Writing Groups: Coming to a campus near you

By Abby Ponder 

So, as I mentioned in last week's post, we at the WKU Writing Center are looking to host various writing groups for interested students on campus. So, whether you're an English major or just someone who loves writing (or presenting at conferences and seeing your hard work published), you might be interested in some of these groups. 

These groups will also be led by our tutors in the Writing Center, so you're liable to see plenty of familiar faces. These sessions are designed to be collaborative spaces. So, while there might be a brief instructional period at the beginning of the meeting, there will also be plenty of time for sharing your work and discussing ideas with your peers. 

As we prepare for the respective launches of each session, I'll post the respective flyers below. 

Check back throughout the weekend for more flyer updates! 

Let's talk about grammar (or not)

By Abby Ponder

It's a gloomy Wednesday, you're drenched from hiking up the hill in the pouring rain, and you can feel your stress levels beginning to rise with each step you take. You have a test tomorrow, a paper due the day after that, and you don't know when you're going to have time for a lunch break--next Tuesday, maybe? You're on your way into the writing center, paper clutched tightly in hand, and you just want this day to be over with.

You round the corner and walk into the room, located on the main floor of Cherry Hall, for the first time in your academic career. Perhaps you are a freshman still finding your way in this great big world of academia or perhaps you are a graduating senior who doesn't really want to be here in the first place. (You won't tell your tutors that, though, will you?) You cross over the threshold, taking in the round tables with multiple students filling them. You don't think you can even differentiate who is helping whom. They're all student, each and every one of them--like you.

"Can I help you?"

You turn your head and smile at the person sitting behind the reception desk. You think you might recognize her from one of your classes.

"Yes, I was wondering if I could meet with someone about my paper? I've heard this is where you go," you say.

The girl smiles at you.

"You've got it," she says. "The sign-in sheet is right behind you. Someone will be with you in a moment, if you want to have a seat."

You nod, reaching for the pen and paper. You fill out the necessities--name, student identification number, time of day, and course title--and then take a seat on the couch beneath the white board. As you wait, you spend your time checking your phone and trying not to guess at which student you'll be sharing your work with.

Writing is an extremely personal thing for you. You both love and loathe the process, and you can't help but feel your cheeks flush and your heart beat erratically any time someone dares to look too closely at the words you've carefully placed on paper. Sometimes you're extremely grateful that you don't have to be present as your professors read your assignments--the red pen is bad enough. Sometimes there's a little and sometimes there's a lot, but either way it breaks your heart.

Sometimes, more often than not, you think, you can't even bring yourself to read the tightly scrawled notes.

"Are you ready to get started?" you hear. Your head snaps up, eyes falling on the speaker.

You nod at this person who must be your tutor and follow her to one of the round tables in the corner of the room. You can't help but note that you have a rather nice view out the window from where you're now seated. The cherry blossoms are dancing in the wind, the skies beginning to cloud with another April shower. It's almost calming in a way--the calm before the storm. You wish you hadn't forgotten your umbrella, though.

"So, what can I help you with?" the tutor asks.

"Grammar," you say immediately. Grammar has always been your weakness, the biggest drain on your confidence. If you could only make it go away, eschew all the rules, then you would be more than happy to. Unfortunately, your professors, it seems, disagree with that philosophy.

The girl sitting beside you nods, picking up a purple pen and uncapping it.

"Mhm," she says. "What is your assignment about? What class is it for?"

You launch into your explanation of the assignment: what it is, whom it's for, and all the problems you've been having with it. You don't like your thesis at all, and you're not feeling confident about the third paragraph, but you really like the way you bring out this one point in paragraph five.

You tell her all of this, watching a smile spread across her face.

"Okay," she says. "Let's start with that thesis statement then."

The next half an hour passes by rather quickly. Together you read through your paper, catching errors and inaccuracies on occasion, but also finding strong textual analysis and well-written content. It's not a perfect draft, but it doesn't have to be: it is a first draft, after all.

When the minute hand eventually signals the conclusion of the session, you're feeling good about your paper. There were some hiccups along the way--that's life--but you leave feeling more confident about your paper than you did before you walked through the door a half hour ago.

Two weeks later finds you in the writing center again. This time, you work with a different tutor--one who is just as nice and helpful as your tutor before. For this paper, you don't even have a draft written yet, just an idea that's beginning to blossom in your head. You tell your tutor as much, and he nods encouragingly.

"We can work with that," he says with a laugh.

Together your chart the trajectory of your paper, filling in a blank outline with your words and ideas. It's more than just going through the motions, you think: it's progress.

When you leave this appointment, you have another scheduled a few days down the line.

"Come back whenever you're ready," your tutor tells you. "We're happy to look at another draft with you."

And you do.

The Writing Center at WKU offers support for all students who are enrolled at the university. We offer services in two respective locations, Cherry Hall 123 and the Commons at Cravens Library, as well as online appointments for students attending WKU's regional campuses or exclusively taking online courses.

Contrary to some misconceptions, the Writing Center isn't simply an editing service. Instead, we work with students to help them improve their overall writing abilities, not just a singular paper. We're there for you at any stage in the writing process, whether you're brainstorming or looking at a final draft.

Fun and Helpful Links: Finals Edition

By Abby Ponder

It's both terrifying and exciting, but the semester is slowly but surely beginning to come to a close.

We're almost there...

...but so are those paper deadlines.

Stay calm, though. We'll get through this.

We've compiled a handy dandy list of links to help get you through this trying time. (Really, though, we have faith in you.)

1. You need to outline your paper and don't know where to start? Here's an earlier post that covers just that! 
2. You've got the topic, the outline is finished, but you can't seem to get in the writing zone. So, time to find a new writing place! 
3. But if you're still struggling with procrastination, we've got just the post for you. 
4. Research is a critical component in an academic paper, so make sure to utilize the WKU Libraries. 
5. You've finally written that paper and now you need to edit it, so check out our post that offers some suggestions on that very topic. 
6. You need to cite your paper? The Purdue Owl is a fantastic resource for checking on the various citation styles, specifically MLA, APA, and Chicago. 
7. You've turned the paper in and are dealing with professor or peer feedback. Now what? 

And don't forget, the WKU Writing Center is here with you every step of the way. To schedule an appointment, give us a call at (270) 745-5719 or shoot us an email at writingcenter@wku.edu. You can also stop by and see us in our Cherry Hall location (Cherry 123) from 9-4 or at the reference desk in the Commons from 4-9.

So, remember:

Photo credit to this tumblr account that also highlights some additional stress release tips for finals week. 

Happy Writing! 

It's not me, it's you (in a good way)

Happy Monday, folks!

This post doesn't have much to say in terms of writing advice. There's a reason for that, I promise.

What this post is really designed to do is to take a moment to talk to you. (Yes, you.) Are you having a nice day? Did you have a swell weekend? What's going on in your world?

Additionally, we want to know something else: What would you like to see from this blog? What would you like to see from our Facebook page?

That may seem like a lot of questions, but we genuinely want to know.

The WKU Writing Center is here to meet your needs as a student and a writer. If you want more materials about a citation style or can't figure out where to put that comma or semi-colon, we want to help.

So, let us know!

Leave a comment below and tell us what we can do to help enhance the writing experience for you.

Photo Source

Getting back into the writing grove

by Abby Ponder

The other night, I sat down at my computer to start writing. I write everyday--it's one of the hazards of studying English and journalism--but I rarely take into consideration the routine behind the word count.

People write in different ways; it is a fact of life. Sometimes the routines are consistent--"every night at 5:30 I must write three pages of whatever research paper is due first"--and sometimes they're more adaptable to meet deadlines and other commitments.

Additionally, sometimes people procrastinate one assignment while working ahead on another.

Life is full of variables and writing is no different.

For me, I tend to write at odd hours. Sometimes it depends on when I get the chance or have the motivation. If I've learned anything, though, it's that writing something every day makes all the difference in the world--even if you only are able to write for ten minutes.

Eventually I'll sit down and force myself to write. I'll typically draw up an outline on paper first, and then start writing with my first body paragraph. (I almost always skip the introduction and save it for last. If, for some reason, I go on ahead with it, nine times out of 10 I'll end up deleting it at the end.)

From there, I just write. I split the screen between my outline and the actual assignment, and just go until I have to stop. (With occasional five minute breaks every now and then.)

I also like writing in a familiar place. I can write at home when I need to. In fact, I do so on several occasions. It's easy and convenient; it is also extremely comfortable. But while I can work at home, it doesn't necessarily mean I always do. Over my time at WKU, I've found that I do some of my most productive writing in a library or a coffee shop. Home means comfort, more often than not, and so I can rationalize procrastination; however, when I'm in an official setting my productivity goggles immediately fall into place and those fifteen minute Facebook breaks (because, let's be honest, five minutes doesn't always cut) are immediately downsized.

The moral of the story is, write where you think you can write. If you're more productive at home, then go for it. But if you're struggling with churning out a couple pages from the sofa or dining room table, I would suggest trying out a new environment. There are tons of great coffee shops on and around campus that allow for a comfortable, but professional setting. Or, if the noise bothers you, the library is an excellent place to get work done. (We also, as it so happens, have a Writing Center location in the Commons at Cravens that you can stop by at any stage in your writing.)

Find what works best for you and go from there. You might not find that magical writing zone on the first try, but keep looking--it's there somewhere.

In the meantime, enjoy your snow day(s), Hilltoppers! And be sure to let us know about your writing process. Inquiring minds want to know!

Happy Writing!

"Red, the blood of angry pens; black, the marks of mistakes past..."

by Abby Ponder 

For almost all writers, editing is a fundamental aspect of the writing process. Without it, mistakes can be glossed over and points can remain unrefined. And while in a lot of cases editing is no one's idea of a good time, it certainly doesn't have to be the nightmare most people make it out to be.

Whenever I'm writing, my first draft is, to put it rather bluntly, a bit rough. Actually, it's more than a bit; it's generally so rough that I almost always refuse to let anyone else even glance at it. My first draft is usually a compilation of various outlines (a step outlined in a recent post) that have been tossed together into an assortment of paragraphs that are usually long and rambling with very little cohesion. It's something resembling a paper, but it's not there yet. Like I said, these initial drafts are rough--but that's okay.

Anne Lamott, most known for her novel Bird by Bird which highlights tips for successful writers of all genres, has a chapter in the aforementioned novel called "Shitty First Drafts." In the chapter, Lamott explains that a first draft is just that: a first draft. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it is a starting point. The whole point of the first draft is to get words and ideas on paper, after all, and that is almost always the hardest part of writing: you have all these fantastic ideas, but you might not have a specific place to start or a way to tie them all together. However, between the help of your outline and your "shitty first draft," you'll begin to have an idea come together and slowly but surely that idea will begin to blossom.

So, after you've written that first draft, some people write another one... and then maybe another one after that. I know that I usually go through several drafts before I am finally satisfied.

My British Fantasy Literature paper rocking some Les Miserables lyrics, as one naturally does. 

For example, I took a class last fall where I had to write a paper breaking down the concept of love in works of British Fantasy Literature. (Harry Potter was, unsurprisingly, incorporated into this assignment.) However, even though I intimately knew the subject matter, there were still a number of changes that needed to be made. A friend of mine helped me to put the editing process in perspective, made me take a step back and laugh at it, and the break from the seriousness was a tremendous help. 

Editing, in my experience, is mostly about taking that step back and examining what the words staring back at you are trying to say. It's akin to reading another person: they're trying to say something, but it is up to you to decipher the meaning. 

There are two things that I have found incredibly helpful in the editing process: (1) printing off the paper, and (2) reading it out loud. 

While it is easy enough to edit a paper on the computer (and, admittedly, it does save some on printing costs), there is something about editing a paper on, well, paper that makes a huge difference. People tend to be more inclined to skim when reading online, and consequently it can be very easy to skip over the small mistakes--especially when you're not on the hunt for a misplaced pronoun or a comma splice. When you print the paper out and literally put pen to paper, you'll be surprised at how many things you see. And, like with my paper above, there is a sense of accomplishment that comes from seeing a marked up paper. Sure, it means you still have a ways to go, but it also symbolizes progress, and progress is never a bad thing.

Next, reading the text to yourself (or another person) can alter your perception of the words. Reading aloud forces you to interact with the paper and actively think about both the content and the style. Additionally, most people have a tendency to catch any misplaced words or confusing phrases when they're hearing or speaking them. What sounds good in your head may not always work out loud, and this step can do a lot in terms of drawing attention to that. 

Just make sure that whenever it seems like too much, and you feel as though you can't make sense of the words anymore, take a break. Sometimes you need to give your brain some room to breath, and then you can come back ready to get back to work. 

Comic by Debbie Ohi. 

When you feel like you're finished, though, or even if you're stumped along the way, don't forget to utilize the WKU Writing Center. While we are not an editing service, we will help walk you through any bumps in the road you may be having. Sometimes it's nice to have a second opinion on things, too. 

As always, you can schedule an appointment by clicking here and selecting a time that works well for you. We are also available for drop-in appointments, but those function under a first come, first serve basis.

Happy Writing! 

Creative Writing

Photo courtesy of eHow.com

 Many students may think that the Writing Center is just for academic papers, and that makes sense. We are part of a university, so we should focus on collegiate work, right?


Well, actually, much of collegiate work is creative, especially for students who are Creative Writing majors or minors. Stories and poems can just as difficult to write--if not more so--as essays and research papers. And it is even more difficult for most people to share their creative works than it is to share academic papers. Creative writing allows us to reveal very intimate parts of ourselves, and when we are unwilling to show those parts to others, it can become very arduous to get any kind of feedback.

But I am here to tell you, writers, that the Writing Center is here to help. A large majority of our tutors are/were Creative Writing majors and minors; we understand the struggles of writing creatively and we have experienced the fear of showing our most private thoughts to entire classrooms through our writing. Any of us would be happy to work with writers on a creative piece with the utmost respect and sensitivity. Plus, it would really be a refresher from our usual onslaught of essays and narratives.

We know how scary it is to have a creative piece reviewed, but we struggle with the same emotions about our creative writing. We love it, we hate it, we swear never to show it to anyone. But getting feedback from an audience is the most effective way to become a better writer. And when your writing is successful, anything is possible. Who knows--maybe you'll even get a book deal.

So bring in your short stories and your long stories, your poems and your flash fictions, your memoirs and your novels. Let us take a look at your creative writing and help you make it great. We won't judge, and we won't laugh (unless it's a comedy; then, we'll laugh unreservedly). But we will help, and maybe even give you the confidence you've been missing.

All the best in your creative endeavors!

--Sarah