wcuwritingcenter-blog

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How do you help writers battle perfectionism?

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Transition Words For Your Essays

Transition Signals:

Transitions are words and phrases that connect ideas and show how they are related.

To repeat and ideas just stated:

In other words,

That is,

To repeat,

Again,

To illustrate an idea:

For example,

For instance,

In particular,

To illustrate,

In this manner,

Thus,

To announce a contrast, a change in direction:

Yet,

However,

Still,

Nevertheless,

On the other hand,

In contrast,

Instead of,

On the contrary,

Conversely,

Notwithstanding,

In spite of this,

Time:

At once,

In the interim,

At length,

Immediately,

At last,

Meanwhile,

In the meantime,

Presently,

At the same time,

Shortly,

In the end,

Temporarily,

Thereafter,

To restate an idea more precisely:

To be exact,

To be specific,

To be precise,

More specifically,

More precisely,

To mark a new idea as an addition to what has been said:

Similarly,

Also,

Too,

Besides,

Furthermore,

Further,

Moreover,

In addition,

To show cause and effect:

As a result,

For this reason,

Thereafter,

Hence,

Consequently,

Accordingly,

Conclusion:

In short,

To conclude,

In brief,

On the whole,

In summary,

To sum up,

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Proposal Tips for MAWCA 2016

Drexel University’s Writing Center hosted a MAWCA 2016 conference proposal workshop and tweeted their writing tips. Check out what they shared to help you prepare to submit your proposals, due November 16.

For more proposal tips, read Chris LeCluyse's "How to Write a Conference Proposal" http://ow.ly/TLP8          

6. How do you want to present your idea? Through an individual presentation, a panel, or poster presentation?            

5. Use the language of the call in your proposal. Pay attention to key words. http://ow.ly/TLNN7

4. What is the problem or issue? Can you articulate it? If not, the act of trying will help.               

3. Find what is already written. If you are going to join a conversation you need to know what has already been said.     

2. Talk to someone about your ideas & collaborate!

1. Read the call for proposals- http://ow.ly/TLL8N annotate what you read & free write.

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How do we become seers of meaning and possibility in writers’ texts? How can writers do the same? How does our sense of arrangement, or derangement, make us better seers?

At his 2015 International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) Keynote address, Ben Rafoth spoke about how there is a thin meeting line between imagination and organization -- it is disorganization. He continued, “Often, the most productive ideas are the most disorganizing ones.”

Derangement can yield depth and poetry. It’s uncomfortable, and Rimbaud notes it should be “deliberate,” perhaps even measured. But there is a promise of productivity there, too.

"I say one must be a seer, make oneself a seer. The poet makes himself a seer by an immense, long, deliberate derangement of all the senses." — Arthur Rimbaud, who was born on this day in 1854

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Why do YOU write? Today is the National Day on Writing, and the WCU Writing Center joined thousands in the conversation on #WhyIWrite happening on Twitter. Check out NCTE’s tagboard to see the ongoing posts and get inspired to keep writing.

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As tutors and writers, we grow familiar with genres, content, and styles. We develop habits and routines to approach writing - for ourselves, and alongside students. But sometimes we encounter something (or someone) that pushes us outside of our comfort zone.

What moments push you outside of your comfort zone in the writing center? Do they lead to learning, or panic?

How can we support each other in our learning?

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Learn more about VISUAL NOTE-TAKING and show your feedback with writers on the page.

Visual note-taking is a method to chart your response to a writer’s work while they read through a draft. And visual note-taking can help writers see the relationships among their ideas, getting at organization.

Pencils, pens, and colors can fill the page from both your hands in a session. Have fun!

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The Harvard Writing Project introduces its writers to disciplinary writing conventions, and can inform your knowledge of writing in some disciplines, too. Remember, you’re not expected to be an expert in all fields, but if you’re looking for resources, these may help. You can pass on the link, and view these resources during your shifts.

Also remember that a professor’s expectations come before a guide. Students should respond to prompts and the conventions set forth by their course first.

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Part of our daily practice is observation. What are you seeing, hearing in the writing center?

With observation comes reflection. What are you learning? What questions do you have? How do your observations influence your tutoring?

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Synergy, Innovation, and the Writing Center

Philadelphia, PA at Drexel University, March 18-19, 2016

The MAWCA Conference is an annual regional writing centers conference where university and high school writing center directors and tutors from the mid-Atlantic region gather to present research, meet around special interests, and grow professionally.

MAWCA is accepting proposals for its 2016 conference; the theme is “Synergy, Innovation, and the Writing Center.”

This conference is a great opportunity for collaboration! If you’re interested in developing a poster, paper, or workshop presentation, reach out.

You also don’t have to have a finished product by the proposal deadline. We can help you develop your proposal and you can finish your presentation by March -- that’s more realistic :)

Make a writing center appointment to brainstorm your ideas, or get in touch with Liz to talk about how you might like to be involved with this conference.

PROPOSALS DUE: NOVEMBER 16

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The Writing Center hosted a Pop-Up on the Quad this week!

Share your experiences here. Does stepping outside of the center change your perspective on tutoring? How?

There are a lot of different writing centers out there. There’s university centers, high school writing centers, community writing centers, and pop-ups, too. Centers merge with other tutoring groups, or stand alone. So what do you think is essential for a writing center?

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Writers and tutors each bring expectations to tutorials. When did those expectations shift? How or why did they change, disappear, deepen?

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It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.

Eleanor Roosevelt (via fswwritingcenter)

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Authentic feedback creates powerful opportunities in a session.

It gives the writer a real experience of audience.

It grounds you and the writer in each moment of the session.

How do you show your interest, your passion in tutorials? How do you share stillness?

"Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot." — D. H. Lawrence