Writing Tips To Make Your Writing More Effective & Enjoyable
It’s harder to stay motivated and engaged when you lack interest in your topic. Here are 4 tips to help you get interested in your writing and to stay on task!
Read MoreBeyond Spellcheck: How to Self-Revise a First Draft in a Time Crunch
Hi! My name is Zoë Rein and I’m a junior majoring in English with Teacher Licensure and Math with a minor in TESOL. Outside of The Writing Center, I’m an Honors Fellow doing research on writing and a director of Alternative Breaks!What is the last thing I feel like doing after writing my first draft? Writing the next one. Going through the process of reading confusingly organized paragraphs, half-formulated ideas, and repetitive sentence structures is uncomfortable and painful. Sometimes, I think to myself that the first draft is “good enough,” and I can turn it in as is. Especially during those late nights or last-minute moments where The Writing Center and my friends are all asleep, it becomes easier to turn away and condemn the paper to its unrevised stage. Yet, that early draft stage won’t pack as much of a punch as a well-organized, thought-out, and properly designed paper….
Read MoreConsidering Audience When Writing
Hi! My name is Caroline Murphy and I’m an English major with a concentration in education with a minor in TESOL. I’m a member of class of 2024 and work as a consultant in the Writing Center. There’s a lot to consider when beginning the process of writing, whether you’re writing for an assignment or your own enjoyment. When starting to write, one question that’s important to ask yourself is: “Who am I writing for?” The person or group of people you expect to read your work, and therefore who you’re writing for, is your audience. In this blog, I’ll be discussing some helpful tips for how you can consciously consider your audience while writing. The easiest audience to identify is yourself. Whether you’re journaling, making a to-do list, or doing other personal writing, you’re your own audience. However, if you’re writing for another person or group of people, you…
Read MorePassive vs. Active Voice
Hi, I’m Ellie Banfield, a class of 2024 Writing Consultant. I’m majoring in English Literature, and I have experience with blogging, creative writing, and professional writing. Have you ever been told to change your writing from passive to active? I know I have, and I also know this can be a frustrating comment to receive if you aren’t sure what the difference is between passive and active voice. If you can relate to this, then you’ve come to the right place. This post will discuss the differences between active and passive voice, and help you avoid confusion in your own writing. Let’s start by making sure we’re clear on what passive and active voice is. In a passive sentence, the subject is acted upon by the verb. For example: Your glasses were broken. We don’t know how the glasses were broken or who broke them, but we do know it’s…
Read MoreReverse Outlining
Hi, my name is Avery and I’m a class of 2024 Writing Center consultant. I’m studying English Literature with a minor in Poverty & Social Justice. At Elon, I’m part of the Honors Fellows program and a member of Danceworks. Have you ever found yourself with a completed draft that doesn’t say what you want it to? Enter: the reverse outline. The reverse outline is a technique for condensing a paper down to its main points. Often, seeing a zoomed out, deconstructed piece can help you see the forest for the trees. The piece will be less overwhelming if you break it down into its component parts, and this technique is useful for eliminating roadblocks. Reverse outlines are great for helping with organization and structure; they can help determine the effectiveness of a thesis statement or main idea and show you the strengths and weaknesses of your argument. To write…
Read MoreCollaborative Writing and Group Projects
Collaborative/ group writing projects are widely used throughout academic and corporate worlds. Drawing from my own experiences and the expertise of other writing centers, I’ve compiled a list of do’s and don’ts when completing collaborative projects.
Read More4 Reasons You Should Bring Your Creative Writing to the Writing Center!
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.
Read MoreStaying Motivated while Writing Papers Remotely
Today, 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. 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. To help spark your motivation during these uncertain times, here are five tips that help me stay motivated and focused.
Read MoreHow to Come Up with Topics for Open-ended Assignments
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 help is available!
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