Your words: unmistakable.
Melissa R. Weintraub, MA
Everybody is original, if he tells the truth, if he speaks from himself. But it must be from his true self and not the self he thinks he should be.... So remember these two things: you are talented and you are original. Be sure of that. I say this because self-trust is one of the very most important things in writing....
— Brenda Ueland, If You Want to Write, pp. 4-5
The rocky shore in Yachats, Oregon
Services Offered
DoubleCheck provides a variety of writing services: editing and proofreading of existing texts, individual tutoring (useful for the SAT Essay section), and writing of articles, proposals, grants, and more. We can work together in person and/or online. I can help you to think like a writer.
-Writing: I have experience writing press releases, advertising copy, technical writing, articles in a variety of subjects, school papers, and a Master's thesis. I also have a lot of research experience.
-Editing: Do you have articles that you are not quite comfortable with? I can edit it for you in regard to organization, clarity, purpose, and more.
-Proofing: The article or paper is written, but you'd like another set of eyes to make sure that every comma is in the right place, the correct
homonym is used, you don't have sentence fragments or run-on sentences. If your article is going to press, I can make sure your paper and all your references (MLA, APA, and other styles) are formatted correctly. Experienced in Oregon State University Graduate School Guidelines for theses and dissertations!
-Tutoring and Individual Work: My Writing Center/Desk experience makes me uniquely qualified to work individually with people of all ages on all types of writing. I can help you improve your writing (including content, organization, clarity of ideas, awareness of audience, and grammar and mechanics), teaching you various tools. I can also work with people on creative writing, including poetry.
-SAT Essay Section preparation
-College & Scholarship Essays/Personal Statements
-Resumes and Cover Letters
-Essays of all types
-Creative Writing (short stories, poetry, creative non-fiction)
About Me
I have a Masters of English from Oregon State University, with a focus on rhetoric and writing. My academic education was interspersed with time spent gaining writing, teaching, and conferencing experience; I worked at the Writing Desk at Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC) in Albany, Oregon, since before I returned to school and also worked two terms at the Oregon State University Writing Center. I also taught writing at LBCC. (My resume is available on this site.) I have a lot of experience working with people—both experienced and less experienced writers—on writing.My philosophy is similar to that of many writing centers: when working with people on their writing, my goal is to help them to think like writers (while turning in a good paper). Writing is a process, and my aim is to help people understand this process—and their individual writing processes—and to know where and how to find assistance. Assistance comes in all sorts of forms: handbooks, friends, tutors, journals; sometimes just talking about what you are writing allows you to understand it more deeply and to write more fully.
In addition, writing is developmental; it is not a gift we either have or don't have. I was not a good writer until late in high school (had someone told me that it would become my passion and that I would get an advanced degree in it, I would have been very skeptical!). Practice and assistance and positive feedback worked together to improve both my confidence and my writing skill. I have tried all sorts of writing: journaling, school papers, journal articles, poetry, short stories, creative non-fiction, technical writing, and a Masters thesis. Some of my poems and articles have been published (as indicated on my resume) and various writing samples are available on this site.
My background is in clinical social work; I have a Masters in Social Work and worked in the field for a number of years. Although therapy and writing may seem very different, they require many of the same skills in working with people. (I published an article in The Writing Lab Newsletter in January 2005 called "The Use of Social Work Skills in a Writing Center.") I listen well—both to what you are saying and to what you might be saying, helping you to write more deeply. I also encourage you to examine your topic from different points of view (often as a way of anticipating the ways in which readers might disagree with you). I can help you find words to express yourself and to discover your ideas, thoughts, feelings and biases.
As a writer, writing assistant, and instructor, I am used to looking over written work (my own and others') and ferreting out errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and more. I am also experienced in the larger order issues of content, organization, and style.
I look forward to working with you, either in person, online, or both!
Specifics—See “How I Work” page (coming soon)
Word Processing Programs
- Appleworks
- Microsoft Word
- Pages '08
- Mariner Write
We can also use Rich Text Format (RTF).
Meeting Places
We can meet at your house or in a neutral (but fairly quiet) setting, such as a coffee shop or a library. We can also work together online using e-mail and/or instant messaging.
Fee
$35/hour
Contracts
For Theses, Dissertations, Manuscripts, and all other work (resumés, etc.)
Theses, Dissertations, Manuscripts
For School Papers (other than those above)
School Papers
For Tutoring
Tutoring
Disclaimer
DoubleCheck shall NOT be responsible for the acceptance of work by teachers, professors, graduate committees, the OSU Graduate School (except in cases of format noncompliance), or publishers; changes in format of the file upon transfer between DoubleCheck’s computer and the client’s computer; the accuracy of any of the facts set forth in the Work; or the client’s non-acceptance of changes/suggestions (in most cases, using the “track changes” tool in MS Word or Pages ’08). DoubleCheck shall make best efforts to correct any errors in the work, provided, however, that the client understands it is not possible to guarantee an error-free document and the client agrees to hold DoubleCheck harmless therefrom.
My faithful assistant, Milo (199?-2009)
Contact Information
E-mail: Melissa@doublecheck-it.com or doublechecker@comcast.net
Phone: 541/758-1621
