Marian E. Wright Writing Center

Congratulations go out to Roger Austin, one of our Marian E. Wright Writing Center tutors! Roger was accepted into the PhD program in Rhetoric and Composition at Georgia State University in Atlanta. This fall he intends to focus his studies in writing center theory and first year or developmental composition. He and his wife plan to move to Georgia sometime this summer, but he’s still here, in our writing center for the spring semester. Roger has not only been a fantastic tutor, but a mentor, and important member of the writing center staff, taking on many great projects, including overseeing the online tutoring program for the DNP students. Roger has been a valued tutor, and we are really going to miss him. Please stop by the writing center and congratulate Roger and wish him well.

Appointments at the Marian E. Wright writing center are primarily set up between thirty minute and one hour appointments.  It is important to note that the guidelines regarding these two types of appointments are based on the length of the paper that will be discussed. It is suggested that students make appointments of 30 minutes long when the paper is fewer than 5 pages long and make an hour appointment for papers between 5 and 10 pages long.

What is often forgotten is that a paper that is 4 pages long and double-spaced has half the information that a paper of the same length with single spacing consists of.  It is vital for students to understand that the guidelines for setting appointments are based on double spaced papers. If someone has a 4 paged single spaced paper then they need to book a one hour appointment because if it was double spaced it would cover about 8 pages.

Just keep this in mind when booking appointments!

“If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?”  -Eihei Dōgen

I recently immersed myself in the craft of shaving with a nineteenth-century straight razor. It’s an interesting journey for sure, and the benefits are numerous. There are no more nicks and scratches, it saves money, it’s better for the environment (no waste besides soap and water!), I feel connected to the past, and it makes me feel downright manly. Most importantly, the intricate techniques involved force me to slow down and consider every delicate move I make. It certainly isn’t a process to be rushed; to achieve perfection and avoid giving myself a few extra smiles, I must set aside time each morning specifically for this enjoyable and meditative ritual.
Like using this venerable shaving method, learning to develop our writing talents requires setting time aside explicitly for the tasks at hand. Many writers have the tendency to procrastinate (including me!), and it can be difficult allocating time out of our day specifically for writing. Some of us even fall into the habit of needing the pressure in order to create something. However, if we start small- say, fifteen minutes each morning- learning to make writing part of our cluttered schedules will have immeasurable benefits to the craft and product. When your mind isn’t trying to simultaneously cook dinner, watch television, and worry about the doom of an impending deadline, you become absolutely free to generate ideas and improve your writing ability. Before you know it, you’ll be crafting mellifluous prose and penning one-liners sharp enough to make a razor blush.

It’s that time of year again: Time to submit scholarship and admission applications! This is always a frustrating time for students, because there are so many extras involved in the application process. Asking for recommendation letters, writing essays, and composing the ever-ambiguous purpose statement can lead to what I like to call “application freak-out.” Application freak-out can be seen in students who email their professors 40 times a week to check on the status of their recommendation letters, who develop carpal tunnel syndrome from writing and re-writing essays, and who come into the Writing Center completely stumped about what scholarship/admission boards are looking for in their purpose statements. The good news is that we can help with your essays and purpose statements. Here are some general tips

1. Do your research about the program or scholarship you’re applying for. If you’re applying for the Jane Doe Scholarship, it’s helpful to know who Jane Doe is or was, and what qualities the recipient of the award should possess. Likewise, you may find it helpful to research the academic institution you’re applying to. What are the qualities they value in students? How diverse is the campus? What kind of work have the professors in your future department done? Incorporating this information into your essay or purpose statement shows that you’re serious about this particular scholarship or program you’re applying for, and personalizes your submission so it doesn’t seem like you’re sending the same thing to many places (even if you are, and simply change the relevant information).

 
2. Many people find it difficult to “brag” about their accomplishments. Modesty is a great quality to possess, but in essays and purpose statements, it is more important to stand out from the rest of the applicants. Why should you receive this scholarship or be admitted to this program instead of someone else? The majority of the applicants are going to say that they are hard workers. However, if you’re a hard worker, your accomplishments will show it. Instead of saying, “I’m a hard worker,” say, “I worked three jobs, was the president of the Garden Club, and maintained a 4.0 grade point average.” Be careful not to go overboard, though—Stick to the facts you can back up with evidence, not magnanimous claims about your awesomeness (even if they’re true).

 
3. Another thing to think about when writing scholarship essays and purpose statements is your personal experience. What life lessons have you learned from your academic endeavors? For example, “College has taught me that I possess strong leadership skills.” Don’t limit yourself to academics: What motivated you to seek a degree in your particular field? For example, “Having a family member with special needs motivated me to become a nursing student.” You’re looking for a “hook” that ties your accomplishments and experience together to make a memorable impression on your readers. However, be careful about including too much unsolicited personal information, such as graphic details about your checkered past as a Go-Go dancer.

Scholarship essays and purpose statements are serious undertakings. With these pieces of writing, you are marketing yourself in a favorable light to people you may not ever meet, and most likely won’t get feedback from. Think about the image you want to convey, and how you can make your application stand out from the crowd in a good way. And, of course, bring your drafts into the Writing Center to get constructive feedback from an objective audience before you send your completed application off into the world on its own.

As tutors we often hear students’ frustrations about not being able to have enough to write about for writing assignments. If this is a problem for you, the first thing you might want to try is reading. This might not be the best time to pick up the latest vampire series, though. Try reading something from one of the many library databases that our wonderful Thompson Library has to offer. You can do it right from home if you choose. Instead of using Google, try a database in the field of which you are writing. Reading scholarly journals helps to become familiar with the academic voice. Often our favorite books or websites are written in a less formal style than is expected for academic writing. Scholarly journals might not offer the same thrill, but you’ll be reading material that generates ideas and that’s what will help you add content that counts to your paper.

While you’re reading, pay attention to how the paper is structured, the terminology, and think about the intended audience. Eventually, you will be writing more papers with these characteristics as you move into your major studies. Assume the persona of an author in your field and imagine yourself in your dream job, writing for students like yourself who are aspiring to work in the field you’ve chosen. Of course, this is just an exercise, but eventually you may be writing articles for future students, so try out the mindset while you are still a student yourself, with professors around to guide you.
And don’t forget, the Marion E. Wright Writing Center tutors are here to help as well. Check out our website to make an appointment. Hope to see you there!

Usually you’ll hear that the writing center sees two main types of appointments: 30 minute sessions for papers 5 pages or less, or 1 hour sessions for papers 6-10 pages. What you may not know is that we do see students who need to work on longer projects. These big papers can benefit just as much from a visit to the writing center.

The biggest challenge writers can face is simply starting a project. The feeling in the moment you actually begin typing can be intimidating, like you’re committing to something and there’s no going back. This can also affect smaller projects, of course, but the stakes can feel higher when you’re facing down a 15 page research project that counts for 40% of your course grade, or when you’re undertaking 30+ pages for your graduate thesis. Sometimes visiting the writing center before you begin writing can be especially helpful. A tutor can help you organize all the half-formed, unfinished, and disorganized plans that don’t make sense to you at the beginning of a project.

Of course, a tutor is just as glad to work with you at any point in the process, whether you have 0, 10, or 40 pages. We’re here to help you strip away unnecessary bits, ferret out clearer meanings in what you keep, reorganize how you present your work, or anything else you think you may need. Since we do 1 hour appointments as our longest, it’s best to plan ahead as far as you can and arrange for multiple sessions across several days or weeks. Just tell the tutor scheduling your appointment about your project’s scope, and they’ll work with your schedule to find multiple slots with the same tutor. Together, a little bit at a time, the writing center can help you tame even the biggest, most intimidating writing projects.

Have you ever had a brilliant idea, but when it came time to write it down couldn’t remember what it was? I had that happen recently. It was coming up for my turn to write a blog post for the Writing Center, and I came up with something that I thought would be a great idea to talk about, but for whatever reason: no pencil, no paper, or more likely, pure procrastination and the arrogance to think, “I won’t forget,” I didn’t write it down, and then it was gone. I tried to blame age—I’ve heard as you get closer to 40 your memory starts to go…Now who was it that said that? Hmmm. Anyway, the truth is, great ideas that pop into our head aren’t likely to be stored in our long term memory, regardless of age. They are fleeting little birds that tweet in our ears, and if we aren’t quick to catch them and record them in some way, they fly off to tweet in someone else’s ear—at least that’s my bird theory, which I probably heard from someone else, but again, I can’t remember.

The funny thing is, even though I still don’t recall what that brilliant idea was, it prompted an even better one, the title of this blog. It came about when I was talking with a friend, and he asked me what I was going to blog about, and that’s when I realized, I’d lost my bird. I couldn’t remember my idea, but I could remember that I was excited about it. Irked, I stewed for a moment trying to recall what it was when it hit me that maybe an even better idea was to blog about lost ideas. Bingo! I had a new idea to work with, and this time, I captured my wily, little chirping bird, and put him on paper. I realized there are two great lessons about writing to be learned here. First, if you get a great idea, write it down as soon as possible, and jot down any other ideas that may come with it. However, the second is, if you do find yourself with a runaway bird; don’t get too discouraged because it may prompt something else even better. Part of the fun of writing is the excitement of exploring new possibilities, and sometimes they happen as a result of lost ideas or even wrong turns.

Many times when we do a research project for a class, we are asked to present our findings to our peers. From experience I know the idea of getting up and presenting your findings to your peers can be intimidating enough without the added pressure of creating a PowerPoint. Over time I have learned different ‘rules of thumb’ to help with creating PowerPoints, and would like to share them.

One of the main things that can be a stumbling block for presenters is putting too much information on their PowerPoint slides such as complete sentences and paragraphs. This can seem helpful to some presenters who are afraid of forgetting vital information during their presentation. What often happens in this case is they ‘choke’ because it is easy for presenters to lose their place. Another thing that can happen is the audience will be reading the slides instead of listening to the presenter, thus increasing the chances of the audience becoming disinterested and zoning out. When you are making a PowerPoint it is not necessary to put everything on the slides. A useful technique for making a PowerPoint is to include the main points and supporting evidence as bullet points. This method allows the audience to stay focused on the presenter, and provides fewer chances for the presenter to get lost. In addition, this putting the main points and supporting evidence as bullet points will emphasize what is important without the additional ‘fluff’.

A second aspect of creating a PowerPoint that can be distracting for the audience is the design used by the presenter. First is the background. When making a PowerPoint, choose a background that will be easy on the eyes. If the background is too dark or bright the audience may not be able to see what is on the slides. If you are unsure if the background is too bright or dark, step back from the monitor as see how it affects your eyes. Secondly, pay attention to the font size and style. After a slide has been created with the chosen background and font step away from the monitor again and see how hard it is to read. Thirdly, if you’re using graphics, make sure they are appropriate for the topic being discussed. Graphics can be useful for reemphasizing the main points of the research, but it is important for the graphics to be related to the topic, easy to understand, and not the center of the presentation.

While many college graduates, myself included, would love to sit at home in comfy pajama pants while playing Angry Birds or doing something else of minimal importance, it is at this point in our lives that we realize we could be doing something more meaningful or productive with our time. When you reach the end of your college career and you are thrown out into the real world so-to-speak, where do you even start?

I have found that one of the most difficult obstacles to tackle after college is how to prepare an impressive resume, something that would help me land the perfect job in my field of study. It’s important to take a couple pointers that you can easily remember while crafting your resume. This website has some excellent tips for how to write a great resume. Here are just a couple tips that have helped me immensely with my own resume:

1)      Less is more – you don’t want to make your future employer think you are going to be too detailed or too long-winded. Only offer information that will be helpful to attaining the position you would prefer.

2)      Spell Check – make sure all words are spelled correctly. It is always a good idea to get a second or third opinion on your resume because this is such an important piece of information about you. We here at the M.E.W. Writing Center would love to help you in molding your resume.

3)      Editing – remember your life experiences will change so don’t forget to update your resume at least once every 6 months. You never know when you may change an e-mail address, a phone number, or maybe even your home address.

4)      Have fun – remember to add little details to your resume that will help you stand out among all the others. In today’s day and age, it is becoming more and more difficult to find a job so it’s important to add little details such as volunteer work you’ve done, clubs you were a part of, or maybe even making the Dean’s List.

When you use these tips and others, you will have a successful start to your professional career. It is sometimes difficult to make the transition from college to career and the Writing Center wants to make sure you are highly successful in all you do. Feel free to stop by or set up an appointment so we can offer feedback for your resume.

Welcome back!  We’re gearing up for a new semester of reading, writing, and speaking. Here are the services you can check out at the Writing Center this semester:

• Tutoring for writing and public speaking
• Online tutoring for writing (available for online classes)
• Resources to help with MLA, APA, and other types of citations
• Weekly tutoring sessions through two classes, ENG 109 and 110
• Tips, links, and randomness through our Facebook page
• Tips, suggestions, and experience from tutors through our blog
• Resources and services for faculty and classes