University Writing Center Blog

Freewriting, by Kaylee Holtsclaw How does a blank page make you feel? Beginning a piece of writing can send you into a flurry of emotions, but they don’t always have to be negative ones. Freewriting is a fun and no-stakes way to start writing your piece. It can turn what was boring or stagnant writing …

What Does Ethical AI Use Look Like?  By Aleena Nadeem  The rise of artificial intelligence has sparked breakthroughs in healthcare, technology, and finance. However, it poses a series of ethical questions for writing.  A tutor, Julie Center for Purdue University’s writing center, Purdue Owl, explores what is considered ethical and non-ethical when using AI. They …

Three Strategies to Help Writers Say More With Less , by Tomislav Kraljic You’ve put your idea on paper and crafted your first draft. And your second. And your third. Maybe even a fourth or fifth. But how do you know when it’s ready? You’ve already addressed the big picture—higher-order concerns like purpose, audience, main …

The weird problem, by Taj Barnard   Many people—including me—have feared being seen as weird. Weird in this case, meaning to differ from societal norms or expectations. When I was taking COMM-R110 (Fundamentals of Speech) as a Freshman, I was tasked with creating a PowerPoint presentation on something that I felt knowledgeable about. This was …

by Ashley Bertram “The key is to use something that is a mystery to you, and then follow it. And let it reveal itself without too much concern for solving that mystery.” — Rob Schiffmann on improv TO WRITE OR NOT TO WRITE Throughout a typical college career, various writing projects are sprinkled into our …

by Laura Carver In the last blogpost, we covered the basic format of a session, established the three commonalities I found among Writing Center sessions (atmosphere, collaboration, and principle), and discussed some of what the atmosphere is like during a session. I left you with the question of how you and/or the consultant tell each …

by Laura Carver My leg jiggled beneath the table as I waited anxiously for the writing tutor to sign on for the online session. I don’t need to be here, I thought, I’ve always been good at writing and have never needed to go to a tutor before. Why does the professor feel the need …

  by Xavier Neier “Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.” — William Faulkner The final project is due tonight. Two weeks have passed and your untitled “Document1” paper is still blank. Your only options are either to spend the next six …

  By LyNae Golder    Why should you schedule an appointment at the writing center?     There are several reasons why writers may not think to schedule an appointment with the University Writing Center (UWC). Former consultant, Hannah Hallock, shares some of the reasons in her blog post, “The Misconceptions of the University Writing Center …

By LyNae Golder    Do you want to schedule an appointment at the University Writing Center (UWC), but don’t know how? You’re in the perfect spot to find out.   At the UWC, our undergraduate, graduate, and faculty consultants provide a space that allows writers to discuss their writing and grow in their writing practices. Our …