Get advice on your writing from a professional writer
Royal Literary Fund Fellows are professional writers who offer individual guidance on written assignments to Queen Mary students from all academic backgrounds.
Appointments last 50 minutes.
Students from any subject, undergraduate or postgraduate, are welcome to make use of the opportunity to discuss their work with a fellow.
The service is free of charge, confidential and independent of the university. It runs as a complement to the one-to-one appointments service. As professional writers, the RLF Fellows are especially equipped to offer advice on style and structure. The Fellows can provide individually tailored, in-depth guidance on all aspects of effective writing, including developing ideas, planning, grammar, punctuation, clarity, editing and rewriting.
RLF tutorials are not suitable for students who require specialised English language help (e.g. TEFL, EAP) who should seek help from QMUL's Language Centre.
You can book an appointment at any stage of your assignment, including after it has been marked, but you may find it’s best to contact the Fellows before your deadline, so that you have enough time to implement any advice you receive.
Sylvia Patterson is an award-winning author and journalist whose 2016 memoir I’m Not with The Band (Sphere), tells the story of her three-decade adventures in music journalism. It was shortlisted for the Costa Biography award, the NME awards Book of the Year, the Penderyn Music Prize and won BBC Radio 1 Annie Nightingale’s Book of the Year.
In 2021 she ghost-wrote My Amy: The Life We Shared (Macmillan), a memoir from Tyler James, the lifelong best friend of Amy Winehouse.
In 2023 her second memoir Same Old Girl (Fleet) tells the story of her endurance through and survival from a life-threatening disease – and the insights the experience gave her.
She’s been writing since she was a schoolgirl in Perth, Scotland, where she first penned reviews on her post-punk heroes for the school magazine. She moved to London aged 20 to become Staff Writer on Smash Hits magazine in its million-selling late-80s heyday and went on to forge a freelance career specialising in all aspects of youth culture. She’s written for a spectrum of titles including NME, Q, Glamour, the Face, the Word, the Guardian and the Sunday Times.
She’s been a newspaper columnist, a Guest Speaker for the Arvon Foundation, has appeared on Woman’s Hour, BBC 6Music, Channel 4 and at book festivals throughout the nation. She’s a passionate believer in the power of words, in storytelling and communication. She lives in north London with her partner, is a sports enthusiast and keenly supports the Arsenal women’s football team.
“I just want you to know how much I appreciate all the help you’ve given me over the past year. I genuinely feel like my writing has improved so much which I think is rare for a lot of people this late on. It has really helped having someone outside of the course to talk through my ideas…”— Student on the value of the RLF tutorials
How to contact the RLF Fellows
Sylvia Patterson currently offers tutorials on Wednesdays [on-site and online] and Thursdays [online]. This is subject to change so please check back here for updates.
To book a tutorial with one of the RLF Fellows:
You won't need to register separately to book or attend your tutorial.
If you find you cannot keep the appointment please let the Fellow know as soon as possible. This is very important as there are limited appointments available.