“The process of writing a cohesive piece means a lot of self control and understanding that stepping back from the words you grow attached to allows you to understand more what needs to be said. I have been very invested in self growth as a concept, but very hesitant to fully immerse myself in the process. These two pieces are documentation of that journey.”

“When I brought this piece to Writer’s Guild, I finally read it out loud to an audience, which gave me more of a sense of how it should sound—important for me since it’s naturally a spoken genre. Thankfully, people told me what they wanted to know more about—what they craved to hear more about from the narrator.”

“My process for writing and revision varies based on the type of writing I’m working on. For poetry, sometimes I won’t revise at all, and have trouble changing a poem after I’ve completed it.”

“Over the months that I’ve been working on these poems (and about a decade before that), Writers Guild has provided consistent community and support. When I came to DePaul as a returning student in 2008, I found Writers Guild and the UCWbL and discovered more writing community and opportunities for collaboration than I would have ever believed possible.”

“I have always thought that the Writing Center is a wonderful resource for writers to share their work. There are so many peers and advisors who are eager to read, revise, and encourage fellow writers.”

“I often share my writing and get feedback that helps me maximize clarity. Sharing my poems with the DePaul Writing Center allows me to improve their clarity in imagery and organization.”

“I wrote all of these pieces on my own volition, inspired by the people within my life. Typically, I get all my thoughts down through word vomiting on the paper, then spend the majority of my writing process revising. All of these writings have benefited from the perspectives of others, allowing me to get to a place where I am proud of my works.”

“The process of writing a cohesive piece means a lot of self control and understanding that stepping back from the words you grow attached to allows you to understand more what needs to be said. I have been very invested in self growth as a concept, but very hesitant to fully immerse myself in the process. These two pieces are documentation of that journey.”

A poem about two loves—one named “Tom” and another named “Sawyer.”

“The revision process took some time, incorporating the feedback that I got from Writers Guild and the Writing Center to improve my piece. A lot of work revolved around rearranging sentences, changing the structure of the poem a bit, and writing new content. Overall, I really enjoyed the revision process and I am excited to publish my pieces.”

“Revising this story was an ongoing process, like most of what I write is. Working with Cyd helped because it was great to have feedback from someone else on my work. I usually find that my stories are much better after revising them, but I also have to be careful not to lose some of the original charm from what I wrote the first time, because sometimes the way I choose to phrase things is more authentic the first time around.”

“I live in Uptown and I like to write about its weird minutiae.”

“My process for writing and revision varies based on the type of writing I’m working on. For fiction, I find it easier to interpolate various drafts and sections as I start to get a better idea of the shape of the story I’m writing.”

“Over the months that I’ve been working on these poems (and about a decade before that), Writers Guild has provided consistent community and support. When I came to DePaul as a returning student in 2008, I found Writers Guild and the UCWbL and discovered more writing community and opportunities for collaboration than I would have ever believed possible.”

“My revision process includes reading my story with new points of view over the course of a period of time. When you are working hard on a piece, you can feel stuck with your tunnel vision on the language and story. Once you step away and forget what you were thinking about, the revisions are much stronger. Using the Writer’s Center, I was able to revise my piece, step away, read the comments, and then come back to revise with both my fresh eyes and my writer’s center tutor. Time is the best revision partner. “

“Overall, my writing and revision process is focused on capturing overall moods. I nitpick and fine comb through my work in order to prioritize conciseness while still maintaining poetic grace. Or at least that’s what I’m hoping for.”

“My process for writing and revision varies based on the type of writing I’m working on. For poetry, sometimes I won’t revise at all, and have trouble changing a poem after I’ve completed it.”

“Isabel provided feedback that helped me weave a simple metaphor at the start of my story into the rest of it. This was the first creative piece that I sent to the Writing Center, and I think I will start to send more creative work to the tutors.”

“I wrote this real late and really poured out my feelings into it. I didn’t have much to edit since I thought it really captured my feelings at that point and didn’t need much editing. I wanted to capture my ideas about hate and how it is the easiest emotion to be captured by, and how insanely hard it is to really love yourself and others to a full extent.”

“During my revision process I found that members of Writers Guild really pinpointed some of the cracks in this story. I was able to utilize Brain’s feedback by giving the ‘you’ of the story a name to create a stronger sense of attachment for the reader.”

“The revision process took some time, incorporating the feedback that I got from Writers Guild and the Writing Center to improve my piece. A lot of work revolved around rearranging sentences, changing the structure of the poem a bit, and writing new content. Overall, I really enjoyed the revision process and I am excited to publish my pieces.”

“I wrote all of these pieces on my own volition, inspired by the people within my life. Typically, I get all my thoughts down through word vomiting on the paper, then spend the majority of my writing process revising. All of these writings have benefited from the perspectives of others, allowing me to get to a place where I am proud of my works.”

“In my own experience, I’ve had editors who trample on writers’ ideas and voices, but the advisors that I worked with at the Writing Center were more than respectful and encouraging.”

“I live in Uptown and I like to write about its weird minutiae.”

“I have always thought that the Writing Center is a wonderful resource for writers to share their work. There are so many peers and advisors who are eager to read, revise, and encourage fellow writers.”

“It was fun to work with Hana, and I hope to come back to the Writing Center to have similar experiences in the future!”

“My mother told me once that your first love is something you never truly get over. Your love for a person collides with your resentment towards them, catalyzing those feelings into a benumbed state of being that renders you helpless. This poem depicts the state of consternation that happens when you don’t know the difference between what’s right and what’s wrong in a relationship.”

CONTENT WARNING: This piece contains imagery of sexual assault.

“I am so glad that this revision process was a collaborative one. The feedback from my classmates and members of Writers Guild helped clarify and amplify the poem without losing its meaning or tone. I am thankful for a community of writers who prioritize good work and collaboration.”

“I often share my writing and get feedback that helps me maximize clarity. Sharing my poems with the DePaul Writing Center allows me to improve their clarity in imagery and organization.”