Chances are that if you’re reading this, you already know a little bit about the Writing Center and what we do. Sure, we look over assignments and (hopefully!) help you leave feeling more
confident about whatever you brought in. However, the Writing Center can be so much more than just a place to stop by when you have an assignment due tomorrow. Here are some little-known facts about the OSU Writing Center.
We don’t actually do line-editing.This is a good opportunity to discuss what line-editing actually means. In short, “line-editing” describes a process where somebody takes your paper and goes through it line-by-line, telling you what’s “wrong” with the word choice, syntactical structure, or grammar. We don’t want to knock places that provide such a service, but it’s just not our style. At the Writing Center, our ultimate goal is to give you the knowledge and confidence you’ll need when you eventually find yourself revising on your own--whether you’re working on the assignment you just brought in, or something further down the line.
We focus on more than just English assignments.Of course, if you do find yourself struggling with an English assignment, we’ll be glad to take a look at it. That said, English isn’t the only subject which requires analytical writing--psychology, strategic communications, history, and philosophy are just a few other subjects which often involve essays or other written analysis. Even if you have to write a paper for a STEM course, don’t be afraid to bring that in, too!
Even experienced writers need help sometimes.We firmly believe that anyone can benefit from having another set of eyes looking over their assignments. If you’re embarrassed or nervous about bringing something in, don’t be. (In fact, several Writing Center consultants bring in their own work for other consultants to look at!)
We do so much more than just writing. Of course, all of our extracurricular activities do tie back to the writing process in some way or another. However, we don’t limit our work to working with clients; we also host conversation groups, reach out to local schools, and conduct workshops or writing events on various topics throughout the year. We are constantly thinking of new ways to reach out to the Stillwater community.