Welcome to the Writing Center!

The mission of the Writing Center is to support all Carleton students on any writing project and at any stage in the writing process, from brainstorming to polishing a final draft. Our aim is to improve writers, not just individual pieces of writing.

Appointments & Walk-Ins

Schedule in-person and online appointments here. If this is your first time using our scheduler, you will need to register for an account.

Walk-ins are always welcome! Each session is 25 minutes, with the option of scheduling two back-to-back sessions with the same consultant, within the same hour.

We also welcome writers working collaboratively, such as for a group essay or presentation. We use the same online scheduler to book group appointments; please indicate that it is for a “group project.” Please see our Group Projects Policy for our requirements and suggestions.

How We Assist Writers

We Emphasize “Talk” in the Writing Center
Dialogue is an essential part of the writing process, and it’s important to us that you retain ownership of your work. Writers write on papers; consultants talk. Together with your consultant, you will discuss, collaborate, and exchange ideas to help you achieve your writing goals.

We Encourage Writers to Establish Priorities for their Consultations
Writing Consultants can help you at any stage of the writing process: from interpreting a prompt, to revising an essay based on your professor’s feedback, to polishing a final draft. Think about what in particular you’d like to achieve during your appointment time, and we’ll be happy to help!

We Encourage Writers to Read Aloud
When writers read aloud, they are often more able to recognize awkward sentences and ideas that aren’t logically organized. If you don’t like the idea of reading aloud, your Writing Consultant will read for you.

We Help with Grammar and Punctuation
While we’ll never edit your work, we can certainly help you identify your sentence-level errors so you can avoid them in the future! We’re also happy to recommend resources from our Writing Resource Library to help you become a more effective self-editor.