We take writing seriously!

(from the Poly Writing Center Supervisor when she was three)

So should you.

Stick out like a dead rat?

Do your writing issues stick out like a dead rat? Even if they don't, the writing center will be able to help—not just in writing. We can help you brainstorm and plan for assignments in the future to help you become more organized. Please stop by, and give us a try.

COMMAS: Save Lives

After such a long summer break, we all are probably a bit rusty in getting back into the swing of school and writing. Grammar and punctuation rules are probably lost somewhere in the back of our brains covered in cobwebs that we’re not all too keen to clear off. While some of the comma rules can be a bit confusing sometimes, there are some basic ones that we should try to remember to…save lives of course!

We have uploaded many of our handouts from the Writing Center to our website online (http://studentsuccess.asu.edu/resources/students).  Our worksheet on commas (and other lovely punctuation) can be found here: http://studentsuccess.asu.edu/sites/default/files/Punctuation.pdf

Happy writing, ASU!

Getting It Done

For me and many of my fellow tutors, this semester is largely devoted to writing our senior honors theses. A thesis requires a great deal of reading and writing, and above all, concentration.  However, as any student knows, writing for long periods of time almost encourages the mind to wander, obliterating necessary concentration and precluding the furthering of the project. It is so easy to distract oneself when the machine we use to work is also the machine we use to play.  If only there were a program that facilitated concentration! Oh, wait...

I have found two (free!) writing programs that expediate the act of writing and eliminate the careless wandering of the mind.  The first, Written Kitten (writtenkitten.net) prompts the writer to set a word goal and encourages her to complete it through the dispense of kitten pictures at milestones.  Written Kitten is very much a reward-oriented program; it provides motivation through the writer's desire for more cuteness.  The other program, Write or Die (writeordie.com), takes the complete opposite tact: the writer sets a word goal, and the program proffers recpercussions if the writer dawdles or strays from the goal.  The repercussions range from annoying to disturbing--the program even begins to delete your words if you pause for too long. 

I have used both programs, and both have been successful in prompting me to complete writing projects from discussion board posts to thesis chapters. You should try them out for your next writing project!

Draw Every Day

Several months ago I attended a presentation at my church where a professional artist spoke about recent illustrations he made on commission for fantasy card games Magic: The Gathering and World of Warcraft. His imaginative depictions included a wide spectrum of stout, bearded dwarves, white-eyed, tangle-haired witches, and delicate green water pixies, just to name a few. Each drawing was breathtaking and carried an impressive degree of “epicness.” Appropriate to the church setting, though, the artist went on to showcase the most recent work he had been involved with: Christian artwork that depicted biblical scenes from the life of Jesus Christ. These images were equally impressive, but of course were for a different purpose and a different message. This was certainly a talented, diverse artist.

I am not an illustrator, so I surprised myself a bit when I raised my hand in the Q&A portion of the presentation to ask: “What advice would you have to aspiring illustrators wishing to make a profession of their talent like you have?” I suppose in asking I felt that it was a question someone in the audience might benefit from, but I also hoped to harvest a bit of advice that I could apply to my own ambitions. Assuming I was the “aspiring illustrator” I referred to in my question, he gave me a simple answer:

“Draw every day.”

It was so simple and so applicable. So what does this have to do with writing or being a writing tutor? If you want to improve on something, do it every day. It doesn’t have to take a huge chunk out of your daily schedule. It just has to be regular. If you want to draw well, draw every day. If you want to sing well, sing every day. If you want to write well, write (and read good writing) every day. The “what” may not always be so cut and dry, but the “when” is crystal clear:

Every day.

Writing, from the perspective of a Poly gal

I find that the older I get, the less capable I am of speaking. More often than not, I must sit down and write about what I want to say before I head to a meeting, have a conference with one of my staff members, or plan what I have to complete by the end of the week.

Well, you must think, you’re pretty old if you have to do all that just to speak. Unfortunately, that is far from being true.

Writing is how I manage to convey anything that I hold in my head. I remember being in the 10^th grade and being tasked by my English teacher to rewrite William Carlos Williams’ “The Red Wheelbarrow” poem about something I could not live without. I don’t quite remember how I wrote the poem, but I do know it was about pen and paper, and the secret conversations I had with the inkblots smudged against a page or my hands.

Not everyone is passionate about writing, and that’s okay. Luckily, the writing center houses tutors who are passionate about writing (at least that’s what I hope), and who can help you in the writing process and hone the skills you need to be confident when you write. We’re not that intimidating, and most of us don’t bite. Maybe most importantly, we’re always happy to see new faces.

Stop by, even if it’s just to talk. You could even ask me how writing got me kicked out of prison.

And, to carry on with the cat theme:

Many Faces from Many Places

You might think all of our writing tutors are studying English literature. Think again! Nicole is studying biology here at ASU. She brought one of her tools into the center today.  It's a butterfly net she is using to catch bugs for her entomology project!