Everyone has something important to say and to share with the world. Though a person’s initial ability to write might discourage them from sharing what they have to offer, with a little help from The Writing Center at California Lutheran University anyone can bring out the writer within them.

Anyone affiliated with Cal Lutheran, students, graduate and undergraduate, faculty, staff and alumni, are welcome to come by The Writing Center for either a 30 minute or one hour consultation to work through any stage in the writing process. Sign up online through your MyCLU portal or stop by The Writing Center in the Pearson Library to make an appointment.

Whether you struggle with grammar, writing structure or coming up with ideas, The Writing Center encourages anyone to come in and have a conversation to ensure that the next time you sit down to write, it’s just that much easier.

Assistant Director of the Writing Center and adjunct faculty member of the English Department, Tanvi Patel, wants students to understand that The Writing Center is a non-judgmental environment where any writing project is welcome.

“The idea is to help or to consult, not to change or suggest that there is a better answer. The interest is to have a conversation, to have the client come in and think about their writing, not just what they’re producing, but how they’re writing it, why they’re writing it, what decisions are they making as they’re writing things down?” Patel said.

The Writing Center offers over 150 hours a week in appointments between 15 consultants and projects don’t always have to be school related. They’re happy to look at anything such as resumes, short stories or theses’.

“It’s nice for students to come in and understand their own writing because they haven’t been evaluated in that way. What are your strengths? We focus so much in class about how to fix things, what to fix, but we don’t always understand what works,” Patel said.

Mayra Aguilar, a graduate student pursuing a MS in Clinical Psychology at Cal Lutheran, has worked in The Writing Center for a year and a half.

“Our job is to empower the student and help them become more confident in their writing. We’re not here to just correct their paper or whatever project they’re working on, but rather equip them with the right tools to be able to do that on their own the next time they’re working on a different project,” Aguilar said.

For quick and easy fixes, The Writing Center’s blog, available to anyone through the Cal Lutheran website, provides handouts for information on drafting, editing, grammar and evidence, including APA, MLA and Chicago Style guides. 

For longer projects, such as a thesis or dissertation, Writer’s Studio sessions can be requested for anyone seeking immersive guidance through six consultation sessions with the same consult.

“It really is a very positive and supportive environment where [we] can help you become the best writer you can be, because while we can help with the basics and with paper development, all the various facets, the goal really is for a client to become aware or perceptive to different elements of writing,” writing consultant and senior adjunct professor in the MBA Marketing Program, Mary Ann Mace, said. 

The Writing Center is hopeful that at the end of a session clients come out feeling secure and confident in their writing, knowing their strengths and  being prepared to improve upon their work.

Taylor Rowlands
Staff Writer
Published February 10th, 2016