Faculty Writing Support

Central to the mission of the University Writing Program is the belief that writers make the best teachers of writing. That doesn’t mean you have to be a published novelist or poet, just an engaged writer, one who is actively practicing their craft, shaping and revising text through feedback from readers. Faculty who are involved in writing know the stresses and strains of coming up with and organizing their ideas and with shaping those ideas for others to understand. They also know the joys and frustrations of writing for publication whether that’s an editorial in the local newspaper, a grant application, or a longer book-length project.

In addition to support faculty as teachers of writing, the UWP also devotes considerable time and energy to supporting faculty as writers. To that end, we provide a number of resource to faculty in order to help them to be the most effective writers they can be. Through regular writing groups, annual writing retreats, and one-to-one conversations about your writing, the UWP staff is here to help you be a successful, publishing scholar. Check out the different projects below to see how we can help you with your writing goals!

Writing Accountability Groups (WAGs)

The UWP sponsors a number of writing groups where faculty meet together to write. These groups can take on a number of different personalities: some groups function primarily as “accountability partners” who show up at the same time each week to write in the presence of other scholars; some groups actively read and respond to each member’s writing as part of their process, offering support both during writing group and after. There are many ways to make a writing group work for you!

Find a Faculty Writing Group that meets your needs or start your own group by getting in touch with the UWP!  If you want to participate in a writing group, the UWP can connect you with other writers who are already part of a group, or who have contacted us about starting a new group. If you have a group already, the UWP may be able to help you find an ideal writing space on campus. We can also provide suggestions for goal setting, accountability and thinking partners, and peer review.

Read more about the process and effectiveness of WAGs on writing in our highlight here.

Are you interested in being a part of a writing group? Fill out our interest form here.

Critical Friends: Grant Writing Support

Critical Friends is a peer review protocol that facilitates the development of specific ideas and strategies to assure writing is clear and persuasive.
These workshops are held when faculty request them based on due dates of their grants and their own writing processes. We have an excellent team of accomplished grant writers from the humanities, social and behavioral sciences, the natural sciences, and the medical sciences who work with faculty individually to support their grant writing efforts.

If you are planning on submitting a grant in the near future, consider sharing your draft with our Critical Friends group. To learn more, you can visit the following website: Critical Friends Grant Writing Support.

Writing Retreats

Sometimes, faculty writers need to get away from the distractions of email, campus meetings, family, or even just the temptation to clean house. If you need some time to focus in on a project, then one of the UWP Faculty/Staff Writing Retreats might be just the thing! The UWP supports ECU faculty and staff as writers with low-cost writing retreats. Our retreats provide much-needed time and space away from the distractions of the office to work on individual and/or group writing projects.

Currently, the UWP sponsors a spring writing retreat each year during the first part of spring break, but we’re also happy to design writing retreats for faculty and staff groups at other times of the year.

If you’re interested in participating in our ongoing spring retreat, we send a notice each January to various campus list-servs to solicit applications. If you would like to be added to our list of faculty to contact, or if you would like to speak with us about designing or coordinating a writing retreat for a group of faculty or staff, please fill out the form below to let us know of your interest and how we might help you.

Read more about our writing retreats and how to apply for your spot here: Faculty Writing Retreats.