Writing Center

Writing tutorials

The Writing Center at Emerson College is committed to collaborating with students to help them accomplish their writing goals. We welcome all students from the Emerson community to come in, relax, and sit down with a coordinator or a tutor for one-on-one writing consultations. We help students become effective writers and readers. This is best accomplished by frequent visits to the Center. In the writing tutorials, we help students with all phases of the writing process, including brainstorming, organization, thesis development, drafting, revising, and copy-editing (word choice, grammar, and punctuation). We also offer grammar tutorials for those who request them as well as reading of class assignments and texts.

In our discussions with students about their writing, we also can address analysis, voice, writing for a specific audience, building strong arguments, and understanding the conventions of various genres (e.g., academic research essays, application essays, senior and graduate theses, nonfiction essays, fiction, poetry, screenplays, etc.).

Students are asked to bring in their assignment along with any of the following: texts, ideas, questions, notes, early drafts, or final drafts.

We believe that writing isn’t a product to be “fixed,” but rather something that evolves through a process; thus, we encourage students to write drafts and come for return visits so that we can focus on their long-term development as writers. We often begin with global edits and work our way to punctuation. What we can accomplish in one session depends on many factors, including the length of the paper and the degree and type of issues that need attention.

Because our goal is to guide students in becoming better writers, we teach students the tools to improve their own writing in on-site sessions. We do not offer electronic editing services nor do we grade / evaluate students’ work.

Students can make appointments at the Writing Center in person at 216 Tremont Street or by calling 617-824-7874. Because the Center can get busy, students should make appointments in advance. This is not a drop-in Center.