Welcome to the UMM Writing Room!

The Writing Room offers students the opportunity to meet with one of our consultants (either a fellow student or an English instructor) about their writing. We can work with students on specific papers/assignments and on writing in general.

Our goal is not only to assist with specific projects but to provide feedback that allows students to become more confident, independent, and effective writers.

Click here to make an appointment

To check our hours of operation and/or reserve a time slot, visit our online scheduling system. If you haven't used the system before, you'll need to register using your morris.umn.edu email address. Once you've registered, find the date for which you want to make an appointment and see which times and staff members are available. You'll need to give us some basic information when you sign up, including the course and the professor's name, the due date of the paper, and what kinds of things you want to work on during your appointment.

Drop-in visits are welcome, but appointments are preferred.

Spring 2012

The Writing Room opens January 29. We're open Sunday-Thursday with times available most afternoons and evenings; see the schedule for details.

Contact Information

Location: Briggs 327
Phone: 589-6299
Email: writroom@morris.umn.edu

Director: Tisha Turk
208 Humanities
589-6261

Frequently asked questions

Why go to the Writing Room?

All writers rely on feedback from readers at various stages of the writing process. Most professional writers share their work with friends, colleagues, other writers, and their publishers, all of whom offer advice and comment on how the writing comes across to them as readers. These peer readers are often professional writers themselves, or have special experience with writing -- with its conventions, its difficulties, and its power. They are able to draw on their own experiences to give the writer useful information. They may not always tell a writer what to do, but they can notice things the writer missed and help the writer work through particular difficulties. Writers use these exchanges as opportunities to reflect on and improve their writing.

At the Writing Room, we take the same principle and apply it to undergraduate writing. Every person on staff is an experienced reader, writer, and student, so we can offer advice as needed; but mostly we're here to listen to you and help you learn how to make your own informed decisions about your writing.

Consultants can work with you on brainstorming, drafting, and revising; we can help you figure out your argument, organize your thoughts, choose evidence, focus paragraphs, and rewrite sentences. We will not edit or proofread your papers for you, but we can help you learn some strategies for doing these things yourself. Be sure to schedule appointments well before a paper is due so that you'll have time to make the changes you discuss with your writing consultant.

In addition to focusing on academic writing -- writing for your courses -- we can give you feedback on job applications, graduate school applications, URS presentations, or other writing that you may be working on.

Visiting the Writing Room doesn't mean you're a bad writer; it's just an opportunity to give your writing some focused attention.

What are Writing Room sessions like?

You sit down one-on-one with a trained writing consultant (either a fellow UMM student or a college writing instructor) and go over your writing together. Usually we start by asking you to tell us about how the paper's going, what you're happy and unhappy with; then we'll ask you to read the paper aloud to us so we can get a sense of what you've got so far. We don't proofread or correct your paper; instead, we give you feedback on how your writing is coming across to a reader, and we help you identify strengths and weaknesses in your own writing.

Do I have to have an appointment?

No, but it guarantees you a spot; writers with appointments get first priority. Consultants with open appointment times can work with people on a walk-in basis. We tend to have more walk-in times available early in the semester; by the end of the semester, we're usually booked up well in advance. If you know ahead of time that you want a session, making an appointment is a good plan.

How long are appointments?

We work in 30-minute time blocks. You can sign up for either a 30-minute or 60-minute appointment.

Are there any restrictions on how much time I can have?

Yes. You can sign up for a maximum of 60 minutes in a single day, and 120 minutes over the course of a week. We restrict sign-ups in this way so that more people can have the opportunity to reserve times. If you've used up your appointments and still want more help, feel free to stop by the Writing Room to see if you can meet with someone as a walk-in.

What do I need to bring?

If you've already started work on a draft, bring a copy of it, either on paper, on a flash drive, or on your laptop. If you need help getting started, bring any notes or ideas you have. It's also helpful if you can bring the assignment instructions (if you have them).

Will my professor know that I went to the Writing Room?

If you want us to inform your professor, we can send a short note to him or her describing the session, but we'll do this only if you want us to.