Are you working on a paper, essay, thesis, motivation letter or other document and feeling unsure about grammar, phrasing, spelling, structure, legibility and general academic writing requirements? Would you like a second pair of eyes to go over your work and to suggest improvements or are you simply looking for confirmation that you're on the right track? Or, are you in the earlier stages of writ
ing and would you like some guidance from an experienced tutor? My name is Anika, and I'm very keen to tell you a bit more about my work. Over the past decade I've come to find my talent and passion for proofreading, content editing and teaching, and have accumulated a lot of experience in all of these endeavours. I'm happiest when I get to help others bring across their ideas, theories, research or anything else important to them in the most succinct, eloquent and understandable way possible. In addition, I love teaching anyone who is motivated to learn how to become a more accomplished writer and, perhaps most importantly, re-writer. Because, as some of you may know, and any good writer will tell you: the art of writing is in the re-writing. Over the years I have proofread, edited, rewritten and brainstormed with friends and other students about anything from academic papers and theses, to cover letters and from website texts to resumes. I've also acquired my BKO (or BTQ: basic teaching qualification) during my time as a tutor at Maastricht University, where I taught, amongst others, a number of research and writing courses, as well as a negotiation skills course. My normal approach as content editor is as follows:
I receive a paper (or other text) and go through it in detail making in-text suggestions for improvements and adding comments in the sideline. I look at everything from spelling and grammar to choice of words, clarity of writing and structure (on a sentence, paragraph and general level). I then send the document back to you so that you can work with my comments and accept or reject my in-text suggestions. If desired we can get together and discuss any remaining questions or issues in person. Although this is the approach I usually use, I'm happy to discuss whatever other approach you might find more fitting for your purpose or situation. I'm looking forward to a future of helping even more people, whether by helping them with a specific text or more broadly facing the development of their writing skills together.
