What is the Writing Consultant Service? The Writing Center's Consultant Service offers free and confidential writing conferences with an English instructor or peer writing tutor. Consultants provide supportive, informed feedback at any stage of the writing process from brainstorming and drafting to editing and revising. We can also help with writer's block or second-language issues. A writing consultation can benefit writers at all levels of ability. Consultants do not proofread papers, but instead help writers develop methods for editing their own work.
When is consulting available? To meet with a writing consultant, just walk into the Center during the hours shown below -- first come, first served. You may also reserve an appointment in advance by using our online scheudling system. Click here to make an appointment.
Hixon Writing Center Schedule
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Afternoon 4:30-6 p.m. |
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Evening 8:30-10 p.m. |
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Consultations are held in 15 Dabney Hall. |
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Alternatively, you may send an email request to writingcenter@caltech.edu. Your email should mention when you're coming and what you'd like to accomplish in the conference.
How should you prepare for a writing conference? Before you arrive, decide what you'd like to accomplish with a writing consultant. Bring along a copy of the assignment, the relevant books, articles, or data, and any preliminary writing that you may have done for the assignment (e.g., notes, outlines, or rough drafts). Also consider bringing a previous assignment with the instructor's comments that might mention specific writing issues for attention.
The Center has a computer with Internet access, so if you would like to do any online research or use a word processor in the conference to record ideas or changes to a draft, then bring an electronic copy of your paper on CD or USB flash drive. (Alternatively, before the conference, send your work to yourself in an email, or put it on a server that you can access during the conference.)
You may also want to consider reading these tips on how to prepare for a writing conference.
Questions? Comments? Contact us at writingcenter@caltech.edu.