The Center for Writing Excellence (CWE) is available to all university students, faculty, staff and alumni who are committed to developing and improving as writers. Sessions with experienced writing consultants are designed to provide help on every aspect of the writing process, with the goal of enabling writers to achieve long-term improvement, confidence and independence.
Conferences are generally a maximum of 25 minutes and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. We can also schedule appointments in advance, and we are now offering online consultations. There is no charge for these services.
Specifically, we can help you with:
- Getting started: Understanding the writing task and generating ideas
- Drafting: Developing a focus and an argument, selecting appropriate evidence, and organizing your ideas
- Revising: Choosing strategies to improve drafts
- Polishing: Learning to edit your own writing
To prepare for your session, come with:
- Assignment or task
- Text for course (if you are taking one)
- All work you have done to get started (any freewriting and notes)
- A draft of your paper or other document (if you have one)
- Your goal for the conference
- Most important, specific question or writing problem for which you would like help
What we do not do:
- Proofread or edit your papers for you, but we will help you learn how to do so
- Interpret (if you are a student) comments your instructor made on your paper or discuss grades, but we will look at your efforts to revise
- Review more than 4-5 pages at a time, though you are welcome to return