorb reading and who often write many, many drafts rather than writing one draft and revising it
- Holistic thinkers, who find it difficult to draw out one linear argument from the interconnected web of their own understanding
- Writers with Asperger's or other autism spectrum qualities, who may need extra scaffolding and explanation of the underlying system and its assumptions
Microsoft Word
- Formatting tips and tricks for dissertations and theses: styles, tables of contents, comments, and track changes
- Formatting for resumes: bullets, tabs, small caps, and paragraph formatting
Resumes
- brainstorming, amplifying experiences, and selecting words for success
- tailoring the work narrative
- formatting skills and the importance of consistency
- resume writing and cover letters for women
- U.S. resume writing and cover letters for international workers
- developing curriculum vitae: content, flow, and formatting
Please contact us for a free consultation regarding a writing or study skills workshop for your organization. Workshops are prepared and taught for a flat fee, agreed upon in advance.
