Townsend Writing Coaching provides academic writing coaching and support to writers in higher education, focusing on graduate and postgraduate writers needing a professional coach with deep expertise, compassion, and most importantly, someone who has been there.
About
Jonathan Townsend, Ed.D.
I love what I do! I help writers improve their craft, overcome logistical and emotional challenges, and meet their writing production goals. I know what it feels like to have academic writing deadlines looming and no inspiration on the horizon. A writing coach can bring hope, perspective, and significant progress to a stalled writing experience. I’m in this business because I love helping people and I believe that every writer and student sometimes needs a compassionate writing coach.
I started coaching writers 20 years ago, and I love working with clients at all levels and on all kinds of writing projects. Editors are concerned with the writing output itself, but I’m concerned about working with the writers themselves; I want to help the writers flourish, not merely end up with clean copy. My clients have included master’s and doctoral students at a range of institutions, including UCLA, USC, University of Kansas, University of Redlands, Claremont Graduate University, Talbot Theological Seminary, Grand Canyon University, and Cal State San Bernardino. I help with dissertations and theses, but also with smaller writing projects or everyday writing challenges. I also have clients outside of higher education; I work with these clients in the corporate and entertainment sectors to refine their voice, clarify their written communication, build confidence, and clearly communicate with their staff, colleagues, and clients.
One of the most fulfilling parts of being a writing coach is being able to encourage people every day; it’s how I’m wired. I deeply enjoy lifting other people up. Every grad student and writer has dark times in their program or business when they can’t see their way out—I’ve been there. I find joy in not only helping others out of their darkness, but equipping and encouraging them to go on to articulate their brilliant idea. Some writers enter a program and don’t have a strong background in academic writing. They enter with imposter syndrome—thinking that everyone else in their program or cohort deserves to be there but they don’t belong. They battle fear that eventually people will discover this and they’ll be asked to leave. I work to help these writers build self-efficacy and self-knowledge. They need to know that they belong, they need to feel confident in their writing, and they sometimes need academic writing craft refreshers that they’ve either forgotten or never learned.
Some graduate writers never expected to be admitted to their academic program. When they get the admission letter, they’re both ecstatic and terrified—because they’re worried that their ability won’t match the writing quality expected of them. And academic writing can be very intimidating to many people; we’ve been conditioned by so many of our writing instructors who wield red pens and only point out everything we did wrong. What I enjoy most is to help writers understand their blocks, challenges, strengths, and processes, and then use that understanding to communicate their ideas and create original pieces of criticism or research.
Some grad students suffer from burnout, and they need some support because they’re so emotionally exhausted from grinding through research and coursework on top of their full-time job and family commitments. These people need reminding that they’ll finish their thesis or dissertation, but I also enjoy helping these clients streamline their processes, implement new tools, and align their lives to maximize productivity. When grad students discover what works for them, when they discover their optimal workflow, then they can thrive in their program of study without neglecting the rest of their lives.
My coaching is informed by over 17 years working in higher education. I’ve taught writing at the community college and university level, founded and run a collegiate writing center for 13 years, and worked extensively with writers with disabilities. I find every subject fascinating, which led me to earning my BA in English Literature from the University of Redlands, an MA in Cultural Studies from Claremont Graduate University, and an Ed.D. in Organizational Change and Leadership from USC.
Contact me at jonathan@townsendcoaching.com, or find me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. I look forward to connecting and helping you find inspiration, traction, and joy in your writing.
