Welcome from the Director

Welcome to your writing courses! We want to help you use writing to explore the world, express your opinions, and accomplish your goals.

Our first-year course will help you make the transition to NKU by introducing you to university-level writing. Our advanced course will help you become an independent writer with a more sophisticated style. These courses will help prepare you to write better in your other courses, in your career, and in your communities.

Writing is not easy. Sometimes getting started on an assignment is difficult. You might know what you want to say, but you get stuck figuring out how to say it. You might get frustrated when you are told to revise what you have worked on a long time. If you ever feel this way, you are not alone. For most of us, writing is a messy process of trial and error. So, I'd like to offer you some tips for success.

1. Start early. Do not wait until the last minute to do an assignment. It only adds to your stress and results in poor work. Give yourself time to polish an assignment so it will be your best work.

2. Share your work. Get suggestions from your instructor, other students in your class, and a consultant at the Writing Center.

3. Keep Up the Pace. In college you are expected to work somewhat independently, without direct supervision. Your instructor cannot give you extra credit or makeup work at the end of the semester. So start working hard the first day of class. Attend class regularly and finish all assignments on schedule.

4. Enjoy! Writing is a process of struggling with what you want to say and revising until you get it just right. This is exactly what makes writing exciting! Writing challenges us because it offers us so many possibilities.

If I can ever be of assistance to you, please let me know. I wish you all the best in your writing courses!


Dr. Jonathan S. Cullick
Assistant Professor
Director, Writing Instruction Program

I thank my students in ENG 101 for reading this letter and suggesting ways to revise it.