WRITING LAB
Writing something in English?
We can show you how to turn your ideas into exciting, professional work you can be proud of.
What we do
We work with ALL kinds of writing
Obviously we can advise you on assignments for school — from short homework tasks all the way up to theses and dissertations. But we are also happy to help you with employment and graduate school applications, CVs, or any other personal and public writing.
You may meet with us to discuss an oral presentation, multimedia project, email, blog, or work of fiction. We work on all aspects of the writing process, from brainstorming through drafting, revising, and final editing.
We advise you on your writing strategy and grammar
We will show you strategies, practices and habits to make you a better writer and reader of your own work. Of course we can assist you with grammatical, mechanical, and stylistic concerns, but we do so with a focus on practices which will make you a better writer in the long run.
Consultations
Are Writing Lab consultations for me?
We welcome students, teachers, and employees
We can work with all members of the Masaryk University community.
No matter where you are in the writing process
We can help you at any stage of the writing process - brainstorming, proposing, researching, writing, editing, presenting or publishing.
Come by yourself or with your co-workers
You can have an individual consultaitons, but you can also join a Writer’s Group or create new group with your colleagues.
When can I come?
Schedule an individual consultation
Consultations can be done either in person (usually at the CJV offices at FF or FSS) or online using the video call application of your choice (we prefer Zoom or Teams, but we are happy to use any other common app).
Here are the times we are usually available for consultations (Spring 2024):
Mondays 10:00 - 14:00
Tuesdays 14:00 - 18:00
Thursdays 9:00 - 11:00
Fridays 10:00 - 16:00
Please click on the link and fill out the form. We will contact you shortly!
Weekly Writers’ Hours
We are not holding regular in-person office hours until further notice.
Please make an appointment for a consultation if you'd like to meet with us.
Writer groups
If you are working on a longer research or writing project, you can join a Writer’s Group to get regular support and feedback. We facilitate groups of about 4-5 students (you can either come to us with already-chosen groups, or contact us individually, and we will help you form a group). The group will meet regularly to give each other support and advice. A Writing Lab consultant will chair the group to ensure focused, constructive feedback, and to suggest further resources.
If you are interested in forming or joining a writer’s group, contact us at writinglabmasaryk@gmail.com.
What to expect and how to prepare
What to expect
Your consultant will probably begin by asking you some questions about your writing goals, your writing history, and your writing process. They will probably ask about the assignment or project you're working on, and they will ask you to help set an agenda for the session. You'll have about 45 minutes to work together.
Each session will look different depending on your goals, but if you bring a work in progress, you and your consultant will read sections of your paper together out loud or silently. You might also try out new strategies, develop an outline or generate ideas, or consult resources.
After your consultation is over, we will ask you to offer us some feedback in a short exit questionnaire. Your answers will help us get better at giving you what you need.
You’ll leave each session, we hope, with some clear practical steps forward, and with new perspectives on your work.
How to prepare for a consultation
You will get more out of your consultation if you spend a bit of time thinking about what you need and want from your time with us. Before you come to the Writing Lab, we suggest you re-read your current draft and/or the instructions from your teacher, and consider what you most want to address with the consultant.
Consider your writing goals
What would you like to accomplish? What specific challenges are you experiencing? What questions do you have? If you have a longer paper, which section are you most interested in discussing?
Consider your writing history
What kinds of comments have you received from professors, readers, colleagues, peer reviewers, or others on previous writing? What challenges do you face in writing? What strengths do you have as a writer?
Consider your writing process
Where are you in the process of this particular piece of writing: first draft? Almost finished? When revising, what kinds of feedback and conversation do you find productive? What are your writing habits?
Please bring any relevant materials to the consultation:drafts of your paper (hard copy or clearly visible on a laptop), assignment prompts, your notes, research texts or source material, and of course your ideas and questions. Please don’t bring copies of your work or texts only on a phone - it will be too small and difficult to read.
Writing Resources
The internet is full of great writing advice! But some of it is better than others.
We've collected links to our favorite online writing resources here.
Contact
Who we are
Joe Lennon, PhD
Joe is the co-ordinator of the Writing Lab and Assistant Professor at the Masaryk University Language Centre. He has taught academic writing, creative writing, and English as foreign language for 22 years, on four continents. In his consultations, he likes to show writers strategies for succinctness - how they can make a greater impact with fewer words.
Where to find us
Our physical home is the CJV (Language Centre) teacher's office at the Faculty of Social Studies, Room 3.45.
You can find writing links and daily musings on our Facebook page.
And you can watch videos with great writing advice on our YouTube channel.
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