Simple Tips for Better Writing™
The Writing Dojo is a collection of digital resources that provide instruction and advice for students, educators, business professionals, and anyone wanting to communicate with more authority, clarity, and influence.
The guiding philosophy behind The Writing Dojo is that anybody can learn to craft clear, compelling, persuasive writing by adding simple strategies and techniques to their repertoire. Individual lessons are simple and easy to apply; used together, however, these straightforward tips can dramatically improve the style and sophistication of your writing.
A common misconception is that some people are born writers while others just aren’t “English people.” The truth is that you don’t have to possess some innate, natural language talent to communicate effectively—all it takes is plenty of practice, aided by some basic writing tricks and editing secrets!
With sensible advice, humorous lessons, and practical tools, The Writing Dojo can help you become a better writer one skill at a time!
Mission
Our mission is to help people become more effective readers, more compelling writers, more critical thinkers, and more conscientious consumers and citizens.
About Kevin P. Trovini
I am a teacher, father, runner, and lifelong nerd.
For the past decade and a half, I have taught English and Honors Program courses at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan. This online educational platform is the result of my desire to create a digital teaching resource to benefit not only my own students but also a broader audience.
As a college instructor, I have primarily taught courses in Business and Technical Writing, composition, and research writing. I have also taught classes in the Honors Program, including the capstone Great Works course, as well as a literature class in cyberpunk fiction. My scholarly interests involve topics found at the intersection of technology, culture, philosophy, and literature.
I was the recipient of the 2010 Faculty Lectureship Award, for which I delivered a presentation entitled “Visions of the Future: the Intersection and Cross-Influence of Literature, Technology, and Popular Culture.” I earned repeat honors in 2014, presenting a talk entitled “Augmented Me: Wearable Computing, Augmented Reality, and Digital Technologies in the Twenty-First Century.”
I was the chair of the former Business and Technical Writing Committee at Henry Ford College as well as the English Department’s College Writing Committee. I consider myself fortunate to work in a profession that enables me to make a meaningful, positive impact in people’s lives through work that I truly enjoy.
EDUCATION AND EARLY CAREER
During my undergraduate days, I worked for a summer at Motorola and interned for two other summers as a documentation specialist for VisionTek, a computer hardware manufacturer. After earning my Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Computer Applications from the University of Notre Dame, I worked as a consultant for Cap Gemini Ernst & Young. I left during an economic downturn to complete my Master of Arts in English from Eastern Michigan University, where I taught my first English class as a graduate student. I later earned a second master’s degree—this time in Communications with a concentration in New Media and Marketing—from Southern New Hampshire University.
FAMILY
I am approaching middle age, with a wife, two daughters, a pair of cats, a mortgage payment, and astigmatism. Fatherhood has been a richly rewarding experience; my family and I love having adventures together. We are especially fond of summer vacations up north with the in-laws, trips to visit my extended family in Arizona, and occasional magical journeys to Disney World.
RUNNING
I am also a distance runner. I ran cross country and track in middle and high school, and I completed my first marathon at the Big Sur International Marathon in 1996. I have since completed fourteen additional marathons, numerous 5-person 100K relay runs, and eleven ultramarathon trail events ranging from 50K (31 miles) to 100 miles. My favorite event is Dances With Dirt, an ultramarathon and team relay event in the mud, hills, sand, poison ivy, and rivers in and around Pinckney, Michigan.
NERDY PURSUITS
I love sci-fi, technology, and ’80s and ’90s pop culture nostalgia. My favorites movies are Back to the Future and The Matrix, and I love TV shows like Game of Thrones, Rick and Morty, Futurama, and How I Met Your Mother. Before settling on writing and communications, I dabbled in science and business, starting college as a physics major and eventually completing a double major in Computer Applications and English. You’re equally likely to find me at a Renaissance festival or book signing event, a live podcast recording (my favorite is Stuff You Should Know) or Maker Faire.
