The Writing Center
Earlham’s Writing Center is an academic resource that helps both students and faculty engage fully in a “culture of writing” across the curriculum, providing a friendly, comfortable space where student writers of all levels and faculty of any discipline can discover techniques for writing and teaching writing more clearly and effectively.
The Writing Center also offers peer-led consultations about the essays and projects you are working on for classes here at Earlham, as well as creative writing, presentation and poster preparation, career-focused writing like cover letters and resumes, and more!
Are you interested in working at the Writing Center? Apply today via Handshake!
Student Writer Resources
While our center offers many in-person and tutoring-based resources, a multitude of excellent online resources are also available.
A must-have bookmark for any writing resource list: it’s comprehensive, yet easy-to-understand. This online writing lab covers the basics of English grammar and usage, with examples of common mistakes.
While not terribly user-friendly to scan through, this site actually has some great resources for students looking to answer a broad range of questions, including basic grammar, when to use “I,” gender-sensitive language and help for writing specific types of papers for specific departments.
George Mason University’s Writing Center resource page is both extensive and friendly to use and includes major-specific tips on writing.
The Center for Writing Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Another comprehensive site that is easy-to-use and friendly-looking. Also includes citation and general writing tips, as well as another helpful list of links for English as Second Language writers.
Writing & citing help courtesy of Earlham College Libraries.
Free resource to all Earlham students. Select the title for information about registering.
An amusing site with interactive grammar exercises, as well as easy-to-access (though not the most comprehensive) lists of grammar rules.
Drafting:
- The Hierarchy of Rhetorical Concerns – planning
- Brainstorming
- Pre-writing Activities (Outlines)
- Writing a First Draft
- Writing a Thesis Statement
- Paragraph Structure
Revising:
- Worksheet to Aid Revision
- Three-Step Revision
- Organizing after drafting
- Introductions and Conclusions
- The Hierarchy of Rhetorical Concerns
Editing:
Walk-ins & appointments welcome!
The Writing Center will open for the fall semester on September 1, 2025.
Sunday
2 – 5 p.m., 7 – 9 p.m.
Monday – Thursday
7 – 9 p.m.
To reserve an appointment during walk-in hours or schedule an appointment outside of regular hours, email [email protected]
Frequently Asked Questions
Walk-ins are always welcome and will be helped on a first come, first served basis. To make an appointment, email [email protected].
During a consultation, you have 25-50 minutes of focused attention from a peer consultant. The consultant will read through what you have written so far and work collaboratively with you on clarity, organization, research, style, reasoning, and audience appeal.
Consultants can help with writing in all disciplines and at any stage of the writing process. Whether you are outlining a lab report, brainstorming a short story, revising a draft of a paper, or putting finishing touches on a cover letter, we are happy to help.
- The assignment description and any other information your instructor has provided, such as a rubric or syllabus language about writing expectations.
- Any brainstorming, outlining, or drafting you have done so far. We recommend bringing an electronic version, but a printed or handwritten copy will also work.
- Questions! Make a list of questions before your consultation so you don’t forget them.
A Writing Center staff person will contact your professor to let them know you attended a consultation. This typically happens the next day.
Yes and no. Consultants improve your writing process, not just the individual papers, so they will help you identify grammatical and spelling error patterns and show you ways to become a better proofreader of your own work. We may not catch every single mistake, but we can help find those that are most distracting to your readers.
Not at all. Consultations take less than an hour and can actually save you time by helping you get past road blocks and write more efficiently.
Nope! The most skilled writers share their drafts with other writers and revise according to the feedback they receive. Discussing a paper with an experienced peer is a great way to make sure your writing communicates your ideas clearly and appropriately for your audience. You don’t have to be desperate to benefit from the Writing Center; you only have to be determined to write better.
While logged into your Earlham account via email, the Heart or Moodle, go to grammarly.com/edu. You should automatically be logged in. If not, try to log in with your Earlham College credentials. Should you still be unable to access your Grammarly account, contact ITS for support.
For faculty
The Writing Center is student centered, however, we are also excited to work closely with and provide support for faculty members as they work toward inspiring the best writing from their students. Please reach out if you would like to schedule a workshop or classroom visit.
Quick links and resources
Earlham is committed to supporting you and accommodating your needs to make your experience here a transformative one. In that effort, we offer resources and opportunities to ensure your success and retention.