The Writing Center provides an alternative space for learning English writing inan academic context. For ESL writers who have particular concerns with the Englishlanguage, the one-on-one writing consultation in the Writing Center provides potentialopportunities for the L2 writers to resolve their linguistic uncertainty in their L2 writing.This study examines five cases with multiple consulting sessions in the WritingCenter. Based on the theoretical framework of sociocultural perspective and the analyses of Language-related episodes (LREs) in the collaborative dialogues in writingconsultations. This study illustrates how L2 learners are engaged in the conversation and scaffolded for language learning during writing consulting.The results support the concept of collaborative dialogues as language learningoccasions (Swain & Lapkin, 1995, 1998, 2002) and highlight the importance ofrecognizing L2 learners' individual difference in L2 writing development, which affectsthe effectiveness of interaction and feedback (Aljaafreh & Lantolf, 1994). A model ofwriting center consultation is created to illustrate the scaffolding processes with differentwriters and in various contexts based on writing center pedagogy.For teaching practices in the Writing Center, the findings raise questions abouthow writing center pedagogy can empower L2 writers on their language control when the writing consultants have the ultimate control in language and the L2 learners have the inherent uncertainty. While writing center work draws on the advantages of collaborative dialogues and effects better language control for ESL writers based on a sociocultural learning perspective, writing center pedagogy needs to continue reconsidering the needs and beliefs of ESL writers (Blau & Hall, 2002; Powers, 1993). The language issue in ESL writing is not a lower order concern in the writing, but more likely a primary concern for the writer. As also found in this study, when the broader contextual factors such as the focus of writing and writers' beliefs are taken into account, language knowledge and control are not just about linguistic correctness to ESL writer development. In striving to create better writers but not just better writing for any writers, it is crucial for writing centers to continue rethinking their staff training on the topic of language issues with their diverse multilingual clientele who speaks English as a second language.
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