Everyday Thoughts from the Writing Center: An Important Lesson...

I never even thought about having a job here on campus. All I had ever heard were comments like, “It’s impossible to get a job on campus” or, “There’s just too many people, not enough spots to place all of them.” The point is, when I was approached about the possibility of working at the Writing Center as a tutor, I was BEYOND excited. I’d be conveniently working right in Baird Hall, tutoring students in my favorite subject (and, consequently, my major): English. So, for that, I’d like to thank Dr. Beam and everyone I work with here at the Writing Center for making this a fun and rewarding experience!

In my approximately one month of tutoring, I’ve had quite a few consultations… Many more than I had expected. During those consultations, there is a common theme among them: I barely do any talking. Now, that isn’t to imply I’m not helping students or providing feedback; many of them simply sit down, and begin discussing their ideas immediately. Rather than criticizing or giving tips right away, I try to build on their ideas. I ask questions that prompt the students to think a little harder and dig a little deeper, no matter what the topic. As a writer, I have always found this type of exchange extremely beneficial. I enjoy bouncing ideas between people, even if I may not agree with all of them. This allows me to develop my own ideas in a new and inventive way.

During my relatively few consultations of going through this process, I hope to give writers confidence in their ideas. I hope to provide writers an outlet where they can express themselves in a welcoming environment. That’s always been beneficial for me, and I hope other RSU students feel the same after visiting the Writing Center. It’s an amazing feeling when I see that light bulb go off over a student’s head and they realize the potential in their individual ideas.

What I learned from my great high school English teacher has carried over here to tutoring: discussion is key. The free flow of ideas and feelings is so very important to the writing process. Peer review, class discussion, and, most importantly, genuine participation is what makes the writing process enjoyable and much easier. For those of you struggling with writing in any way, I would suggest coming to the Writing Center. We are more than happy to sit down and discuss whatever issue you have, no matter where you are in the writing process (brainstorming, first draft, editing, etc.) Our job is to help YOU realize your writing potential, and we take great pride in providing the means of doing so here at RSU. 

-Hayden

Everyday Thoughts from the Writing Center: Lessons Learned

A common misconception about tutoring services is that they are only for students who have minimal experience in the field (i.e. writing, science, math, etc.). Coming to the Writing Center for tutoring and requesting help can benefit every student from a first-year freshman to a fifth-year senior and beyond. After all, there are professional consulting firms all around the world that get paid the big bucks to assist businesses with major projects. My work thus far in the Writing Center has helped me understand how beneficial seeking advice can really be.

When I was hired to be a writing tutor for Rogers State, I had a general idea of what to expect. I knew I would be helping students with their papers; anything from brainstorming, to producing an outline, to helping with the perfect finishing touches. In many ways, I would be acting as a consultant. I also believed in that misconception that I would mostly be working with the freshman class. I couldn’t have been more wrong, and the variety of students I have encountered has taught me a valuable lesson. Everyone can use some help.

One of the first tutoring sessions I was involved with happened to be a senior working on capstone project. Obviously, this was much different than what I had expected. As it turns out, he was a really good writer. He was organized and had thought out his paper carefully. He said he had always had success with his writing assignments in other classes, but for whatever reason it simply wasn’t working out with this particular teacher. Of course, he was a little discouraged, but here he was seeking advice. It made me think about how I would have reacted if put in the same situation. As a senior myself, I sometimes think that I have everything figured out, and that my way is the right way. It is easy to get defensive of criticism, and I admired the way he was handling himself. He was open to suggestions and advice to make his paper better.

I realized that I can get so caught up in giving advice that I forget all of these resources are available for me too. I hope that after this experience I will utilize the many tutoring and learning services offered at the university more to make my future projects the best that they can be. Never be afraid to ask for help. I’ve learned that even the most experienced writers can benefit from another set of eyes. I can’t imagine a situation when seeking advice would fail to be beneficial. Just remember to go into it with an open mind!

Rogers State offers a variety of  tutoring services on campus and I encourage everyone to look into them. For more information on the Writing Center youcan click on this link. Do you have a busy schedule? We can also assist you online (via email, video chat, or instant messenger).

So, whether you have a hard time writing a grocery list, or are about to publish the next New York Times bestseller, a little help will never hurt!

Good luck!

Kali

Thinking about the Process

Timelapse Writing of a Research Paper

Last time I wrote, I blogged about being in process. You should know three things about the writing process if you don't already:

1. The writing process occurs in stages. 

Those stages include all the things you do in preparation to write, all the things you do as you write the lines/sentences, and all the things you do after you've written to tidy up and polish the work.

Earlier Stages                               Middle-ish Stages               Later Stages
Prewriting                                      Drafting                                 Revising/moving sections
Free writing                                   Filling out the outline               Proofreading
Outlining                                       Integrating evidence                Editing
Researching topic/audience            Peer review                            Fact-checking
Peer review                                                                                 Peer review

2. The writing process is not linear, which is to say that it doesn't happen one separate activity at a time. 

It's more cyclical, more messy.

For example, sometimes while I'm attempting to fill out my rough outline, I realize I need to do more research, so I return to that stage. Or, sometimes as I'm integrating evidence, I'll realize that my argument is just not working and needs to be tweaked, so I turn to free writing, prewriting, or outlining again to help me re-organize or re-think my argument.

3. Everyone's process is different. 

Every single writer's process is different. From the tasks that they find most helpful and rely on, to the environment and media they prefer to write in, to the order that they perform the tasks in, to their back-up plan if the regular process does not work--

every. writer's. writing. process. is. different.

Here's what good writers do: every good writer thinks about his/her writing process and makes an effort to figure out what works best. Good writers experiment with different writing activities.

Good writers aren't always the people with the natural talent for writing--more often, they are the people who think about their habits, who are conscious about what works and what doesn't.

Looking back at that last blog entry, I notice that my particular writing process is heavy up front. I spend most of my composing time gathering information and cycling between outlining and researching, as well as prewriting my thesis and topic sentences. I have to do these tasks together to do them efficiently. (This is me thinking about my writing habits.)

Happy writing,
Sara