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Annie Brubaker Writing Consulting

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Put Me In Coach, I'm Ready to Write
Are you putting something off, spinning your wheels, doubting your ability to finish, struggling to find momentum, or needing to trust yourself again? It might be time to call in a writing coach. What Does a Writing Coach Do? Perhaps you're looking not just for an editor to refine the words on the page, but for someone to help you stay accountable during the project, develop a manageable writing plan, bounce ideas off of, or provide strategies to overcome roadblocks. Or may
annebrubaker
Jul 152 min read


5 Ways Parents Can Meaningfully Support the College Essay Process
Give Them Experiences Applicants need something to write about. They have to do the “input” work—gathering information about what lights them up, what they are curious about, what they value, and what they’ve learned. This could involve a summer job, a trip, an educational program, or a volunteer experience. It doesn’t have to be costly; experiences can come from reading something powerful, engaging in a family ritual, or a conversation that shift their perspective. Your jo
annebrubaker
Apr 263 min read


Collaborate and Listen
We don't talk enough about collaborative writing and how to do it well. Some of my most joyful writing moments in the past few years have been collaborative ones. I’m hearing this especially from humanities folks who were trained to go it alone, only to discover later how rewarding co-authoring can be. Here are a few strategies that supported a strong working relationship and helped us get the work accepted: 𝟏. 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬 You don't need to be
annebrubaker
Apr 32 min read


Why Hire an Academic Editor or Writing Coach? Rethinking the “Go It Alone” Culture of Scholarly and Professional Writing
The focus of this post is hardly original. You can find many reflections on why scholars hire editors or writing coaches, and yes, unsurprisingly, many are written by people like me who offer these services. My perspective may be a little different, though, because it’s a form of support I never formally used, but now wish I had. Like most academics, I relied on advisors, colleagues, and generous friends to read my work. What I didn’t realize was that other forms of structure
annebrubaker
Mar 93 min read


Why Watching CSI Will Make You a Better Writer
Have you ever wondered why crime dramas are the television genre that will never die? Law & Order ran for a staggering 20 seasons, and SVU is still pumping out episodes. The CSI: Crime Scene franchise includes five main series, 39 total seasons, 838 episodes across all the shows, and millions of viewers. The format works . The popularity of these shows has much less to do with original content than it does with a satisfying form. The key to their successful structure? Motiv
annebrubaker
Feb 162 min read
Follow Me on Medium
https://medium.com/@anne.brubaker/from-tech-progress-to-tech-entropy-what-system-failures-teach-us-c294b1e6c6c1
annebrubaker
Feb 61 min read


The Power of Collaboration: Why You Shouldn't Write Alone
From Rembrandt and Vermeer to Picasso and contemporary photographers, artists have kept the figure of the lone writer alive in the cultural imagination. Every author’s Acknowledgements section is a testament to the weakness of the lone writer myth, yet romantic notions of artistic solitude and silent introspection are hard to shake. I, too, used to think writing happens in isolation, something between me and my notebook, or, more often, the blinking cursor of a blank Word do
annebrubaker
Feb 52 min read
Want to join The Revision Room for more strategies on writing and revision, sign up here: https://annie-brubaker-writing-consulting.kit.com/e922a7b65f
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