Francis Marion University’s Writing Center has been taking steps to improve the ways that they help students with writing through the implementation of new events, activities, and the addition of new resources.

This fall, the Writing Center received new desktops and laptops with federal stimulus money; they also implemented a new “work-out” program in addition to their regular workshops.

The Writing Center is also working on plans for the upcoming National Day on Writing (NDOW) on Thursday, Oct. 20.

The Writing Center is organizing events for the NDOW in conjunction with Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honors Society.  They invite all students to come take part in events outside Founders Hall on that day.

One activity that will be offered is to write and share TwitFic, which is short fiction with only 130 characters following the Twitter model.  The Twitter hashtag #ndowfmu will also be used. Other activities include six-word memoirs and FlashFiction.

Writing Center Director Dr. Jennifer Kunka said that she thinks that the National Day on Writing can help students can “find out that they are writers although they don’t think they are.”

This semester, the Writing Center also began offering “workouts” in addition to the usual work-shops.  While the workshops consist of presentations and question-answer sessions, the new workouts are more interactive.

Groups of around 15 attendants can learn about different matters of writing in a session that, according to the Writing Center, combines “the fun of a game show with the rigor of a boot camp.”

The next workout will take place on Nov. 8 at 2:15 p.m. and will be about paraphrasing and quoting.

Since spaces are limited, anyone who wants to attend needs to sign up ahead of time by stopping by the desk of the Writing Center in Founders Hall 114-C.

The Writing Center also offers regular tutorials during which English faculty and trained undergraduate tutors help students, faculty and staff members with creative and academic writing, official documents, research projects and questions all about writing.

According to Kunka, the Writing Center is already very busy this semester.

Early Childhood Edu-cation major Catherine Young is a senior who utilizes the Writing Center.  She said that she mainly goes there for help when she is working on academic papers.

“The more serious it is the more likely it is I will go there,” Young said.

However, Kunka made it clear that the tutors in the Writing Center do not proofread papers.

“We want to help students become stronger writers,” Kunka said, clarifying the goal of the tutorials.

Assistant Director Dr. Meredith Reynolds also encouraged students to utilize the Writing Center and its new technology.

“Students can bring their writing in and we can work on it together or help them find resources,” Reynolds said.

The Writing Center is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 9 to 1:30 p.m.

Students are encouraged to come by Founders Hall 114-C or call (843) 661-1528 to make appointments ahead of time, but walk-ins are also welcome.