| Myth #1: |
The Writing Center is only for inexperienced writers. |
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Reality:
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We can help people who aren't experienced at writing, certainly, but some of our best work is done with those who know how to write and who want some help along the way. Our tutors are very knowledgeable about writing, and can help no matter what experience level you're at.
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| Myth #2: |
The Writing Center "cleans up" or proofreads my papers before I submit them. |
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Reality:
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The Writing Center promotes writing as a process; as such, students shouldn't make the Writing Center their last stop before a paper is submitted. The Writing Center is a place students can come at all stages of writing, and students are encouraged to come in at the earliest stage possible -- whether that's at the brainstorming stage, the outlining stage, or the drafting stage. We will, of course, look over any final drafts you may have, but we won't fix the problems within the draft ourselves.
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| Myth #3: |
The Writing Center will make my writing perfect. |
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Reality:
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We won't make your writing perfect, but we can certainly help you to make it better. Our job is not to make your writing better, but rather, to make you a better writer.
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| Myth #4: |
Writing tutors possess all knowledge about writing. |
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Reality:
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The Writing Center hires some of the better writers on campus, but none of them knows everything about writing. While our tutors know quite a bit, there may be times when they don't know the answer to the question and will work with you to figure that answer out.
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| Myth #5: |
The Writing Center can't help me with my writing. |
| Reality: |
The only way the Writing Center couldn't help you is if there were a "perfect writer," which simply doesn't exist. We can help you at every stage of your writing process -- from coming up with ideas for your paper to paper revision to your final edits. We can also help you with writing concepts and techniques.
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| Myth #6: |
I can drop off my paper, come back later, and my paper will be corrected. |
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Reality:
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The Writing Center's philosophy is that students can best improve their writing by seeing what mistakes are made, rather than simply having their papers corrected. As such, we promote a one-on-one environment where students interact with our peer tutors in order to understand what needs work in a paper and what strategies exist to assist in the writing process.
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| Myth #7: |
Bringing my paper in shortly before it is due will significantly improve its quality. |
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Reality:
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In fact, if you're bringing a paper in an hour before it is due, you haven't left yourself any time at all to do a thoughtful and useful revision of the assignment you are working on. We strongly encourage students to build the Writing Center into their writing process and bring their work in a few days before it is due to allow ample time for revision and reflection.
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| Myth #8: |
Tutors will read my paper ahead of time. |
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Reality:
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Tutors see enough students per day that this is not only impractical, but simply undoable. We also think it's better when both the student and the tutor review the paper at the same time so that they can discuss any errors together.
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| Myth #9: |
Tutors know all the material in my program. |
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Reality:
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Tutors do not do any of the readings for any program on campus other than the ones that they are enrolled in. Tutors depend largely on students to inform them about their assignment and whatever reading was necessary for that assignment. Thus, it helps tutors significantly when you bring in a copy of the assignment you are working on. While some tutors may actually have the assignments for the program they are assigned to, more often than not we take the student's word for it.
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| Myth #10: |
Appointments are required at the Writing Center. |
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Reality:
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This is true at our Tacoma Campus location, where our staffing is limited; however, for those using our Olympia or Prime Time locations, both centers accommodate and welcome drop-in students looking for writing help. Although we may not require appointments, we do recommend that students make an appointment in order to ensure that they can see a tutor at the time that they come in. This is especially recommended during our peak times in the first and last two weeks of every quarter.
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Art by Meghan McNealy (2007), from Inkwell 2.
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