Welcome to the Online Writing Laboratory!
Congratulations! If you've made it to this page, you are well on your way to becoming a better writer! We will do all we can to help by coaching you in the secrets of great writing.
We'll start exactly where you are, identify your strengths, and help you to become the best writer you can be by working together to improve those areas in your writing that need attention.
Writers do not become good all at once! However, no matter how poorly they write at the start, most writers improve dramatically with ongoing practice and specialized guidance. Depending on the level of skill you start out with and your willingness to implement your coach’s suggestions, your readers will probably soon notice a marked improvement in your writing.
How the Tutoring Process works:
Start by purchasing the tutoring package of your choice. The "pay buttons" on the site will take you to PayPal or to Payfast. These sites specialize in security and the protection of personal and financial details, so they probably will keep you safe. Paypal is best when you transact in United States Dollars (US$). PayFast is great for transactions in South African Rands (ZAR). Alternatively, South African clients can use EFT to make purchases.
Once you have done that, submit your text on the submissions page, and also attach your proof of payment.
You may submit this proof of payment in the form of a legible and clear pdf document or jpg photograph from your mobile phone if that is most convenient to you.
Please submit your text in electronic format (e.g. doc, txt, rtf, and so on.) You also need to complete the online submission form to indicate the areas you would like help with and send a request or message to your tutor.
A tutor will review your text, and it will be returned to you as soon as possible. Our current turn-around time is 48 hours after submission. (We are working to reduce this to 24 hours.) It's best to avoid last-minute-before-deadline submissions. Allow enough time to deal with any delays that may arise and also to make sure that you have enough time left revise and polish your text before you turn it in.
In each review, your tutor will address three to five issues for you to work on. Tutors usually focus on the areas that would make the most significant difference to your writing. Research and experience shows that it is better to help writers work with a small number of issues in detail rather than to overload them with too much information. This will help you make the best progress possible.
Your task then will be to implement your tutor’s suggestions to improve your text. If you do this part carefully, you may be able to deal with those specific areas in your future writing without any further help; however, some writers need to work with the same issue a couple of times before they “get it.” You can have any specific area reviewed as many times as you require. However, once you grasp the basic ideas, your writing will never be the same again!
Please note that the tutors do not do proofreading and editing of texts. While you will receive detailed comments to help you improve your text, the focus is explicitly on helping you to become a better writer. This means that you will need to use the tutor's suggestions and apply them in your own writing. When you master the key skills, you'll be able to use them in all your future writing. That's what we're aiming for - helping you to be a competent, confident, and skilled writer!
