by Tanner Bailey, Peer Consultant, University Writing Center

A common misconception around campus is that the writing center is solely for academic writing. While you will find your average session to be centered around a piece of academic writing, all of our consultants are perfectly equipped to handle creative pieces as well! These pieces can be for professional, academic, or personal purposes, so feel free to bring in any piece you feel could use some feedback or fine-tuning. And let’s be honest, from one writer to another, pieces are never finished, only abandoned. All of our consultants share a passion for reading and writing, so never feel bashful about bringing in a poem, short story, or perhaps even an excerpt from that novel you’ve been working on!

My interest for creative writing is rooted in poetry. I was inspired to write creatively after I took a creative writing class in high school and discovered that I had a natural talent for it! That experience really goes to show that the academic world bleeds over into the personal, and barriers aren’t as rigid as we often think there are. An important principle for writing, especially creatively, arose from that class: “Feedback is golden, and feedback is necessary.” As a member of the university, you have access to the writing center which is an incredible tool for getting feedback on your work; what is going well, and what might need some improvement?

So come one, come all! The writing center is eagerly waiting to help build upon your creative outlets! Feedback and commentary are the nerve networks of the creative body. They carry the invaluable messages to all parts of the piece, making sure that everything flows and is in agreement with each other. Without communication, the body will fail to function. Similarly, without constructive criticism, your piece might just be overlooking small, yet significant things that make the difference between a good piece and one that makes you sit down and rethink life once you’re finished reading it.

So start your quest to greatness on the right foot. Come to your local university writing resource and get some feedback today!