Louisa Peck - Writing Coach & Dissertation Editor

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Introduction

I've taught college level writing for over twenty years, most recently at the University of Washington, but also at Evergreen, UW Bothell, and many community colleges. Tutoring, though, involves different skills than teaching. At the UW I directed the English Department Writing Center for five years, where I trained each incoming group of tutors via a 400-level course on Writing Center Pedagogy -- that is, how to teach writing one-to-one. I also tutored at the writing center myself, incorporating all I taught. Another important distinction between tutoring and teaching is that as a tutor I do as much listening as talking, which keeps the writer in charge of their own writing. I ask the right questions to draw out material that may not have made it to the page. Writers are often amazed at what they articulate. I've also taught grammar and am able to make the rules easier to understand and remember. Of the twelve short storied I've published myself, two have won major awards. For children, I keep the atmosphere game-like, so they won't clam up! :) I enjoy getting to know people of all ages and different backgrounds as I help them express ideas and create a piece of writing they can be proud of.

Overview

Hired 6 times

1 employee

13 years in business

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This pro accepts payments via Cash and Venmo.

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6 photos

Reviews

Customers rated this pro highly for work quality, professionalism, and responsiveness.

Exceptional 5.0

13 reviews

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John l.

Jul 26, 2017

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Hired on Thumbtack

Reading and Writing Tutoring

Patrick P.

Nov 15, 2011

I am writing because I want people to know that Louisa is an absolutely amazing editor. I first meet Louisa two or so years ago when - in a bit of a panic and faced with a looming deadline - I needed to find someone to help me tighten up and flesh out my dissertation. Through that entire experience I knew I had met someone who was a truly gifted editor. Not only did she catch things I never would have seen in a hundred years, but she was someone I could bounce ideas off of to get a sense of whether the ideas I was putting forward hung together (this in my experience is rare...) Ultimately, that dissertation won a national award for being the best dissertation in its field - something that I very much doubt would have been possible without Louisa's help. Let me highlight two remarkable editorial traits that really stood out for me during this process. First, Louisa does not blindly read what she is working on. Rather, she develops a real feel and sense of the material she is working with. This had a very real and consequential impact for me - it allowed me to gain a sense of confidence in my work that would otherwise not have been possible. That self-confidence - which she helped foster - mattered when it came time to defend the dissertation. (That is to say, if you are thinking about presenting your work in public, she is an excellent person to work with) Second, she just was a real joy to work with - available, kind, thoughtful, someone, in short, who had a real gift to facilitate intellectual and creative work. In fact, my experience with Louisa has been so positive that I have continued to work with her on a host of other academic projects: papers for journals, presentations at conferences, career and grant materials. So, this is all to say, if you need an editor who is superior, and intuitive, someone who can help advance your work, do not think twice about working with Louisa. This is, full stop, the person you want to work with.

Julia S.

Feb 12, 2012

Louisa has been a great tutor for me and I very much enjoyed the time editing my application essays with her. As a non-native speaker, I did not have any communication problems with her. She is really patient and thoughtful: She would read through my writing and make sure to grasp my main arguments points before we get started to make any editings. In this way, I felt confident that my essays would convey my original points. Also, I learned a lot on how to improve my essays to become more concise, coherent and interesting to read. Besides editing the my grammer mistakes, she takes time to correct word choice, sentence structure and the whole paragraph strucure. She really helped me on getting my ideas across the board. I would recommend her to other non-native speaker students who wants to improve their writing skills in English. You would spend a good time working with her.

Jill G.

Feb 6, 2012

Louisa is a very nice English teacher. At the beginning of Jan, I was going to have an interview, and I need someone to help me with English conversation. That's why I found Louisa. We met at a coffee shop downtown Seattle several times. She was really patient, she helped me with both general conversation and interview questions, and she helped a lot with my wording problems. I really appreciated her job.

Jason S.

Apr 6, 2012

I found Louisa's tutoring services very helpful and insightful. I'm a Ph.D.student in psychology writing on challenging topics and Louisa was able to provide me sound, constructive feedback on my writing. Some simple exercises during our session provided me tools and new ways to approach the writing in creative ways. I think Louisa has a good ability to evaluate a writer's ability, and then apply the appropriate techniques and lessons to bring the writer along. She did this for me.

FAQs

What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
We meet for a free half-hour chat to determine their writing needs and whether we're a good fit. For remote editing clients, I provide a "sample hour" of editing for $70, and if they are pleased with the work, we go ahead with the entire project.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
See resume at Louisapeck.com . . . . EDUCATION: - M.A. English, University of Washington, 1986. Cumulative GPA: 3.97 - B.A. English, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, 1982. Cumulative GPA: 3.7 - EMPLOYMENT: - Seattle Pacific University, 9/2015-12/2015 - - North Seattle Community College, 1/2014-5/2014 - - University of Washington, 1/2004 - 9/2009 - - Edmonds Community College, 9/2002 - 12/2003 - - U.W. Bothell, 09/1998 -06/2002 - - Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA - - 1/1995 -6/1997 ACADEMIC AWARDS: - Graduate Tuition Fellowship, University of Washington - - Phi Beta Kappa, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY - - General Honors, & Departmental Honors in English, Vassar College - - Award of Distinction for BA Thesis, Vassar College
What types of customers have you worked with?
TUTORING: I have coached or am currently coaching professionals (both native speakers and ESL) from Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing affiliates, Virginia Mason, Gates Foundation, and REI. EDITING: Currently editing a diss on satirical fiction published in China from the temporary Nationalist capital of Chonqing during WWII and another on effects of war among displaced persons in Uganda. Previous topics have included history (perceptions of race and gender roles in the Territory of New Mexico prior to statehood), political science (evolution of credit laws in early US history - won a national award), and education (change theory applied to adoption of duo language programs).

Louisa Peck - Writing Coach & Dissertation Editor

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