In the Writing Center, we like to help students by identifying what stage of the writing process they are in. While the process will vary between writers, there are nine basic stages, and the Writing Center can help with all of them. The stages of the writing process are:
It is important for writers to go through all of the steps in the writing process. One cannot solve a complicated calculus equation or set up a successful football offense in a single step, so why should writing be any different?
What to
bring: Assignment prompt, class notes, and textbooks
What to expect: The tutor will help the student analyze the prompt
and set goals for completing the assignment.
Why it is important: Writers cannot produce a good paper if they do not understand what the teacher wants.
What to
bring: Assignment prompt, class notes, and textbooks
What to expect: The tutor and student will discuss the student's ideas and
discover several options for the paper.
Why it is important: It takes time to come up with a great idea for a paper. Writers need time to evaluate all of their options before deciding on their topic.
What to
bring: Assignment prompt, class notes, and textbooks
What to expect: The tutor will help the student do the following:
Why it is important: Think of this like mapping out a roadtrip. No one would drive out of state for the big game without a map; who knows where the person would end up? The same is true of writing papers. Writers must have a plan.
What to
bring: Assignment prompt, class notes, textbooks, and planning
materials
What to expect: During this stage, students usually work on a computer
and ask questions as needed.
Why it is important: The drafting stage is the time when writers just get their ideas on the page. If a student skips ahead and starts editing at this point, then he or she could forget to write something important.
What to
bring: Assignment prompt, class notes, textbooks, and two typed copies
of the draft
What to expect: The tutor will ask the student to read the essay out loud;
this allows a dialogue to occur naturally. Depending on what the student
would like to work on, several topics could be covered during a revision
session, such as:
Why it is important: It does not matter how impressive the paper looks; if the content is lacking, then so is the paper. Revision ensures that the content is exactly how the writer wants it, that the writer's ideas are clear and that all important topics are covered.
What to
bring: Assignment prompt, class notes, textbooks, and two copies
of the draft
What to expect: During this stage, tutors help students focus on the correctness of the language, not on content or organization.
Tutors do not "fix" mistakes for students; instead, they look
for patterns of mistakes and then teach the student how to identify and
correct them in the future. While we may not get through the entire paper, after the session students should be comfortable finishing on their own. During this session students can expect to:
Why it is important: Grammar and usage errors can make it difficult for the reader to understand the writer's meaning. Also, these kinds of errors make the work look rushed or sloppy.
What to
bring: All sources and a handbook
What to expect: Tutors will help students:
Why it is important: People want to get credit for their ideas. If your roommate stole your ideas and turned them in as his or her own, wouldn't that make you upset? It is important to give your sources credit for their ideas. Also, missing or incorrect citations can be grounds for charges of plagiarism.
What to
bring: Two copies of the draft
What to expect: This session is designed to be a final double-check
of the paper. During this session students can expect to:
Why it is important: Little typos can mean big mistakes!
What to
bring: Graded paper, assignment prompt, class notes, and textbooks
What to expect: This session is focused on improving the student's writing. While the tutor will not discuss the merit of the grade,
grading polices, or the instructor, he or she will discuss the written comments
with the student. The tutor will help the student:
Why it is important: Students learn by making mistakes. However, a student cannot learn if he or she does not understand the mistakes made on the essay. This also gives the student goals to work toward for the next assignment.