UMBC's Writing Center Blog
You might not expect UMBC's writing tutor workforce to be a combination of STEM, English, and many other majors -- but you would be surprised! The Writing Center is actually very diverse. Many people may assume that we're all English majors, but there are many tutors from many different disciplines who simply enjoy writing and... Continue Reading →
Being a college student, there are times during my years of academic work where I knew exactly what I wanted to write in my paper. At the other end of the spectrum, there were an equal number of situations where I was left staring at a blank paper. I know that there are some of... Continue Reading →
As the professor begins to pass back our papers, I am filled with the angst of fear and intrigue as I wait for the fateful moment of the return of my labor. Six hours of labor to be exact, all conformed and manipulated to fit as words in ink, on a few sheets of paper.... Continue Reading →
One of the things that bothered me most about my high school writing experience was how my teachers would, more often than not, put unnecessary prohibitions on how we wrote our papers. I don’t mean how as in our writing process or word processor, but in the language and word choice. They would often tell... Continue Reading →
Reading, while considered a leisure activity, is also an invitation to an infinite source of examples of good writing. College students who read, either for their academics or as a hobby, are “refilling their well” as writers with every article or book they finish. At the Writing Center, reading is valued as a part of... Continue Reading →
When it comes to any writing, whether for pleasure or for an assignment, the first step is to pick your topic. This step is the easiest part of the process for some writers, followed by the much harder task of supporting and developing a coherent paper around the idea. But this is not always the... Continue Reading →
We’ve all been there; you’re sitting in a class and a professor suddenly assigns you a “Rhetorical Essay.” Maybe there is a specific text to go along with that prompt, maybe they’ve given you a bit of freedom in choosing the text, but either way, some degree of deer-in-a-headlight flashes through your brain. Where do... Continue Reading →
I decided to get serious about my writing during senior year of high school. Before then, I would brush it off as a last-minute chore for after dinner a couple days before the due date. Part of me getting serious included editing my drafts. I would end up with red ink all over my draft... Continue Reading →
For many of today’s brightest problem-solvers, the writing process is considered a needlessly challenging, unpleasant, and unrewarding experience that offers little preparation for work in ‘the real world.’ And while this mindset is extremely prevalent, its validity cannot be any further from the truth. This is because writing, at its core, is merely another method... Continue Reading →
As I mentioned in my first article, I’m big on genre fiction. I love an interesting fantasy world and can get really lost in a good science fiction piece, even well after I’ve put the thing down. That said, science fiction is a really broad genre, and there are all sorts of possibilities within it.... Continue Reading →
The Writing Corner 