Welcome, writers!

This first post on the Dickinson Writing Studio blog comes as the Spring 2025 semester kicks off with sub-freezing temperatures and a blanket of snow. On days like these, we have to conserve energy by bundling up and moving slowly– everything seems to take longer in the snow, whether that’s getting out of bed in the morning or walking from one class to another. All those layers of insulation mean we’re constantly pulling coats and hats and scarves off and on and off again, and everything just takes that much more effort. But with this weather also comes the potential for an impromptu snowball fight on the quad or a snowman peering out over Britton Plaza. Some of us will pause and remember what it was like to wake up to a snow day as a child, while others among will marvel at experiencing snow for the first time. Snow changes the world around us in startling ways.

Writing is not so different! It can feel like a chore or an obstacle, something that slows things down and highlights your anxieties and vulnerabilities; at the same it can feel like permission granted to be creative, to experiment and take risks, to interact with the world and your own thoughts in a different way. Both of these things can be (and usually are!) true at the same time.

The Germans and Scandinavians say there’s no bad weather, only bad clothing. In the Writing Center, we say there are no bad writers, only bad writing processes.* Over the course of this semester, this weekly blog post will be here to help you develop your personal writing process. We will share tips and resources as well as best practices for writing in a number of different genres. For now, we hope you enjoy the snow and stay warm!

*We don’t actually say that, but we do think every writer can benefit from figuring out what works for them individually and learning how to avoid the common writing pitfalls that lead to imposter syndrome and writer’s block!