Research Writer Interview With Jon
MA English And American Studies
So, who is this Jon fellow anyway?
I'm a Creative and Professional Writing/English graduate, part-time editor for the Maker's Mark series of books and - hopefully - full-time academic, currently chasing an MA in English and American Studies. I currently live in Manchester - the one in England - without about a tenth of the books I want to own, an artist girlfriend and a worrying number of toy soldiers.
How how long have you been writing for?
I started at the age of ten, writing thinly-disguised reshufflings of whatever I'd last read, then moved on to a series of increasingly competent fan-fiction epics. And then the British education system decided it wanted me to write essays, and I rather enjoyed that, so I went to university to write more essays. So that's twelve years and counting. I even write original fiction these days.
And why are you writing for CustomPapers?
Because it always helps students to have model essays written to guide them and provide references for them and generally make the process of turning in their own stuff easier. I enjoy writing essays and I have the time to do it. Other people may not.
Aren't you concerned about people submitting these essays as their own?
Not really. I'd like to think that any assessor worthy of their job would notice that someone's writing style had suddenly mutated into mine. These essays are guidelines and references written more accessibly than most.
Don't you think this whole CustomPapers thing is a bit... well... lazy?
Bah. University's about collaboration and communication of ideas. As soon as someone gives a lecture on a topic, they're adding their ideas to the source material, which has ideas built in. Then you're listening to it and formulating your own. Hopefully you're talking to other students about it and they're adding their ideas. And when you come to me because you want an essay written, I'll be talking to you about what you want in it, about your ideas and opinions and thoughts and whatnot. This isn't the easy option. It's just the option where you have someone else put the words together.
So who might want you to write with them?
Humanities types. History, geography, philosophy, literature - obviously - and all those sorts of things. I'm not really qualified to write hard technology or science papers, although I can do the ethics bits fine, and maths scares me.
And why should they choose you?
They should choose me because I enjoy writing essays. No, really. It's fun. I enjoy listening to other people's ideas and putting them into the most effective words I can. Also, I'm unorthodox in the way I write. I don't like jargon or pretentious wafflespeak in academia. I'd much rather write something that's clear, helpful and fun to read. I'd like to think I'm clear, helpful and fun to work with as well.