Writing Coaching
In a 45-minute meeting with a writing coach, you will discuss one-to-one how to improve your writing skills, usually (but not necessarily) on the basis of a text you are currently working on.
In the individual coaching conversation of 45 minutes you can zoom in exactly on what you need or have questions about. Everything you discuss remains between you and the coach. The conversation can take place physically or online. If you wish, you can also send your writing coach a piece of text in advance, which you can then discuss together during the meeting. Make sure to fill out this form once you have booked your appointment; here you can let us know what you would like to discuss during the meeting and upload your writing sample (max 5 pages), among other things.
In case your are unable to attend your scheduled appointment, make sure to cancel by notifying your writing coach as well as the Writing Lab (writinglab@hum.leidenuniv.nl). Make sure to use your umail adress for this.
Leiden
You can book an in person appointment in Leiden (Lipsius 3.05) via our booking system by clicking the button below. The appointment is for a first session (duration: 45 minutes). A follow-up session can be scheduled later together with your writing coach.
Sign up for a free appointment in Leiden!The Hague
You can book an in person appointment in The Hague (5th floor of the Beehive, Turfmarkt 105) via our booking system by clicking the button below. The appointment is for a first session (duration: 45 minutes). A follow-up session can be scheduled later together with your writing coach.
Sign up for a free appointment in The Hague!Online
You can book an online appointment in Teams via our booking system by clicking the button below. The appointment is for a first session (duration: 45 minutes). A follow-up session can be scheduled later together with your writing coach.
Sign up for a free online appointment!Practical information
For whom?
For all students of the Faculty of Humanities in Leiden and The Hague.
By whom?
Our writing coaches are students of the Humanities faculty who work for the Writing Lab. They are trained as writing coaches by us.
Location?
You can choose for an online appointment or at one of our locations in Leiden or The Hague.
Costs?
It costs nothing! A conversation at the Writing Lab is completely free
One-time only?
You can come back up to five times per writing assignment. This way you can discuss different aspects of a text with a tutor, or discuss your progress during different stages of the writing process.
Which language?
The discussion can be held in Dutch or English. International students are welcome!
You can come to us for tips and strategies on virtually all aspects of academic writing, such as:
- Formulating a research question
- Delineating your research
- An academic writing style
- Structuring paragraphs
- Making a schedule
- Improve your writing style
- Incorporating feedback from your tutor
- Constructing your text
- And much more!
What does a writing coach offer?
- Questions: A writing coach asks you many questions during a conversation. This will give you more insight into how you can improve your own text and the writing process.
- Tips: The writing coach will also give you tips, for example about the structure of a paper, formulating a research question, or making a schedule.
- Referral: A writing coach can help you find a suitable workshop, tool or training course within the Academic Language Centre. We can help you with language-related matters such as academic style and sentence structure.
What can a writing coach not help with?
- Text correction: A Writing Lab coach wants to support you in working on your text yourself. Therefore they cannot proofread your text for you.
- Subject matter: A writing coach is not an expert in the field of your research. If you have any questions about the subject matter, you should ask your course instructor.
- Spelling and grammar: The writing coach is not a language teacher. To help you with spelling and grammar we will refer you to other possibilities.