A Few Helpful Websites on Writing

We’re just past the halfway mark of our semester! Halloween is around the corner, then Thanksgiving, then we’re done. Wow! Time is really flying. If you find yourself rushed and don’t think you can visit us in person (or you’re not ready to submit your paper to SWC Online yet), here are some great online resources that can help you almost as well as we can.

MLA & APA Documentation: My absolute favorite website (besides the SWC’s, of course) for all things citations is the Purdue OWL. This is Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL). They’ve recently given their site a revamp, so if you’re a previous visitor, you may be surprised. The Purdue OWL handles everything from MLA to APA and everything in between. I trust in the OWL, and you can, too!

Chicago Style Documentation: Many consider Chicago style to be one of the trickier citation styles to use. If you’re mostly comfortable with MLA and APA, this style can be a little challenging. The Chicago Style Manual’s site is a great resource for navigating this citation style. Shout-Out to our History and Art History majors who have Chicago style down!

Grammar Help: Grammar Girl is a great site for writers. There are literally hundreds of quick grammar tips to help you out with any writing issue. There are even blog posts that discuss common issues that are topical and useful! Mignon Fogarty is the founder, and she has B.A. in English from the University of Washington in Seattle and an M.S. in biology from Stanford University.

Literary Analysis Tips: Writing a literary analysis? This can be a tough one. Many students put too much summary in and not enough analysis because they can’t figure out the ways to analyze their text. Goshen College has a great resource to give you some jumping off points for your literary analysis. These are great guidelines to keep in mind while brainstorming for your paper.

SWC Online: And last, but definitely not least, is the Stone Writing Center’s website. Our site has recently been redone, and we’re ready to help you! We have tips on everything from grammar and word choice to citation styles. All of our advice has been carefully worded to help you figure out even the most confusing writing topics. It even includes our hours, contact information, and a link to send us your writing online.

These are just a few of my favorite writing websites that I wanted to share with you, Roxy Readers. When life gets in the way and you can’t come see us in person or you run out of time to submit your writing to SWC Online, these resources will come in handy. I hope that the second half of your semester goes well and you ride the waves into finals week.

See you next time the sun is up, the breeze is cool, and the waves roll into view. ‘Til then, hang ten!

Do I Really Need a Tutor?

Hello again, Roxy Readers! We’re well into our fall semester, and we are very busy helping students with their first major writing assignments. Are you working on your paper, too? You may think that you’ve got this, but even the best writers need help sometimes. If you’re asking yourself whether you need a tutor, the answer is yes, you do.

I’ll walk you through the different stages of writing and demonstrate how a tutor can help you with each one.

1. Unpacking the Assignment Sheet: Sometimes there’s a lot of information, and it can be a little confusing. No worries. We got this! We’ll help you understand the prompt and other assignment requirements like documentation style. Having a set of trained eyes look over your assignment sheet can really help you be ready to tackle that paper!


2. Brainstorming: So now you understand the assignment, but you don’t know exactly what to write about. We can chat with you and help you bounce ideas around. We’ll sit with you as you capture your ideas and get a lead for THE idea for your paper. We can even talk you through organizing your ideas so that you can be one step closer to beginning a draft.


3. Outlining: An outline can be a great help in organizing your thoughts especially if you’re really stuck. The outline functions as a little roadmap for your paper. We can review sample outlines and make sure that your ideas are organized according to your professor’s instructions.


4. The Actual Writing Part: We find that it it’s most productive when you can do this on your own, but if you’re stuck on a sentence or a paragraph, we will gladly help you work through your writer’s block! We are also whizzes at APA and MLA and everything in between! We can help you integrate sources and polish your works cited pages. Our citation game is so strong that it will blow your socks off!


5. Revising and Editing: We will read through your paper and point out areas that could use some improvement. We can also give you mini lessons on things that may need some extra attention. For example, we can walk you through a lesson on fragments, word choice, citations, and much more! We want to empower you so that you’re able to revise and edit your own paper. We will gladly help you along the way, but it is YOUR paper, not ours.

Believe me! You will benefit from any and all of these things when visiting with one of our tutors. I know that I didn’t cover everything because there are so many things that the SWC does, but we want you to feel comfortable coming to us for any sort of writing question. There is no question too large or too small for us to tackle. Come see us, say Hi, and meet our tutors. We look forward to meeting you!

See you next time the sun is up, the breeze is cool, and the waves roll into view. ‘Til then, hang ten!

Hello Fall! Let's Get Organized!

Welcome back, Vikings! Summer break was a blast, and I’m happy to start a new semester. It can be both exciting and overwhelming, so let’s take time to set ourselves up to be successful. Here are some tips for getting organized. Not only will they apply to writing assignments, but these tips will work for any class!

1.   Read the syllabus. I repeat, READ. THE. SYLLABUS. It’s full of information to help you navigate the entire semester. You’ll find:

• A reading schedule
• Due dates
• Assignment requirements
• Class expectations
• Contact info for the instructor
• And much more!

Taking a close look at the whole syllabus can really help you plan your semester. You’ll see when writing assignments are due and what the requirements are! You can make special note of when your professors have office hours and how best to contact them. Some professors prefer phone, some email, and some only use Canvas. It’s important to know early on how your professors prefer to communicate.

2.   Have a system. Do you have a system for organizing notes, papers, and handouts? You need to find what works for you and stick with it. You’ll be thankful when you’re trying to find your notes from a month ago and you know exactly where they are. 

3.   Plan ahead. Planning ahead for your writing helps you decide when you can come visit us at the Stone Writing Center! (See how I stuck that in there?) It’s important to stay organized so you know when an assignment is coming up. Remember that you can come to us at any point in your writing process, either online or in person! We can help with brainstorming, outlining, revising, and everything in between.

4.   Use a planner. You can use a physical planner or an app; whatever works best for you. But you need something to write down all those important assignment due dates and deadlines. A planner will help you stay on top of assignments, tests, and papers.

5.   Find a balance. I know a lot of you aren’t just students; you’re also parents, workers, etc. This means that your life is a bit more complicated, but staying organized isn’t impossible. Be sure you make room for other things in your life, too. It’s hard to find that balance, but it can be done; staying organized is an amazing first step to doing that!

With these tips and help from us at the Stone Writing Center, your semester will be off to a great start! Good luck, Vikings! We’re here for you!

See you the next time the sun is up, the breeze is cool, and the waves roll into view. 'Til then, hang ten!

Summer 2018

Once again...It's time for Final Exams!

Roxy Readers – It's final exam time again and you know what that means… I'm sharing information about apps that will help you study and avoid procrastination. 

1.       OFFTIME

This is an App that lets you block apps that you know are distracting to you. For example: Facebook, Instagram, games, or Twitter. You can also set aside blocks of time for family, work, or “you" time. It even gives you statistics on how you use your phone so you can finally see that you spend five hours a day on Facebook. That’s a wake-up call. This app is available on iOS and Android.

2.       AppDetox

This app also allows you to block certain apps and view what your usage is like. However, this app lets you know when you break the rules. Sometimes we need a visual reminder that we need to change our ways. Only available on Android.

3.       Productivity Owl

This Chrome extension is really serious about keeping you on track. If it notices that you’ve been spending too much time on frivolous websites, the Productivity Owl flies in and closes your tabs. Of course, you can control what the owl thinks are frivolous websites and regulate how much time you’re allowed to spend on the sites. If you start to get addicted to watching the Owl fly in, you may need to move on to a different extension.

4.       AppBlock - Stay Focused

This free Android app temporarily blocks programs on your mobile device. You set the date and length of time to block. Once that time is up, you'll have access to the apps again. 

5.       StayOnTask

This app will randomly check that you are doing what you've said you would do. Again, you set the parameters, and the app will pop in to see if you're on task. StayOnTask is a free app in Google Play.

6.         Quizlet

Study using digital flashcards that you create, or search the millions of sets available. Free to use for tablet, mobile device, or desktop.

7.         Evernote

This is another free app that will let you scan and upload your information to one spot. Never worry about misplacing your class notes again.

That's it for now, Roxy Fans! This is my last entry for the semester. Good luck on your finals!

See you next time the sun is up, the breeze is cool, and the waves roll into view. ‘Til then, hang ten!

Stay Home and Use SWC Online

Roxy Readers – Have you missed me? I’ve been sidelined TWICE by the horrible flu that’s going around! Now I’m spending my time catching up, recovering, and getting healthy!

If you find yourself in the same boat because you’re sick or taking care of someone who’s sick, take advantage of our online tutoring! You will get the same great help from the amazing tutors at the Stone Writing Center all from the comfort of home. Here’s how to do that!

1. Follow this link to get to the SWC’s website.
2. Find the link that says Online.
3. This will take you to Canvas where you will be prompted to log in. Log in using your Del Mar username and password.
4. Once you’ve logged in, you should be asked to enroll in the Stone Writing Online 2018 course. Click on the “Enroll in Course” button.
5. Once there, you will click on the link that says, “Start Here to Submit Writing”. This will take you to step one of the process.
6. Choose Step 1 of 2 for the current week, and you will be taken to some questions that look like a quiz. It’s not actually a quiz! Fill out as much information as you can. It’s very important that you provide us with the assignment instructions, your professor, and your course.
7. Once you’ve done that successfully, you can move onto Step 2 where you upload a file for us to review.
8. Step 2: Select Submit Assignment, Choose File you want to submit, and select Submit Assignment near the bottom of screen.

Congratulations! You’re done! We will get back to you within 48 hours, but usually within 24. A tutor will look over your assignment and give you some handy tips and comments to mull over. You can submit as many times as you want, but we look at assignments on a first-come-first-serve basis. Now you can rest, binge-watch Netflix, and wait for our response. Please focus on getting better, and then we’d love to see you at the SWC!

See you next time the sun is up, the breeze is cool, and the waves roll into view. ‘Til then, hang ten!