Writing is just another form of communication. This was the theme woven into a writing workshop held on Thursday evening and that dealt with tackling academic writing, as well as creative writing. The event was organised by Senior Living Spaces (SLS) Cluster project from Stellenbosch University (SU).
The academic writing portion was presented by Dr. Xanthe Hunt, a researcher at the Institute for Life Course Health Research from SU’s Global Health Department, who tackled some of the key issues that people encounter when writing for academic purposes.
“It’s taking your ideas and putting them in an object like a computer or a piece of paper and place it there in such a way that another person can extract meaning from it,” she remarked when explaining the purpose of academic writing.
Dr. Xanthe Hunt and Laula Biaya, the outgoing convenor of the SLS Cluster, pose for photographs before the writing workshop on Thursday. PHOTO: Elri Voigt
Hunt, who received her Ph.D. in 2018, was able to advise the attendees based on her own experiences and advice provided by her supervisor Leslie Swartz, a professor in SU’s Psychology Department.
“I hate a blank page,” Hunt stated as part of her introduction. This statement appeared to resonate with the attendees, which mostly consisted of Master’s students.
When constructing the introduction to a thesis, Hunt advises to “start with the familiar”. The familiar is a fact that people already know. Then add the specific thing that the thesis will be studying.
“That way people have a little box in their brain that they can slot the information into,” Hunt continued.
She proceeded to outline the different sections of a thesis and gave practical tips on how to tackle each one.
Dr. Xanthe Hunt during her presentation at the SLS Cluster writing workshop on Thursday, where she provided tips on academic writing. PHOTO: Elri Voigt
Her first experience with academic writing in her first year of studies took the form of an essay that had yielded disappointing results. Hunt’s father then told her that writing essays consist of a formula, a concept that Hunt has been working with ever since.
“It was about being more deliberate, which doesn’t come naturally if you do creative writing,” Hunt revealed.
“Once you do that you get quite good at it and you’re able to be a little more creative,” she added.
According to Hunt, some students are naturally able to write and structure their ideas. However, at the same time, some students are “remarkably teachable” who can improve their academic writing with good input and advice.
“It seems like it is something that your capacity for is developed over your life,” she said.
A Master’s student from SU’s Journalism Department, Claudia Harrison, attended the event in preparation for her thesis and out of her interest in creative writing.
The creative writing part of the presentation was presented by Prof Lizette Rabe, former editor of Sarie Magazine and professor at SU’s Journalism Department.
“My presentation is the complete opposite of what you have just heard,” she said.
Rabe focused on creative writing as a way of expression and communicating one’s feelings as a way to reflect.
Professor Lizette Rabe during her presentation on the merits of creative writing at the SLS Cluster’s writing workshop. PHOTO: Elri Voigt
“I am going to touch on the art of just writing,” she explained.
She provided the audience with several quotes from famous writers and philosophers. The quotes were followed by a request to read the works of good writers and to read widely.
“Words can also be emotions in the form of an alphabet,” Rabe stated.
She provided practical writing tips, as well as different types of creative writing to try.
One of these types of creative writing resonated with Harrison.
“I really want to try free writing,” she said at the end of the workshop.