Bessie: Essex County tutor

Certified Tutor

I'm passionate about writing, and I like sharing my enthusiasm with other people. I've considered myself a writer since I was a kid, and I feel comfortable helping students at all levels become better writers. I just finished my master's in English Literature, and I'm very equipped to handle high level academic work, I'm equally excited about helping beginners, and anything in between.

Across all levels and subject matters good writing depends on understanding the same basic set of skills content, conventions, and style. Content is the idea that the writer is trying to communicate. Many students have great ideas that will make great content, and just need guidance to organize what they are trying to say. I can help students pinpoint what they are trying to express, and how to best make their argument. Conventions are a set of rules that help us understand each other in writing. This includes the basics of spelling, grammar, and punctuations. I can help students learn these rules, and coach them to become more comfortable following these rules. Style is a broad category that can catch all of the other elements necessary to a successful piece of writing. At different levels style involves being aware of the piece's intended audience, understanding voice, and generally making smart choices that make a piece of writing best serve its intended purpose.

While writing is a skill that is required across all academic fields (and in life outside of school), my degree is in literature, and I can definitely help students with that as well. My focus has been on more contemporary American literature, but I've read widely, and can help with anything from Shakespeare to post-colonial lit. Whether or not I'mm familiar with the book a student is writing about, I will be able to help them craft an argument that is supported with textual evidence.