By Mahalla Hynes

Dear student who’s never been to the WRC,

Some of the most productive Writing Resource Center (WRC) appointments are when students come in with literally no idea what to do for a particular assignment. They just know it needs to be done. We can help them talk through different ideas, run through pro and con lists and come up with an outline. All kinds of appointments can be extremely productive, confidence-boosting and essential to the writing process.

Some students believe that coming to the WRC can feel like just an extra step, something that won’t really help or even like admitting defeat. However, the WRC has an approach to writing and writing support that may be unexpected.

We don’t need to work on something academic. You are more than welcome to bring in passion projects: National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) novels, poetry, other creative pursuits or even the truly nerdy, just-for-fun essay. We can also help you practice for your baccalaureate exam, class presentations or cover letters. We are here to help with any kind of writing  at any stage in your writing process, even if you have no idea where to start.  

We’re more than proofreaders. We can help with grammar and read your work aloud to find issues. We can also brainstorm, keep you accountable or, really, whatever works for you. We aren’t going to trap you there for the full hour, but you have a full hour if you want it. We understand that students live busy lives because Student Writing Assistants (SWAs)  are also all students. The appointment is the student’s time to decide what to do and when to do it. 

We will often present a menu of options for making use of your time during appointments, which can be anything from reading a paper aloud to simply some accountability time. Don’t be afraid to make an appointment because you aren’t sure where to start or where you even are in an assignment because that is exactly when a SWA can help. We can pull out our strategy toolbox to find the right tools to get you back on track, or even to get started.

So drop by the WRC in the Jane Bancroft Library next to the MakerSpace for coffee, ask us questions about citation styles (we know you have them), brainstorm ideas with us and let us keep you accountable to your work. We provide all kinds of help with writing, even if all you need is someone to be your “yes” man. We love to help make writing just a little easier. To make an appointment with a SWA in the WRC, go to the tile in the myNCF portal labeled “WRC & SSC Schedule.” Then scroll down to see SWAs and appointment times. We can’t wait to see you.

–Your friendly NCF SWATeam

P.S. This is the first in a series of WRC-hosted columns. If you have any writing questions or topics you would like to see addressed, email writing@ncf.edu!