• Hours & locations
• Visit SWS
  • by appointment in Nicholson
  walk-ins in Appleby
  • Zoom appointments
  • SWS.online appointments
    • How does it work?
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Tech troubleshooting
  • Important policies
• Quick help
  • Especially for multilingual writers
  • Especially for graduate writers
  • Writing process
  • Common writing projects
  • Grammar
  • Style
  • Punctuation
  • Documenting sources
• Consultant bios
• Resources for instructors
• Dissertation Retreat
  • Why participate?
  • How to apply
  • Participant history
• E-12 Writing Centers Collective
• Job opportunities

center for writing | student writing support | visit sws

Visit Student Writing Support

What is a writing consultation?

A writing consultation is a conversation between a writer and a consultant. During that conversation, the participants will set an agenda for the session, talk about the work in progress, and work together to meet the writer's goals.

 

In all consultations, writing consultants can work with writers to

• Get started on assignments
• Break through writer’s block
• See their work from a reader’s perspective
• Prepare questions to bring back to their instructor or advisor
• Learn strategies for revising, editing, and proofreading
• Access writing resources
• Get some writing done in an "accountabilibuddy" session!

In addition to writing consultations, we offer a variety of videos, printable handouts, and web resources in our Quick help section.

In-person consultations

• Nicholson Hall location:You can make a Nicholson appointment by using mySWS, calling 612.625.1893, or coming to 15 Nicholson Hall when we are open. When you arrive for a Nicholson appointment, check in with the person at the front desk.

• Appleby Hall location: Walk-in consultations in Appleby Hall take place on a first-come, first-served basis. You sign in on a digital waitlist when you arrive in 9 Appleby Hall, and consultants will work with writers in the order they arrived. Typically, there are between 3–5 consultants at any given time.

• You can bring a draft with you, but it’s also fine if you don’t have anything written at all yet!

• You won’t share or send anything ahead of time; instead, your consultant will read anything you share during the consultation.

Zoom consultations

• All Zoom consultations are by appointment through mySWS.

• You can have a draft ready, but it’s also fine if you don’t have anything written at all yet!

• You won’t upload anything ahead of time; instead, your consultant will read anything you share during the consultation.
• Zoom consultations can last up to 40 minutes.
  

SWS.online consultations

• All SWS.online consultations are by appointment through mySWS, and they require you to keep track of two times: (1) the deadline to submit your writing and your questions/concerns about it, and (2) the time you will meet with the consultant for your 40-minute online chat.

• After you submit your writing, the consultant will have 40 minutes to read it in preparation for your chat appointment. 

• During your scheduled SWS.online chat, your consultant will give you feedback, answer questions, and collaborate with you through a chatbox next to your document. (There is no audio or video component.)

• At the end of your consultation, you will receive a transcript of your chat to keep for yourself.

To learn more about what to expect and how to get the most from your visit to the Center, look at our general and graduate-student-focused informational handouts.

Please be aware of the Center's important policies related to appointments, privacy, and identification.