As the semester rockets towards finals month, we find ourselves in strange times: remote classes, changes to living situations, uncertainty about the semester to come, uncertainty about much more immediate things. With everything in transition, it can feel overwhelming to think about writing a paper or finishing a project––each time I’ve sat down to write … Continue reading Writing Finals During Quarantine
Archived Posts Welcome to the new VCU Writing Center blog! If you're new here and looking for posts written before 2018, they are archived here. Former Blog Writers The VCU Writing Center blog is grateful for the creativity and hard work of all current and former blog writers. Find them, and their six-word biographies, listed … Continue reading Our Blog In History: Archived Posts and Former Writers
I am a strong Black woman when I’ve had enough sleep, When I’ve finished my nightly weeping for the week. When my fridge is full and my rent is paid, & i’ve started my day with a bed that’s well-made. I am a strong black woman when I make it out the house, When I … Continue reading #BlackGirlTragic?
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My last post discussed “instant fixes” meant to help you snap out of a blocked writing fugue in the present moment. If they don’t work for you, however, here are some additional, longer-term writer’s block coping strategies: Pick up with a different mode of expression. Think of this as creative cross-training. It’s especially helpful for … Continue reading Tips for Writer’s Block, Part Two: Long-term Strategies
Writer’s block: the boogeyman of the creative process. It’s a concept that practically everyone is familiar with. Lending it all the more power, we writers tend to talk about writer’s block as though it’s an immutable force of nature, like gravity or the weather—something one is suffering from, like a chronic disease, and that one … Continue reading Tips For Writer’s Block, Part I: Short Term Solutions
“Find your voice!” This exclamation has been shouted by teachers and professors since an early age. But voice is such an ambiguous term. What does it really mean to find your voice? And how can one find their voice? To find one’s voice requires some personal digging. A voice is unique to an individual, yet … Continue reading Finding A Voice
Stories know no cultural boundaries; common archetypes and tropes seem to pervade distantly related literary traditions. Cultural boundaries, whether geographical or temporal, seem powerless to contain some of our most recognizable bits of storytelling. There are a number of possible explanations for the unoriginality of our species. The anthropologist will likely tell you that stories … Continue reading Struggling with Originality
How Long Will It Take For Change I walk down the street, I hear nothing but sirens. I walk pass a shattered home and I hear a mother crying. We march. We chant. We cry. But it’s not enough. Because our skin is darker we get it rough. How long will it take for change? … Continue reading Grammar B: Darker Skin
Cloudy, rainy days are the best kind of days for reading. The sun is hidden behind the clouds as raindrops beat a methodical melody against the window, and all I want to do is curl up in bed under a soft, heavy blanket with a cup of tea and get lost in another world. I … Continue reading Grammar B: A Time to Sow
