The Writing Centre
Whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student, the Writing Centre welcomes you to book an appointment and receive feedback from a tutor. We offer assistance and peer-to-peer conversations at any stage of the writing process: understanding an assignment, generating ideas, creating an outline, developing clear and strong arguments, researching and citing sources, revising for grammar and punctuation, and developing other writing-related skills.
Our goal is to encourage students to realize their strengths, question and understand their writing choices, build relationships, discover their authentic voice, and recognize all forms of improvement in the ongoing, imperfect process of writing!
We offer in-person (face-to-face) appointments in OM 1411, as well as online appointments: synchronous (video call) and asynchronous (email feedback).
- Location: OM 1411 view on map
- Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Phone: 250-852-7673
- Email: writing_ctr@tru.ca
In the Writing Centre, we are actively working towards decolonizing academic writing processes and spaces. Part of this includes acknowledging – and pushing back against – the impacts of colonialism and systemic/institutional racism. Drawing inspiration from Chavez (2021), we seek to listen, to focus on relationships, to inspire students to develop their authentic voice, to diversify our resources and our thinking about writing structures, and to redefine what “improvement” or “success” looks like in writing. We also consider the words or language we use carefully: as writing centre tutors and staff, we recognize the power – and danger – of words. Acknowledging territory in a way that is meaningful is important…as long as it is tied to action. We hope this spoken word poem (arguably, a format that is the antithesis of “academic” (read: white, mainstream) writing) land acknowledgement encourages YOU to think about language, your positionality and responsibility…and popping into the TRU Writing Centre to say hello!
Fall 2024 Workshops
| Workshop | Date | Content |
| “Don’t Forget About Me: Meet MLA, APA’s Less Popular Sibling” | Nov. 13, 3:30pm-4:30pm | Introduction to MLA 9th Edition, including in-text citations, Works Cited page, and format. |
| “I’m in my APA Era” | Nov. 27, 3:30pm-4:30pm | How do I cite a photo? An email? A secondary source? A TikTok reel? ChatGPT? What if I can’t find a page number? What if a website doesn’t have an author? Join the Writing Centre for a workshop on the trickiest APA questions. Oh, and it’s Taylor-themed, just because. |
Please join the virtual workshop here
Creative Writing Fridays
- Calling all creative writers! During the Fall 24 semester, we have creative writing sessions on Fridays from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. No registration required.
- In the Winter 25 semester, we will meet Fridays from 1:00 to 2:00pm. Jan. 10 to Apr. 4
- Join a community of fellow writers for tea, snacks, and encouragement! Students will have the opportunity to write to a prompt, work on their own writing projects, and receive feedback.
What students can expect from the Writing Centre
The Writing Centre acknowledges that the writing process is "an inherently imperfect, ongoing process fraught with insecurity" (Chavez, 2021, p. 172).
Writing Centre tutors are trained to:
- ask questions
- listen carefully
- highlight your strengths
- encourage you to build your writing skills by providing explanations, examples, and resources
- avoid "editing" or "correcting" an entire paper
News (RSS Feed)
Beyond the screen: Why face-to-face tutoring matters
Palmer Vaughn from the Writing Centre reflects on the efficacy of in-person learning versus artificial intelligence.
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Academic centre fosters sense of community for students
Tutor Mercedes Settle shares how the Writing Centre became her favourite place on campus.
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Tips from a Peer Academic Coach
Taryn is a student storyteller who met with a peer academic coach to discuss academic challenges and how to navigate time management.
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Becoming a better writer with the Writing Centre
Find out how you can utilize the valuable supports offered by the TRU Writing Centre.
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