"With over forty-five years of experience teaching English, Literature, and Writing, I am eager to help you find your voice, focus your message, and express yourself with power and verve. Whether you are writing poetry, fiction, a screen-play, a technical manual, or a letter to the editor, I can help you organize your thoughts, research your facts, structure your creation, and find the exact words you need to convince, inform, or entertain. I am a Mark Twain scholar, and it was Twain who said “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and a lightening bug.” I can’t promise that you will write like Twain, but I can lead you to find your own personal lightening.

How about those pesky issues of mechanics—spelling, punctuation, word-choice, sentence structure, paragraphing and the like? As your tutor I will make sure you understand the rules, but more importantly coach you to develop an “ear” for proper form. English is complicated, and writing well is one of the hardest things we do. We all make misteaks (ok, I meant that, but you get my point). Mechanics are not the most important thing in writing, but errors can get in the way of how your work is received. I am a proofreader, and I can go over your text with a fine-tooth comb, not only correcting problems and suggesting improvements, but also teaching you to avoid those issues the next time you write. Finally, know this: Though hard, writing can be fun. Nothing beats the satisfaction of looking back at your work and saying “There: THAT’S what I meant to say!” Let me help you find that joy.

I received my PhD in literature in 1968, and have taught at Western Washington's Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies since 1969, teaching courses in Renaissance, Medieval, English and American Literature, Cross-Cultural Studies, Human Ecology and Sustainability, Theater and--through all of these--Writing. In addition, I have advised hundreds of students as they developed their educational path, na" less...