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Why writing instruction is my calling

I was a high school English and French teacher for about seven years.  I’ve since left the classroom. People occasionally ask me, “What do you miss about teaching?”  You...

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The 1 indispensable phrase to help you finish

Although I love challenges, new experiences frighten me.  I wanted to run away from just about every new experience in graduate school that threatened to...

How to add power to disconnected facts

When I was working on my dissertation, my university hosted its first Three-Minute Thesis competition.  Created by the University of Queensland, the premise of the...

How to write more substance, not just filler

You need at least 5 pages for your class essay. And that, unfortunately, doesn’t include the title page or references.You’ve stretched your wording, using phrases like...

How NOT to be basic in your personal statement

As a professional writing consultant at North Carolina Central University, I occasionally meet undergrads in the beginning stages of applying to graduate school. When...

The worst practice that ruins your formatting

When finishing essays, I used to hit the Enter key on my keyboard to move to the next page, usually for references or works cited. I would hit that button several times...

My writing is horrible! How do I get better at grammar and sentence structure?

The first thing that pops into my mind for your question is this: read. Here’s why. Reading exposes you to either various ways of writing or that one goal you’re...