‘Get Ready, Together’ — Writing Room
The Library’s My Learning Essentials (MLE) programme can help develop your academic writing, and is a great way to share tips with other students across the university.
Whether you are a returning undergraduate student or a new postgraduate taught student, it is important to remember that you have all done some form of academic writing in the past — and with some success to have gotten to where you are now! This means it is important to reflect on your past successes and think carefully about what areas of your writing you need to develop this year.
Sharing Writing Tips
This Padlet is a space for you to share writing tips and ideas with other students. You will also find lots of tips and ideas that other students have already shared
(To add your own thoughts and ideas into the Padlet press the + button in the bottom-right corner).
To join in:
1) Reflect on the strategies or techniques you find useful when writing. These can be tips about getting started with writing, structuring writing, overcoming writer’s block or anything else. Share these in the Padlet with other students so they can benefit from your experience!
(To add your own thoughts and ideas into the Padlet press the + button in the bottom-right corner).
2) Look at the tips, strategies and techniques that other students have shared in the Padlet that you think sound useful and reflect on how you might incorporate them into your own writing approaches and methods. You might find it useful to make a list of the different things you want to try in your own writing this year.
3) Reflect on some on the aspects of writing that you find most challenging (this can using academic language, referencing or anything else!). It is important to remember that everyone struggles with certain parts of writing (even your lecturers and famous authors) — this is perfectly normal! The important part is understanding what you do well and what areas of your writing you need to develop.
Look around in the Padlet to see if other students have a similar development aim as yourself — you are not alone!
How can the Library help you achieve your writing aim?
Royal Literary Fellow
This year we are really excited to be joined by a Royal Literary Fellow, Lizzie Nunnery, who can work with you on your own writing. You can find out more about Lizzie and how to book an appointment below!
Who am I?
As a professional writer, I’ve written extensively for theatre, radio and film. In addition, my prose and academic writing has been published nationally. Theatre work includes Intemperance (Liverpool Everyman, 2007) shortlisted for the Meyer-Whitworth Award; Unprotected (Everyman/Traverse Theatre, 2006) Winner of Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award; and Narvik (UK tour 2017, Norwegian tour 2019) which won Best New Play at the UK Theatre Awards.
What can I do for you?
In my opinion, a Royal Literary Society Writing Fellow is a very rare and special role. I’m here to help you improve your approach to academic writing, to help shape and structure your work on the page, to answer all those niggling grammar and style questions you thought it was too late to ask. I was never taught grammar thoroughly as a child. Instead, I had to pick it up gradually and instinctively through reading and experiment. As an undergraduate this was a huge source of embarrassment to me — a closely guarded secret. Part of my job is to remove that embarrassment and have a frank, instructive conversation about the nuts and bolts of sentence structure and essay writing. If you come to see me, our conversation will be all about form rather than content. You can set aside the detail of your subject for a little while and instead focus on how best to express your ideas, how to most effectively communicate that powerful and compelling argument.
Some areas we can focus on
- Planning your study time
- Focusing your reading for essay, dissertation or thesis writing
- Expressing your ideas more clearly
- Answering grammar and punctuation questions
- Structuring and planning an academic discussion
- Discovering reading to improve your writing and editing skills
- Honing your writing style with the aim of improving your grades
- Rewriting and editing
- Critical thinking, research and referencing
What you can expect
A one-to-one online tutorial, lasting 50 minutes
Advice unique to your specific requirements
Complete confidentiality
Please note: RLF Fellows do not undertake proofreading or EAP tuition.
To book a slot, email lizzie.nunnery@rlfeducation.org.uk
My Learning Essentials
The Library’s My Learning Essentials Programme has a lot of helpful resources on various aspects of academic writing. There are also other sources of support available across the university. We have collated a lot of these together here. Take some time to look through the below Padlet and try to identify which resource or support you think will help you achieve this. Once you have identified the resource or support you want to use, put some time into your calendar to use it in the next week or two.
Contact Us
The Library and the My Learning Essentials Team are here for you, so get in touch with us using any of the following methods.
- Email us uml.teachingandlearning@manchester.ac.uk
- Use the ‘Ask a question’ tab at the right side of the page on any Subject Guide.
- Use Library Chat by going to the Library Website or MyManchester (log in required).
