The University Writing Center welcomes all kinds of writing, no matter what stage it’s in. Our consultants work with writers to set an agenda, and they provide feedback to writers according to the shared agenda. Our goal is to help you improve your writing process, which means that we will talk to you not only about ways to further develop the writing you bring in, but also how to apply these concepts to your future writing projects.
The consultant will usually start by setting an agenda: you will be asked to share your project’s purpose and audience as well as any concerns you may have about your writing project or process. The session will follow the agenda; for example, If you are revising a draft, this is where we will read all or part of it aloud, depending on the length of the project.
We encourage reading drafts aloud, so your consultant will ask if you would like to read or if you’d like to follow along while they read, so that you can hear how it sounds to someone who has never seen it before. Listening to your consultant read your paper will help you understand how potential readers might interpret your work, and it often leads to discovering issues with the draft you would not otherwise have noticed.
You are encouraged to take notes as your consultant works with you, but consultants usually refrain from marking on your paper (remember; they won’t copyedit).
Your consultant will reserve the final 15 minutes of the session to review how you followed your agenda and to ask if you have any remaining questions. Then, the consultant will ask you to write brief reflections about what was most helpful in the session and what your revision plans are.
Your consultant’s notes and your responses will be recorded in a Client Report Form, which your consultant will email to you as well as to your instructor (but only if you ask for it to be sent to your instructor–and please note that they will need your instructor’s email address if you want the form sent to your instructor).
Finally, we’ll ask you to complete a very brief survey about your experience at the University Writing Center, and–if requested–your consultant can help you schedule your next appointment.
Writers may schedule sessions using our online scheduling system.
