Receiving feedback from professors on an assignment

By Abby Ponder

Writing is a very personal process for everyone. Whether you enjoy writing or not, it is an inevitability that you'll form attachments to the words you've written on paper. You placed them there for a reason, after all, and the more you read over them, the harder it can be to part from them.

So, you turn in an assignment to a professor and are awaiting your grade. You might be proud of the assignment, you might not be, but the words are in your professor's hands and you're ready for that grade.

Then you get it back...

...and it's not what you expected.

Your grade may be good or it may be bad, but sometimes you're simply not happy with the grade--or the comments on it.

So, what do you do now?

Sometimes it hurts to read the comments, but always do it: see what your professors have to say. It might not be what you want to hear, but the advice your professors have for you is often invaluable. Take their lessons into account and apply them to your paper next time--even if it's hard.

The same can hold true for your appointments with the Writing Center. We'll work with you on your paper, guiding you through the process, and in most cases there will be some comments in the margins.

No one is going to force you to make the changes your professor or your tutor suggests. Ultimately, use your own discretion when you're writing (or revising) your papers. It is your paper, after all! However, keep in mind the advice of others as you go--they might just be on to something.

Happy Writing!

STEPS: Making a Difference in Literary Analysis Papers

The WKU Writing Center would like to announce an up-and-coming resource for students to utilize when writing literary analysis papers. 

STEPS (Students Teaching English Paper Strategies) is a web site designed to help students write good papers about literature. This site is constructed for students, by students, and provides a doable process for analyzing literature and writing about it. STEPS helps students identify literary devices, determine the themes of literary texts, develop thesis statements, and produce successful essays. The site is filled with sample essays, peer reviews, and processing notes for each step. Students will also find a helpful glossary of literary terms, with examples from various works, and links to additional writing resources. Please visit www.writingaboutliterature.com for more information.

For students taking English classes (both in or out of the major), STEPS provides relevant information for the various stages of the writing process. Sometimes, as a writer, you just get stuck and there's no real conceivable way to get out of the writing funk. However, just searching through some of the tabs on the site, I've found them to be very helpful at finding ways to propel the process along. Sometimes just reading about writing can get you ready to start writing. It's funny how that works sometimes...

There are two tabs that I found particularly helpful, as well. The "Process and Methods" and the "Resources" (the "Archives" section especially) tabs are both excellent tools to utilize. The latter section, the Archives, even has example papers and the writing process therein. Every person has their own writing (and editing) style(s), and it can be beneficial to see what works for someone else, and then try to apply similar techniques. 

The STEPS homepage.

So, whether you're stuck finding a starting point, or if you're just looking to improve your writing, we definitely encourage you to check out STEPS. The site is still in its beta-form, too, so be sure to leave any feedback you think might be helpful. 

Happy Writing! 

I Went to the Writing Center... Now What?: A To-Do List for After Your Session

Stuart Mills freedigitalphotos.net

So, you went to the Writing Center, drank some coffee, and got a lot of insightful help.  You know exactly what the problems are in your paper and how you're going to fix them.  You're curled up on your bed or seated at your desk, laptop or computer out, ready to begin typing... Now what?




1. Think of Questions You Didn't Ask.  Read back over your paper, just once more.  Is there anything that your tutor thought you needed to ask the professor?  Can you think of anything that you need to ask your professor?  Email them now.  Get your questions answered before you get in the middle of editing and forget what you even asked.  Do you understand all of the comments on your paper?  Sometimes, in the middle of a session, we know exactly what a comment means; but, once we leave the session and aren't focusing so intensively, it's as clear as mud and just as hard to wade through to figure out just what that comment means.  In these cases, feel free to email the Writing Center (writingcenter@wku.edu) and ask your tutor for clarification.  They'll probably remember what was going on or at least can remind you of the major issues brought up in your tutoring session.

2. Make a To-Do List. Haha, the second step of this To-Do List is to make a To-Do List?  Yes, actually, it is.  Go through the notes you took (You did take notes, right?) and write down a series of steps to follow in revising your paper.  For example, "1. Make my thesis stronger, 2. Fix formatting, 3. Re-read paper to check for errors."  This will vary for each paper you write, so don't worry if it seems completely different from the previous paper.

3. Don't Panic.  If I could inscribe this in larger, friendlier letters, I would.  But, anyway, do not panic. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming after leaving your session. You made your To-Do List, and you have so much to do, and the paper is due in two hours, and it's 190% of your grade... Take a deep breath, maybe get another cup of coffee, but most of all, do not panic.  The scariest part, the actual session, is over.  You know what you want to do with your paper and how to do it.

4. Follow That To-Do List.  Now comes the hard work.  Follow along your To-Do List and fix the issues that come up.  Read, read, and re-read your paper.  Check off each part of your list as you complete it. Feel accomplished.

5. Take a Break. Breathe.  You've done all the editing and proofreading you can right now, so reward yourself with yet another cup of coffee and take ten or so minutes to just not think about your paper.  This break allows your brain some processing time, so that when you come back to the paper, you can look at it critically and with a little bit of distance--instead of being so completely focused on getting it finished.

6. Re-read Your Paper.  Go back and read your paper, out loud, one more time to catch any last mistakes.  You'll be surprised on the mistakes you can hear, if you read out loud.  Your brain knows what words you meant to type, and so it fills them in.  When you read out loud, your brain can't fix the mistakes faster than you can read, so you can see them much easier.


That's it--"What to Do After Your Writing Center Visit" in six fairly easy steps.  Don't take my word as academic law, though. Feel free to come up with your own after-visit To-Do List.  What's really important is that you take what you learned in your tutoring session and apply it to your paper.  The real work begins after your tutoring session ends.

Happy Writing,

Geneva