I did my undergraduate studies at St. John's University (the one in Minnesota) and earned my BA in English Lit; a few years later, I finished my MS in journalism at The University of Kansas. I worked for several city and music magazines and published my own music magazine for a bit. I teach writing based on a lot of journalistic principles, one being that most news stories are written at a 7th or 8th grade level. Why? Because it's easy for people to understand, and utilizing this type of approach doesn't make you any less intelligent; it just makes it easy for someone to understand you.

One of the most important lessons I've learned in the nearly 10 years I've spent in the classroom is this: Good writing requires practice, and it takes work. Don't be tempted to use AI to write your papers. If you do, you're missing the point of your education. Take the time to go through the process: prewriting and planning, drafting, and revise, revise, revise. It's sometimes hard work, but it's well worth it. Let's work together to make you a better writer.