The Last Word Writing Coach

10/19/2018

Today's nerd fun: words that sound like animals.

Some GRE words remind me of an animal, have a substring of letters that form a name of an animal, or are actually inspired by that animal.   Pugnacious I’m always reminded of a pug dog when I see this word. If you don’t know what a pug dog is, it’s the one with the …

04/16/2018

A couple pieces I wrote in honor of my city—the first, a poem, written a year after the marathon bombing, when my siblings ran 26 miles in 35-degree rain, similar to today’s nasty conditions; the second, about the human thirst for justice and universal need for grace, written after Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s sentencing.

“Boston Strong”

They looked like death camp survivors

as they crossed over.

Hundreds of identical, haggard faces

which seemed to be waning

before my eyes.

We looked in vain for a recognizable pair of un-shriveled lips, a familiar un-shrunken nose

un-shrouded by the metallic Mylar cloak

meant to hold out the rain



but not the cold

which broke like bullets

on taut, now shaking, skin.

Hundreds of legs

warping like branches

about to snap

after that last-straw

winter's storm.



Hundreds of antiquated bones

grinding their way mechanically forward.



This victory march

while loved ones wait

behind aluminum barricades

is what some humans do

voluntarily

at the finish
of the Boston Marathon.

02/27/2018

Best at-home editing practice? Print out your piece and read it aloud to yourself with a pen in hand. You’ll catch many of your own grammatical mistakes and redundancies!

02/26/2018

They're, their, there: most people know the difference but mix it up while texting. Use the Apostrophe when 'they're' Acting (they're going to the beach; they're away on vacation); use 'their' with an I when it's not MINE (I wish I had their cuddly cat! Mine is standoffish); use regular old 'there' with two Es for anything referring to an EnvironmEnt (let's meet over there).

02/07/2018

What's the fastest way to make your writing boring? Be vague. What's the single most important thing you can do to make your writing interesting? Make your point through real-life, sensory details. Example:

Vague: "It's difficult to be an artist when society does not encourage it and when you have other problems like personal issues."

Specific: "How am I supposed to survive as an artist when I can't afford Massachusetts' 400-dollar inspection and renewal fees on my '97 wagon, the only mode of transport I've got to get me and my drum kit from my basement studio in Malden to gigs in downtown Boston? And don't even get me started on the winter blues—the grey-skied, unmusical kind. Despite my morning ritual of downing ten Vitamin D tablets and soaking in the rays of my 10,000-lux sunlamp for an hour, I still can't seem to shake this February mental haze."

Vagueness is easy to come by. Describing details is mental exercise. Fight your winter depression and tell me what your day really feels, looks and sounds like!

02/06/2018

My 2018 New Year's Resolution? Start posting writing tips more regularly! Tip #1: How do I remember the difference between EFFECT and AFFECT?

Affect is an Action
Effect is the rEsult of an action

So: "Your attitude AFFECTS me negatively. The EFFECT of your attitude is that I don't want to spend time with you!"

01/12/2017

Hello, Facebook!

I offer editing, proofreading, and coaching services for a variety of writing projects. Whether you're a student, academic professional, business person, or creative writer, I can help you!

I cover everything from conceptual clarity, structure, and phrasing, to mechanical items such as spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting. I work with both native speakers and students of English as a second language. I work with clients in person or online.

I have worked professionally as an English and writing tutor for ten years. I got my start in university settings at Whitman College, Heritage University, Austin Community College, and the University of Texas. This experience not only honed my falcon’s eye for spotting errors, but also taught me to identify the key steps to helping each writer improve. In 2011, I began my own business as a writing coach. Working with students of all ages and backgrounds has prepared me to address a range of needs, from ESL reading comprehension and 5-paragraph essay construction to dissertation writer's block and fiction revision.

As your coach or editor, I will be passionate about helping you express your unique voice, be it in an application essay, a thesis, or a novel. I teach the writing process in a way that is personal and impartial, thorough and efficient. I will be your sternest critic and biggest fan.