When I need to think about something (whether it is an assignment, a decision, or a life problem), it always helps me to talk it out with someone- so much so that I know I sometimes annoy the people close to me. But I think this is the closest representation of what I want to do for my clients. North illustrates that writers have a similar need by saying, “Nearly everyone who writes likes—and needs—to talk about his or her writing, preferably to someone who will really listen, who knows how to listen, and who knows how to talk about writing too” (North, 439). I found this statement to be incredibly accurate in my own experiences as a client in the writing lab.
When I’m talking through a decision with a friend, I do most of the talking. They may follow me in thought and make suggestions, but it is clear that the final choice is mine. It helps me think it through and do the work myself when I can talk to someone about it and hear their thoughts. After these conversations, I always feel more confident in my own “action plan” and decision making abilities. As a client, I found an approach that allows me to sort of “think out loud” extremely helpful. I did most of the talking, and the consultants provided feedback when it was necessary but mostly let me think everything through on my own. According to Molly Wingate, “For a tutoring session to be considered productive, it is essential that the writer does the bulk of the work and learns something that can be used in future projects” (Wingate, 9). This is the kind of consultant I want to be- one who facilitates the critical thinking of others. It’s not my job to give them the answers, but it is my job to put them in a situation where they feel comfortable and motivated enough to find the answers themselves.
I think I will need to be careful to keep from telling my clients exactly what to do because I can be a bit of a control freak and kind of insane about wording. After all, according to North, “Our job is to produce better writers, not better writing” (North, 438). I think it will be a nice change, though, for me to learn to focus more on the writing process, organization, and what the writer is trying to accomplish. After all, this is not about me. I also think that I need to be spending more of my own time thinking and writing, because, according to Wendy Bishop, “it’s essential that tutors be practicing writers” because the more experience we have, the more tools we will have to help the writers based on our own experiences and challenges (Bishop, 51).
I know that I can get anxious about my classwork, so I hope that I will be able to help students get past their anxieties and enjoy thinking critically throughout the writing process. The consultants I worked with definitely helped me get past my own anxieties so that I could think more clearly. Ideas can only start flowing productively when the writer is involved because, as North points out, “the composing process we seek…can only be found, in as yet unarticulated form, in the writer we are working with” (North, 438). From my experience as a client, though, I realized that it is equally as important for the consultant to be invested in the writing. I went in with the idea that it was mainly important for the writer to be doing the work, but now I know that it really has to be a cooperative effort where the consultant also participates in the thinking process. For the writing process to be instructive and conducive to truly good writing, it has to be driven by the writer himself; it also, however, must be led by a discussion between the consultant and the client. After all, a paper is only a reflection of what is going on in the writers’ heads- but we need to be able to help them get it from their heads and into their papers. This knowledge can help me be a better consultant because, if I keep the consultation in the writer’s control and stay an active participant, the consultation will be illuminating but still driven by the academic needs and questions of the writer, which is exactly what we should be focusing on in order to further the education, abilities, and confidence of the writer.
The two chapters that I read were “What Line?” and “Is There A Creative Writer in the House?” I chose to read “What Line?” because I know I can become overly attached and concerned, so I wanted to educate myself on how best to avoid that as a consultant. I think I definitely need to watch out for the line into becoming overly empathetic and overinvolved in my client’s world, but I like to think that I will be able to keep the consultation focused on the writer’s ideas rather than my own. I chose to read the chapter on creative writing because I have very little experience in the area, but I was intrigued by the idea of incorporating brainstorming activities into my tutoring rather than simply working with what the writer brings me. This is why I chose to use my second consultation as a client to brainstorm for an upcoming paper I have. The consultant I worked with helped keep me focused, answered my questions, and gave me valuable advice on how to be more concise and oriented to the big picture. She also helped me think by providing some feedback and focus on big ideas, which is important in helping someone brainstorm, according to the reading. These readings and my experiences as a client taught me that I can’t just read students’ papers and talk about it- I need to evaluate what comments and ideas will help my clients the most in the long run and help them grow as writers, not just fix their papers.
Because our job as writing consultants is based on the idea of creating better writers, we have to be fully invested in the personal growth of our writers. This means that we have to believe that they can always grow and improve. When I took the Growth Mindset Quiz, I expected for my results to show that I have a mindset completely invested in the capacity for personal growth. I was surprised, however, to find that a small part of me believes that people can’t grow very much. Of course, I tend to lean more towards the personal growth side but I still have some non-growth feelings. I think the knowledge that personal growth is possible is paramount to our jobs as writing tutors- if we don’t think the writer can change and get better, what are we even doing? Therefore, I need to watch myself and make sure that my actions are in line with the personal growth philosophy and that my actions and words are always formulated to assist in the growth of my clients.
As lofty and naïve as this goal may be, I hope to make the process of writing for students an interesting and motivated one. I know that there will be students who just want assurance that their paper is good, and others who want me to do the work for them, but I’m hoping to, or at least to attempt to, transform their experience into a more positive and informative one.
Works Cited
Bishop, Wendy. “Is There A Creative Writer in the House?: Tutoring to Enhance Creativity and Engagement.” A Tutor’s Guide: Helping Writers One to One. By Bennett A. Rafoth. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 2000. 44-54.
North, Stephen M. “The Idea of a Writing Center.” College English 46.5 (1984): 433-46. Web.
Wingate, Molly. “What Line? I Didn’t See Any Line?” A Tutor’s Guide: Helping Writers One to One. By Bennett A. Rafoth. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Boynton/Cook, 2000. 9-16.