To write or not to write- that is never the question. As college students and really just citizens of the world the option of not writing isn’t actually an option. The formats of writing may have changed throughout the centuries but as long as there are people, there’s going to be written communication as well. As a Writing Consultant here at the Furman University Writing and Media Lab it’s my job to help make sure that our students and staff frame their writing in the best possible light. Stephen North wrote in “The Idea of a Writing Center” that “What we want to do in a writing center is fit into- observe and participate in- this ordinarily solo ritual of writing”. This quote represents exactly what we try to do here at the WML when we encourage people at any stage of the writing process to come in and engage in a one-on-one process of reflecting upon their own writing with our guidance. While we say yes when people ask us to edit or proofread their papers what we really mean is that “yes, we will talk to you about your writing and offer suggestions in such a way as to improve your overall effectiveness as a communicator by breaking old habits of writing and set you up with new rhythms while asking you questions you wouldn’t think to ask yourself”. Not surprisingly, people tend to tune out by the time we finish that second phrase so we tend to stick to a short yes and then show them by example how we do much more than “edit” individual papers here. In a big picture way North puts it best by saying that “Our job is to produce better writers, not better writing.” So whether you’re a writer by profession, by force or by choice, come stop by for a 45-minute conversation with me or any of my colleagues that’ll hopefully change your outlook on writing as a whole. And hey if nothing else, you can at least get a free cup of coffee and a cool pencil that changes colors when you rub it.