Training and Mentoring
Training for writers is offered. My background in teaching and journalism equips me to work with and train writers.
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I am familiar with, and can offer guidance on, the appropriate styles for
• news stories
• feature-length articles
• interviews
• history books
• text books
• minutes of meetings and agendas
• memoirs and other types of writing
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How to write a good lead is one of the skills that I can impart. Other aspects that could be covered include
• interviewing techniques
• writing for an audience
• logical content organisation
• how to pitch a story (for freelancers).
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Mentoring
I am available to mentor young writers as a follow-up to the training process, or independently. This could involve brain-storming before a story is written (or about a writing brief), commenting on drafts and being available as a sounding-board.
In terms of reading manuscripts, my main areas of content expertise are history, business and cricket. With regard to style, presentation, organisation, language use, tone, punctuation and paragraphing, my background as an English teacher has prepared me to comment on any type of writing.
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My credentials
I have a Higher Diploma in Education (Rhodes University), taught for 14 years at a high school and was the principal and director of a night school (Cwesi Adult Learning Centre) for 12 years. I was a tutor in the University of Cape Town History Department for one year.
For Global Africa Network, a business publishing house, I was the initiator and co-presenter of a training programme for writers. This included a set of lectures on the principles of business writing, interview techniques and some practical exercises, writing assignments and interviewing and photographing in the field.
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Mentoring
Through my involvement in Langa Cricket Club and Langa Hockey Club I have done a lot of mentoring, both to the clubs (committee organisation, writing of agendas and minutes, etc) and to individuals in terms of career guidance and general mentoring.
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Interested in my training services?