I completed an Masters in Chem at Durham University before returning home to Liverpool to start my PhD in physical organic chemistry at the end of 2018. When the KnowHow writing tutor positions were advertised I was interested because I had just finished the rather painful process of writing my first year report – the subsequent feedback from which had got me thinking very differently about writing compared to how I had done during my undergraduate studies. Around the same time, I had read a book by Steven Pinker called ‘Enlightenment Now: The case for Reason, Science, Humanism and Progress’ which had struck me not only for its fascinating thesis, but the elegant prose through which it was conveyed. It helped me a lot because, whilst I was experimenting with the new writing principles my supervisor had imparted on me, I could see how effectively these same tips had been used by Pinker. I realised how useful the information could be to current undergraduates, so when the writing tutor positons came up it felt like perfect timing to pass on the knowledge I wish I’d had back then.
My tutoring style is influenced largely by my experience as an undergraduate on a course in which writing was rarely mentioned. I think good writing is the most overlooked skill in STEM courses. This has been evident in a lot of my appointments with STEM students but it’s great to see how much one session can improve their writing! I know to some people the idea of a one to one meeting with a stranger can be daunting but appointments are just relaxed chats about a piece of your work, so there’s nothing to worry about and a lot to gain.
In my 18 months as a writing tutor the most frequent thing I’ve been asked about is structure. I think poor structure is a symptom of having a muddled conceptual framework of the topic, which itself arises because undergraduates often don’t have the time to delve deep into the details of a given area. This is where simple tricks can be so useful, for example trying to summarise each paragraph you write into one sentence and see if, when taken together, these sentences form a convincing, coherent perspective on the subject matter. If not then you may want to expand your background reading to plug any gaps.
My favourite thing about being a tutor are the moments when something I’ve said has clearly changed the students’ perception of writing for the better. I think there’s something really interesting about writing, and language in general, that I didn’t appreciate during my undergraduate years and I aim to convince students of this. Accurately conveying a thought to someone else is not easy, I’m sure everyone has experienced times when you just can’t quite find the words that perfectly capture how you feel about something. The task is to faithfully copy the abstract concept in your mind, into theirs and the only tool we have to do this is language – a crude one (even native speakers of a language may interpret some words slightly differently). A lot of students I’ve tutored have never thought about writing like this, it’s great to be the one to show them this new perspective so that they can appreciate how thoughtfully each word must be chosen. I am grateful for the KnowHow writing service for letting me play a part in these mini breakthroughs in students' careers.
If you would like support with your academic writing, book a one to one appointment with a Writing@Liverpool tutor.
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