The Writing Zone: Graduate Writing Lab Helps Students Write Efficiently

Writing Efficiency Sessions, a program hosted by the Graduate Writing Lab, bring graduate students together to help them complete writing tasks. Students meet online, share writing goals, and write together for two hours. Since 2019, hundreds of graduate students have met together to make progress on writing projects.

Having regular, scheduled writing times is one of the main draws for students. Diego Melendez, from Speech Language & Hearing Sciences, explains that attending the Writing Efficiency Sessions (WES) has been extremely helpful in terms of finding structured writing time. Sanjukta Sarkar, a third-year doctoral student in Teaching, Learning, & Sociocultural Studies, uses the Monday morning WES to write consistently at the beginning of the week. Both agree that the sense of solidarity and accountability created by writing with other students has helped keep them consistent in their writing and make steady progress on their writing goals.

Further, Sanjukta explains that the writing tools used in WES are also helpful: “Tools like group goal setting and tracking, pomodoro timers, and the end of writing discussions help me stay on track.” Sarah Lynn Neiling, a fourth-year doctoral student in Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences, has found that the tools also help her be more efficient outside of the writing session. For example, WES follows the pomodoro method (timed work sessions followed by short breaks), which “has helped me learn how long it takes to do specific writing tasks, and it has pushed me to become more efficient in how I work.”

Sessions are offered every day of the week. Please register to join us and make progress on your writing goals!