Here are three examples, among many, of Consultant Fellows’ work with clients. Workshops involve shifting between individual, pair, small group and large group work, drawing on the experience of participants under the leadership of one or more highly experienced, well-published authors.
For undergraduates, some Consultant Fellows run essay-writing workshops of half a day or less (or the online equivalent, usually run as two 60-minute or two 90-minute sessions). Workshops have clear writing outcomes and can focus on any and all of the following elements: interpreting the assignment, planning, structure, writing style, argumentation and editing practices. Workshops are tailored to specific disciplinary requirements. The Consultant Fellows’ commercial writing experience helps students lift their prose from the acceptable to the exceptional.
An immersive writing workshop is offered by some appropriately trained Consultant Fellows. Participants work intensively on their writing with two professional writers. An immersive lasts for the equivalent of two or more days, combining working with others with one-to-one sessions with mentors. When run face-to-face, the focus and structure of workshops involves participants being apart from their usual concerns and distractions, staying focused, and deepening and building on their writing from hour to hour, day to day. Crucially, the mentors engage in an ongoing dialogue with participants about their writing. Unlike retreats, immersives normally take place on university premises, so minimising costs. Immersives have now been adapted to run very successfully online too, in highly interactive sessions.
Other specialist workshops are specifically designed to increase the publication quality and quantity of early- to mid- career researchers. For example, workshops – whether face-to-face or online – consider all phases of paper writing, from matching the target journal with the researcher’s aspirations, to crafting papers that maximise impact, to satisfying editors’ and reviewers’ requirements.
