The Writing Process
Learn what a writing process is and how you can make yours work for you.
At the MSU Denver Writing Center, we offer several types of appointments to support students. We have 50-minute writing consultations, a doc drop program, and we host workshops and writing groups.
The Writing Center offers a variety of appointment types to support MSU Denver students and graduates!
Schedule an AppointmentIn a 50-minute appointment, one of our Writing Center consultants will help you with your writing project, no matter where you’re at. We have multiple locations on campus, as well as online appointments.
Can you come in with no writing at all? Absolutely.
Can you come in with a rough outline? You betcha.
Can you come in and ask us to help you with your research? 100%.
Can you get feedback on a draft you’re working on? YUP!
All of our appointments focus on helping you develop the skills and tools you need to become a better writer. Plan to work with your consultant for the entire appointment.
If you can’t make one of our 50-minute appointments, you can submit your writing to our Doc Drop program!
Doc Drop consulting allows you to submit up to ten pages of your writing online. If you are submitting more than ten pages, please make note of which sections you’d like the consultant to look at. One of our consultants will return it to you in four business days with feedback. Plan accordingly!
As with our 50-minute sessions, our Doc Drop consultants focus on giving feedback on higher-order concerns first, like ideas, organizations, and thesis. Consultants will also offer feedback on opportunities to improve your grammatical errors if it hinders the reading of the document.
However, please do not expect line edits from our Doc Drop consultants. Do expect helpful feedback, encouragement, and specific steps you can take to become a better writer.
Upon arrival, your consultant will introduce themselves and their pronouns. They’ll ask about the assignment you’re working on. They may ask you questions about your goals for your writing and the session and what concerns you have.
They also may ask you if they can take a peek at your rubric or the assignment sheet. It’s always a good idea to bring these documents with you.
Depending on your assignment, goals and concerns, our consultants will use different strategies during your session. Below are some examples of strategies a consultant may use.
Of course, what happens during a consultation varies from student to student and assignment to assignment. Our goal is always to work with you in the ways that will best serve your writing, and your needs.
Yes. We strongly encourage you to make an appointment. This is the only way to guarantee that you’ll get an uninterrupted 50-minutes with a consultant.
Walk-ins are available, but there is no guarantee a consultant will be able to work with you. The further into the semester we get, the less likely you’ll be to snag a walk in spot.
There are three ways you can schedule an appointment:
There are three ways to schedule an appointment:
Everyone!
We work with writers in all areas of study, at all levels, in all stages of their writing process, and on all types of projects.
The Writing Center can help you develop as a writer and thinker. We’re a space for you to receive helpful and thoughtful feedback from our consultants in a collaborative manner.
Or, if you just need a quiet place to write, you’re welcome to join us at one of our physical locations.
Everyone has the opportunity to grow as a writer, so the Writing Center is for everyone.
You can come in with absolutely nothing and we’ll help you!
We help writers at every stage of the writing process. This includes brainstorming, ideation, and outlining. So, no writing needed.
In fact, we recommend writers come in sooner rather than later. Our consultants can help you break the project down into manageable chunks and set you on the path to success.
We also help with revising drafts, integrating and documenting sources, and more. Schedule an appointment!
Please note: The only exception for this is the Doc Drop appointments, as we need at least a page of writing for the consultant to provide feedback.
That depends on the type of appointment you book.
We do help students and alumni with their grammar and punctuation. All of our consultants are trained to help you identify punctuation and grammar patterns so that you can begin noticing errors and correcting them on your own, or avoid them all together. If you’d like support with your grammar and punctuation, we recommend scheduling a weekly appointment to see noticeable results
Further, our Writing Center recognizes that there is no such thing as Standard American English (SAE). We firmly believe that all people have the right to their own English. We recognize that your instructor may specify that you write in Standard American English, and we are happy to work with you to figure out what their expectations are.
We want to be accessible to students and faculty so we don’t have a one-size-fits-all policy about how often you can make appointments or how many you can have in a day or week. To ensure that slots are available to all the students who need them and that our consultants get adequate breaks in between sessions, we reserve the right to set limits as needed.
Should we need to make a change to your appointment, we will notify you via phone, email or in person.
If you want to schedule a group appointment for a group assignment, all members of the group are welcome for the appointment.
If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please call 303-615-1888. Please let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel or reschedule so we can accommodate other students during your scheduled time.
Our in person and online 50-minute consultations allow one on one time for our consultants to provide you with feedback and guidance. Trust us, you’ll want to be a part of the process!
If you prefer to receive feedback via email instead of meeting one-to-one with a consultant, you can use our Doc Drop program. Our consultants will review your writing and provide feedback in four days. You can find more information on Doc Drop here.
We are happy to provide proof of your appointment for you. If you are visiting us in person, the Writing Center will provide a form. You’ll fill out the form, it will be stamped and signed by your consultant at the end of your session. Please note that to get one of these forms, you must take part in the session.
If you’re scheduling an online appointment, let the consultant know you need proof of visitation. They will walk you through what you need to do to receive credit.
Take the Learning Style Quiz to learn whether you’re a visual, tactile, or auditory learner!
Learn what a writing process is and how you can make yours work for you.
Looking to increase your confidence when it comes to the English language? We’ve compiled a webpage of resources to support you!
Like writing, editing and proofreading are practiced skills. Here are some resources to help you sharpen your skills.
If you’re looking for citation and research support, check out our resources page on writing with sources.
Lab reports adhere to a specific format. We recommend utilizing Labwrite for anyone in the science disciplines that need to write a lab report. You can bring your lab report to the Writing Center, too!
Science writing has different conventions from other disciplines. Learn more about the distinctions and specifications here.
A collection of links to outside resources which can help with any stage of the Writing process.
Interest in making writing your full time job, or your side gig? Learn more about the opportunities available to writers here.
The MSU Denver Writing Center has several locations throughout campus, as well as online writing consultations.
You can drop by anytime at one of our locations:
King Center (KC) 415
Jordan Student Success Building (JSSB) 201
Administration (AD) 210E
Mailing Address:
MSU Denver Writing Center
Campus Box 32
P.O. Box 173362
Denver, CO 80217-3362
Phone:
Main Phone Number: 303-615-1888
King Center: 303-605-7040
Jordan Student Success Building: 303-605-5463
Admin Building: 303-605-5795
Main Campus Location:
King Center 415
Director:
Elizabeth Kleinfeld, Ph.D.
303-615-1316
King Center 449
[email protected]
Program Assistant I:
Yvonne Reed
303-615-1314
JSSB 170R
[email protected]