Royal Literary Fund Fellow
Improve your academic writing by working with a Fellow from the Royal Literary Fund
The Royal Literary Fund Fellowship scheme was set up to place professional writers in higher education institutions to offer writing support to all students. The principal aim of the Fellow’s work is to foster good writing practice across all disciplines and media.
Do you want help with your writing skills?
Edinburgh University has a Royal Literary Fund Fellow - Mary Paulson-Ellis.
Whatever your subject or level of study, Mary is offering one-to-one practical sessions to help you improve your writing.
This could mean support with planning and structure, advice on clarity and working to a word limit, help with editing, grammar and punctuation, or any other issue you want to bring.
All academic writing is covered including essays, reports, theses, dissertations, book chapters, posters etc. Advice is based on your writing and tailored to your needs and aims.
Please note that due to funding restrictions this service is only available to students in the UK (you cannot have an online session when you are abroad).
This service is:
- Free
- Confidential
- One-to-one
Mary is available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during term time. She is based on the third floor of the Main Library, which is located on the south side of George Square.
Each session lasts 50 minutes. To book an appointment please email Mary on mary.paulson-ellis@rlfeducation.org.uk.
What we don't do:
- proof-read your work
- teach English as a second language
- provide specialist support for specific learning disabilities
Learn more: RLF Fellowship Scheme
Our RLF Fellow: Mary Paulson-Ellis
Mary Paulson-Ellis is an award-winning novelist writing across the genres of crime, historical and literary fiction. Her critically acclaimed debut, The Other Mrs Walker was a Times bestseller and Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year. The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing was longlisted for the McIlvanney prize for best Scottish crime novel and a Historical Writers Association Gold Crown.
In 2023 Mary was awarded the Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship by Edinburgh City of Literature Trust to write a multilayered novel about her home city of Edinburgh. Author Liz Jensen describes her as having ‘the verve and panache of a true storyteller’.
Mary’s short fiction and nonfiction have featured in The Guardian, various anthologies and on BBC Radio 4. In 2019 Val McDermid selected her as one of ten exciting LGBTQ+ writers working today.
Mary has been a writing mentor, workshop leader, tutor and writer-in-residence for many organisations including the National Centre for Writing, the National Galleries of Scotland and the Edinburgh International Festival. She regularly reviews what’s current in the arts for BBC Radio Scotland. As a committee member for the Society of Authors in Scotland, Mary believes in solidarity and connection amongst authors everywhere.
To find out more about Mary, please visit her website:
To make an appointment with Mary, please contact her by email:
BSL users
Contact us through an online sign language interpreter
British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact the University of Edinburgh via Contact Scotland BSL, the online British Sign Language video relay interpreting service.
Find out more on the Contact Scotland BSL website
