Hello! My name is KJ, class of 2023, and I’m a Writing Center consultant, double-majoring in Art and Art History. I participate in Elonthon and am a member of the Colonnades Literary & Art Journal reading committee.
Here are my tips for making your writing more effective and enjoyable!
First of all, find something to connect to in your topic. The best writing comes from the heart! It’s harder to stay motivated and engaged when you lack interest in your topic. If possible, write about a subject you enjoy, so you don’t begin with a feeling of dread for the steps ahead. However, if not given the choice, flexibility and an open mind can go a long way. Try to find a personal connection or apply what you already know from other experiences.
How the Writing Center can help: we love to brainstorm! Make an appointment to bounce ideas and get excited about your work.
Secondly, create an outline of your ideas before jumping into writing. Preparing an outline has these benefits: Planning out your ideas can help you think more clearly. Outlining can help you keep track of your ideas. Where are you confident? Where might more research be beneficial? Outlining helps you make connections (from prior experiences) to your assignment. If a non-linear mind map is more your style, go for it! A tangible document with points you want to explore helps you avoid writer’s block. Then, when you start writing, if you feel tired of one element on your mind map, you can move on to the next to keep your thoughts rolling.
The Writing Center loves writing at any stage of the process. We can help you make an outline from scratch or reorganize a completed draft for clarity’s sake. We don’t mind how messy it is–we don’t judge.
It can help to consider your reader’s perspective. To come across as clearly as possible, establish who you are writing to. Consider tone: informal, formal, serious, humorous, etc. Provide examples to give the reader a better overall understanding. Explaining your ideas to a real audience can help you identify your key points. Writing to a real audience also helps you stay motivated and engaged.
In The Writing Center, we listen to you and jot down our understanding of your ideas, providing a reader’s perspective.
Finally, ensure that the points within your paragraphs align with each topic sentence. To stay on track, form a solid thesis statement. It might change as your thoughts develop, but even a working thesis provides valuable focus. Turn main points from your outline into topic sentences — these prime your audience for each section of information they are about to read. Lastly, make bullet points that support your topic sentences, and you should be rolling in no time. Have a rough draft but aren’t sure if your argument is clear? A great strategy for strengthening your paper’s structure is reverse outlining, which is preparing an outline of a paper that is already written.
Make an appointment with the Writing Center to work on a reverse outline or check out this post on reverse outlining to learn more.
Hello, my name is Olivia Eller! I am a Writing Center consultant, class of 2023, majoring in English Literature and Psychology with minors in Business Administration, Communications, and Neuroscience. I am also an Elon Honors Fellow and member of Live Oak Communications.
You are not alone if you have ever dreaded having to give a presentation, speak to a professor, or attend a job interview. You may be in the 75% of people with a fear of public speaking. However, writing clear and convincing presentations is a sure-fire way to distinguish yourself in the classroom or workplace as a leader and effective communicator. For students coming into the Writing Center, creating presentations is one of the most important and challenging skills to perfect. The art of writing for presentations can help students and professionals boost their confidence and improve their image. Much of the fear around speechmaking stems from a lack of confidence in writing skills and proficiency. When you know the rules and are adequately prepared, it is much easier to express yourself and impress the person on the other side of the PowerPoint slides.
Based on my experience consulting with presentations at Elon and in my previous Writing Center, I have selected my three fundamental tips on how to improve your presentation writing skills. My top tips are developed from Business Insider’s 15 Insights Into Giving A Great Presentations.
1. Know Your Audience
To plan for any speech or presentation, start by identifying the audience and what they want. Analyzing a piece of literature and explaining a complex data set may require radically different approaches to get your point across. It is essential to consider your relationship with the audience, their technical knowledge or prior experience with the subject matter, and what they hope to learn from your presentation. When you can pinpoint your audience’s perspective, you can plan for it as well.
2. Organize Your Narrative
Once you have established who the audience is and what they want, it is time to briefly and simply organize all thoughts or ideas. A professor may require a simple bulleted list of ideas or information, whereas a multimodal presentation would need multiple visual components. Here, it is vital to ask questions about the organization and flow. If you are working on a presentation for a chemistry class, how should your data be presented? What does the audience need to know before you reveal your conclusions? When you know what you want to say, it is easier to stay on track and anticipate audience reactions. It is vital to plan ahead of time, include all relevant information, and foresee as many questions as possible from the audience. The more you have prepared, the more confident you will be, improving confidence and reducing speaking anxiety.
3. Find a Magical Good Hook
An excellent public speaking encounter relies on the attention it gets. If your professor or peers are not listening or engaged, all of that preparation goes to waste. Being confident is a start, but establishing an engaging hook is even more valuable. The presentation should start with an acknowledgment of the audience’s problem or want. Does your professor need someone to work on an important project? Is your presentation expanding on ideas discussed by your peers in class? By identifying what they need, the audience will be much more likely to listen. At the same time, audience engagement is highest when the attendants do most of the talking and lowest when the presenter speaks the most. So make sure to spend time on questions and interactive participation.
If you can understand your audience’s needs, prepare accordingly, and keep the attention on your points, your presentations should improve markedly. Here at the Writing Center, we can help to narrow your audience, organize ideas, and create compelling hooks. Come see us in The Writing Center in Belk Library the next time you have to write for a presentation!
Sources:
https://www.businessinsider.com/things-to-know-before-giving-a-presentation-2015-1
I’m Lauren Jablon, I’m in Elon’s class of 2023. I’m a PWR and Spanish double-major with a minor in Italian Studies and am also an Elon College Fellow. Outside of academics, I’m involved in Club Tennis and the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Some of my passions include social justice, linguistics, and writing.
Whether you’re a first-year student or a graduate student, the language you employ in your writing carries tremendous weight. When used effectively, word choice and tone have the power to enact social change and to encourage civic engagement. They can be used for prevention and advocacy, especially among marginalized and under-represented groups. But when not paid close attention to and not addressed, our language has the potential to perpetuate oppression, unintentional racism, and implicit prejudice. Not only does our language have the ability to oppress and hurt people, but our silence when it comes to correcting our language is complicity. It allows an unjust system full of inequality and wrongful stereotypes to prevail.
Many students visiting The Writing Center are not aware of their language’s relationship with social justice. They do not always recognize the weight of their words. However, Writing Center consultants can help students uphold the highest standards in their writing and they can do so by constantly emulating and stressing the importance of non-oppressive language in writing. As a Writing Center consultant, my role in creating a more compassionate and empathetic environment is vital. Not only are consultants responsible for celebrating diversity, whether that be in terms of background, language, thought, or accents, but we are responsible for helping students perform acts of critical empathy.
Some strategies that Writing Center consultants utilize to embrace social justice in their sessions are as follows:
- Stressing the importance of gender-neutral pronouns in writing.
- Emphasizing that students visiting the WC are not supposed to fit a specific mold; differences in writing styles, languages, accents, and backgrounds are all embraced.
- Listening to affirm intersectional identities and empower writers.
- Inquiring indirectly and appropriately about the student’s background (in an effort to better understand where they are coming from).
- Discussing the implications of students’ language in an effort to educate on the deeper meanings behind their word choice.
By using these strategies, Writing Center consultants can ensure that they are offering both a critical and physical space to build on knowledge, confront personal biases, and further address systemic discrimination. These simple tips have the power to ensure that Writing Centers are more inclusive, more accepting, and more welcoming for all students, no matter their race, religion, gender, sexuality, or socioeconomic status. Moreover, by choosing to address these problems head-on, both tutors and tutees can work to embrace the value of language and vulnerability, changing the dynamic of WC’s once and for all and making this environment comfortable for everyone. If you want to read more about how to make your writing more inclusive, check these resources:
Works Cited:
“Gender-Inclusive Language.” The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 13 May 2020, writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/gender-inclusive-language/.
Hammond, Jennifer. “Writing Centers as Spaces for Dialogue about Social Justice.” Praxis, 6 Feb. 2018, www.praxisuwc.com/praxis-blog/writing-centers-as-spaces-for-social-justice-dialogue.
“Social Justice in the Writing Center.” The Peer Review, 16 Feb. 2018, thepeerreview-iwca.org/issues/braver-spaces/social-justice-in-the-writing-center/.
Hi there! I’m Morgan Bassett, a member of the Elon class of 2023! I’m majoring in Professional Writing and Rhetoric and I work on-campus as a Writing Center consultant. I’m also a member of the Phi Alpha Delta and Phi Eta Sigma chapters at Elon.
How to Write Collaboratively: Do’s and Don’ts
Collaborative writing projects are widely used throughout academic and corporate worlds. While some students fear the collaborative project, mastering it will help you learn efficient ways to work with peers. In a typical semester, I’m assigned 4 or 5 collaborative writing projects. I’ve also assisted with brainstorming and researching additional projects while working as a Writing Center consultant. So, I truly understand the challenges of collaborative writing projects, but also their benefits when executed well.
Drawing from my own experiences and the expertise of the Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, I’ve compiled a list of do’s and don’ts when completing collaborative projects.
Do’s
1. Start working on your collaborative project ASAP.
Even before brainstorming and writing begins on your project, you’ll need to reach out to your group members. I recommend doing this a day or two after the project’s been assigned, so other members can check their schedules and prepare for work. By starting the project sooner than later, you’ll feel less stressed about the deadline and have more time to thoroughly revise.
2. Agree on an easy and efficient way to share your work.
Most students will already have access to a Google Doc/Google Slides account, which allows multiple people to work on a project simultaneously. These platforms also save your work automatically, even if every group member happens to be working at the same time. Another way to share work within your group is through Dropbox. You can share up to 2GB of files and the account can be accessed on multiple computers. This platform is effective for combining respective files into one location, allowing for organization and accessibility.
3. Maintain a positive attitude during the project.
It can be frustrating to work with multiple group members on a project: you might disagree with a member or have difficulty getting in contact. However, bringing a positive mindset to your work will make the process more enjoyable. Collaborating with others will help you learn how to connect different styles of writing into one cohesive project. It also exposes you to a common workplace scenario: you won’t always connect with co-workers, but you need to figure out how to collaborate as a group. So, maintain a positive attitude for a good relationship between the group and a successful project.
Don’ts
1. Avoid doing all the work on a group project.
While it may be tempting to complete the project on your own, I never recommend taking this approach. Remember that your professor has required each member of the group to participate and work together. If you are fighting the urge to take over the entire project, talk to the group first about potential alternative solutions. If there are still lingering concerns after group communication, email your professor for some guidance on how to proceed.
2. Refrain from entirely negative critiques of your peer’s writing.
Collaborative writing requires reviewing other group members’ work. You won’t always agree with a sentence they write or an idea they include, but always try to include praise along with suggestions for improvement. That way, the member does not think all their work needs to change and they’ll be more receptive to your feedback. Before giving feedback, I always ask myself how I would feel on the receiving end of it. If it isn’t constructive or might upset me, I rephrase it or focus on an aspect that needs immediate change.
3. Avoid a group slacker with frequent deadlines and strong communication skills.
Group projects can become challenging if one (or more) group members aren’t pulling their weight. One solution is to set mini deadlines during the course of the project. This way, one member cannot avoid the work or miss multiple deadlines without group intervention. It might be helpful to assign one group member as the project manager, who will remind all members of upcoming deadlines and communicate with those that aren’t submitting on time. It’s crucial to have strong communication within the group as well. I recommend holding several meetings to assign mini deadlines and discuss expectations for the project–Zoom, Facetime, or MS Teams makes group meetings easier than ever before. If the project workload is clear and organized, there’s no excuse for a slacker to emerge or continue their behavior.
Looking for additional guidance?
If you’re currently working on a collaborative project and need some guidance, schedule an online appointment with me or one of my colleagues at Elon’s Writing Center. We are able to assist your group in any stage of the project, from initial brainstorming to final revisions.
If you’re looking for general information about collaborative projects or other writing assignments, check out The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill’s page of tips and tools. Their linked articles can answer any lingering questions you might have.
Bonjour! I’m Catherine Philips. I’m a Writing Center consultant, the class of 2022, majoring in Creative Writing and minoring in French and History. I’m also available to consult with you on papers written in French! Viens me voir!
Whether you’re in your first-ever Creative Writing class, a senior putting together a portfolio, or you write just for fun, the Writing Center can be an amazing resource to polish your favorite pieces. If you’ve ever debated whether or not to schedule a consultation for your piece of creative writing, here are some reasons why you definitely should.
1. Creative writing needs the same TLC as academic writing
Just like any kind of writing, a creative writer’s most important tools are things like clarity, voice, tone, and pacing–these help make writing stronger. Writing Center consultants are trained to look for all of these things and can help you polish a short story or elevate a poem. Consultants are also trained for situations in which your writing feels “stuck” (also known as writer’s block). They can help you generate ideas, help outline a piece that you just can’t get started, or help you strategize other ways to look at the piece you’re working on.
2. Consultants are here to help, not to judge
If you’re worried that your Writing Center consultant will do nothing but tell you that your writing is terrible or that they’ll spend the whole session pointing out flaws, stop worrying. A Writing Center consultant isn’t a professor. They’re not here to give out grades – they’re here to help and encourage you. A Writing Center session is always a judgment-free zone. Consultants come to work in the Writing Center because they are passionate about writing and want students to leave sessions feeling empowered to do their best work.
3. Consultants are avid readers (and sometimes writers!) of creative writing
In one of the first sessions I observed during my training, a student brought in a poem. The consultant on shift told me later that she loved when students brought in creative writing because each piece is so unique and interesting. Often, even if Writing Center consultants aren’t creative writers themselves, they love to read poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, and they love it even more when students bring those kinds of pieces to the Writing Center.
4. The Writing Center can give you a different perspective to student workshops
Creative Writing classes at Elon often focus on student workshops in which the whole class or a smaller group of students read a piece and give feedback. But workshop sessions usually focus on story structure, character, or other higher-order concerns. A session in the Writing Center can do both: focus on all these things and address lower-order concerns like sentence structure or word choice — things that a student workshop might not have time for. Plus, you can meet with a consultant before you even submit your piece. Really, it’s a win for everyone.
I became a Creative Writing major and now a Writing Center consultant because I love to write and because I love seeing the progression of a poem, story, or essay from first draft to final product. Consultants are a valuable tool to help you fight off writer’s block, generate ideas, and polish a draft. The Writing Center is always here for you, and we can’t wait to help.
Hi, I’m Bridget Foehl. I’m a Writing Center consultant, the class of 2022, majoring in Economics and minoring in Philosophy. I’m also a disciplinary writing consultant for an Econ 101 course.
As we get started on our fall 2020 classes, many of our classes will have more online components than before as we strive to stay safe and physically distanced. It can be hard to stay motivated when we are working on online modules and at our own pace. In addition, uncertainty about what the future will look like, or whether the Covid-19 virus will spread, might impact our motivation. Such uncertainty might cause us to wonder “what’s the point?” You’re not lazy or a bad student for this drop in motivation; however, your coursework is still important and papers still have to be written.
I know what this is like; I experienced a drop in motivation in the spring when classes went online. I love writing, don’t get me wrong, but I struggled to stay driven. As a Writing Center consultant, I also observed a drop in students’ passion and drive for their writing. To help spark your motivation during these uncertain times, here are five tips that help me stay motivated and focused. I hope they work for you too!
1. Designate Time
Set aside a time everyday for creative thought and writing. What time are you more productive? First thing in the morning? Last thing before bed? Right after your morning workout? If there’s a time when writing will come more easily, make a date and show up on time.
2. Find a Quiet Writing Spot
Find a quiet place to work. Maybe it’s a nice day and you could go outside or you’d prefer a table in the corner. Your writing spot should make you feel comfortable and content. Once you have your spot, remove all distractions. You know what they are: power off your phone, turn off the TV, and mute laptop notifications. Clearing the space will give your mind a space to focus on writing.
3. Set Deadlines
It’s easy to push off writing when you feel that you have all the time in the world. Instead, try setting page goals and dates for your first and final drafts. The deadlines only work if you find a reason to believe in the importance of sticking to them. If you create a deadline, but you internally believe that it’s flexible, you won’t stay motivated by it. So find a reason that makes your deadline important. Care for your tomorrow self. When you’re tempted to extend your deadline, think of all the work you will have to do tomorrow if you skip today. You could also bribe yourself with a small reward to keep you motivated to meet your deadline goal.
4. Stay Connected
Formerly busy spaces on campus–like Belk Library and Moseley Center–will feel quieter than usual as everyone stays physically distant. It might feel hard to stay connected to friends, but it is even more important. Call a friend and discuss your topic or reach out to a professor to discuss your paper via WebEx, Facetime, or even the phone. You will be able to bounce ideas off one another and use that person as an accountability buddy.
5. Think of your “Why”
I know you may not like the topic you are writing on or feel that there’s no point, but remind yourself why you care to write the paper and why you want to succeed. Maybe it’s because you want to improve your writing or you have plans to attend graduate school or you genuinely care about the topic. Thinking of the “why” will keep you hopeful and prepare you for when we do return to our normal lives.
I hope those tips help jump-start your process! And remember, the Elon Writing Center is available for both online and in-person consultations at any point in your process!
Hi, I’m Aidan Melinson. I’m a Writing Center consultant, class of 2023, majoring in Creative Writing and minoring in Professional Writing Studies. I’m also an Elon College Fellow.
Sometimes, when I am required to do something, I immediately want to do that thing less, even if it’s something I want to do or had already planned to do like a household chore. It’s even worse if it’s something I didn’t want to do from the start.
The Writing Center is not immune to this aversion. Occasionally you might be required to attend a Writing Center appointment even if you think you don’t want or need to.
While there are reasons why you might oppose required Writing Center visits, they are times when they will happen, just like there are times when you are required to complete a writing assignment. So, I’m here to talk about how to make the best of this situation and to get the most out of it.
We Understand
There could be a few reasons why a Writing Center session might be required. Maybe the professor has offered some needed extra credit for a visit, or maybe the whole class is required to bring in the assignment.
As a student, I have been in both situations. Although initially I was not looking forward to my Writing Center appointments, by the time they were finished I felt better about the assignment and my standing in the class.
When the session started, I admit I was fairly distant; I just wanted to walk in and have the time skip to when I was done with the session and walking out. The consultant could tell I wasn’t fully engaged. She empathized with having to do something I didn’t want to, but she said we should still try to get work done.
We decided that if I had to be there, we may as well make use of the time instead of just sitting around awkwardly. Even though I initially did not want to be there, engaging with the consultant really improved my paper when it was worked on with a fresh set of eyes.
How to Make the Most of a Required Appointment
There are a few different ways you can both make the most of a required appointment:
- First of all, remember that your consultant is a student too: they will empathize with your situation, perhaps acknowledging any reluctance you might feel in attending a required visit. They won’t judge you for feeling reluctant, either; they will understand your hesitation.
- As a Writing Center client, try and meet the consultant halfway. It can be difficult to engage when you feel disinterested, but doing so is definitely worth the effort. If your topic is something you’re interested in, talking about your ideas can help you invest in the session as well help you feel more motivated to continue to work on the paper or project.
- Taking a break during the session to talk about something unrelated to the paper or assignment to get to know your consultant is also a good strategy for engaging in the appointment. It’s a lot easier to put in the effort when the consultant is no longer a total stranger, so spending a few minutes in the beginning of the session to get to know each other can go a long way.
Once I decided to make the most of my appointment using these strategies, I found the time moved by much faster than when I had been disengaged. In addition to making the appointment move more quickly, I left the session feeling more confident in my writing and better prepared to submit it with the suggestions and feedback I had received.
No one likes being made to do something. But even if you have to be at the Writing Center, talking with a trained peer in the Center is always an invaluable tool if you’re willing to let it help. So even if the session is required, why not make the most of it?
Reference
Muriel Harris. (2000). “Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers.” A Tutor’s Guide: Helping Writers One to One.
Hi, I’m Alicia Canton. I’m a Writing Center consultant, class of 2023, majoring in Policy Studies and minoring in African and African-American Studies. I’m also an Elon College Fellow.
When it comes to writing papers for class, I have found that most difficult assignments are the ones that are open-ended. Sure, it’s nice to have the freedom to write about a topic of my choice, but when I’m juggling the work of other classes, it’s much easier to answer a specific prompt.
Nonetheless, we will all continue to get assignments where we are responsible for coming up with the topic. Generating ideas is something I often have trouble with as a writer, but thankfully UNC Chapel Hill’s Writing Center offers brilliant brainstorming techniques and advice for practically any other obstacle a student writer might face. Here are some suggestions from their website.
First Steps
Before you even think about starting your assignment, you should always make sure you understand the instructions. How many times have you found yourself realizing right as you turn in an assignment that you completely misread part of the rubric or forgot to include a crucial element?
It can be tempting to skim through the rubric once and feel like you “got it,” but if you want to avoid this predicament in the future, try analyzing the rubric as soon as you get it. Here are some notes from UNC.
- Read the Instructions. Even if your professor thoroughly described the assignment in class, read the instructions on your own word for word. If something confuses you, reach out to your professor with questions.
- Annotate the Assignment. Underline and circle key verbs like summarize, compare, or synthesize that give guidance on how to format your paper, and adjectives like concise or persuasive that describe the stylistic expectations.
Looking at the rubric might sound like useless advice when the problem is that you can’t come up with ideas. However, when you have clearer expectations for what the end product should look like, it can be easier to get started. If anything, analyzing your rubric is much more productive than simply staring at a blank screen. If you want to see this process in action, check out this video.
Free Writing
Free writing is exactly what it sounds like: simply writing down every thought that pops into your head. If you’re worried about wasting time, set a timer for 15-20 minutes. Turn off your internal critic and forget about grammar, spelling, legibility, and cohesion. Just write.
Obviously your free-write will be nowhere near fit to turn in, but that’s not the point. Writing out the thoughts and ideas bouncing around in your head helps you articulate them in a way that can better translate to a rough draft.
Mind Mapping
Mind mapping and webbing are visual techniques that can help you put your thoughts down on paper. Here is how you do it:
Find a blank, line-free sheet of paper. At school, I’ll usually grab some paper from a printer or use the back of an old assignment. In the center of your paper, write the main idea. This might be the topic of the assignment, for example, “The Civil War. ”Jot down some ideas. Branching off from the central point, spend 5-7 minutes writing down some key ideas, phrases, and questions. Find connections. Once your time is up, draw lines connecting related ideas.
To see this process in action, check out this video from UNC.
Ask for help
If you’re still having trouble generating ideas on your own, try bouncing ideas off a friend, a classmate, or a peer at Elon’s Writing Center. Here at The Writing Center, we are trained to help you with brainstorming and any other writing concerns you may have.
Additional References
“Brainstorming.” The Writing Center, writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/brainstorming.