This post was written by undergraduate writing consultant Jacquelyn Franz.
During my first appointment at the writing center, I overheard two consultants engaged in an intense discussion about Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series and how it was proof that stories as old as ancient Greece still held relevance for a modern audience. At the time I was a freshman, and I was craving conversations that extended beyond the shallow “Where are you from?” and “What’s your major?” The writing center offered exactly that: it is staffed with intelligent, curious, and creative people who remain some of the best conversationalists I know. My time at the writing center has improved my own writing and taught me the value of collaboration with other writers.
In the spring of my freshman year, I emailed the writing center to ask for a job. I started with “Good afternoon,” and proceeded to write a horribly formal paragraph inquiring into their application process. It seemed like a long shot, but I got a reply telling me that although the writing center was not looking for new consultants, they would keep me on the list of interested applicants in case something opened up. Luckily, something did, and I started working as an Office Assistant (or OA) my sophomore year. It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but it opened the doors to the incredible community of faculty and students who work at the writing center.
I ended up loving my job as an OA. From my perch behind the raised desk, I had the perfect overview of the activity in the writing center. I met new writers who came in nervous about their first-ever college essay, and chatted with consultants stopping by for a Jolly Rancher from the candy bowl. I had thought that as an OA I wouldn’t mingle much with the consultants, but the front desk was a conversational magnet. We talked about topics ranging from Virginia Woolfe to debates over whose hands you would trade for your own, if you could get all the skills and abilities of those hands (I would want the hands of someone who could sketch professionally, while others wanted to play piano or to have Iron Man’s hand blasters).
When I wasn’t talking with the other consultants or checking clients in, I was doing homework and listening to sessions going on in the background. In snippets of interaction between students and consultants, I discovered the diverse variation in technique that each consultant takes in an appointment. Although the sessions were structured similarly, no two were the same. Every consultant asked different questions to connect with their students, and even the same consultant would switch strategies based on the personality of the writer they were helping. When I originally applied to work at the writing center I had no comprehension of the intricacies or complexities that came with tutoring writing. It isn’t a subject like math that has an objectively correct, one-size-fits-all answer. It’s a practice that takes time and careful explanation to understand and to put into use. Rather than dissuade me from tutoring, this new insight encouraged my desire to work as a consultant. I applied to be a consultant as my sophomore year drew to a close.
Although I didn’t take the class that teaches how to tutor writing, my work in other writing classes and my time working in the center as an OA gave me the tools I needed to train as a consultant at the start of my junior year. Coming back to the writing center after summer break felt less like work and more like a reunion with friends. The familiar faces made it easy to transition from working as an OA to working one-on-one with writers in a session. Throughout my training, the experienced consultants were invaluable in providing advice and assistance to help me feel equipped to lead a session. I don’t know if anyone ever feels completely prepared for an appointment – there’s always a degree of unpredictability based on the person who comes in and the project they bring with them. Despite my fears, the other consultants reassured me that I was capable enough to do my job well, even when I didn’t have all the answers.
In my short time as a consultant so far, I’ve grown to appreciate the multi-faceted nature of writing center work as well as the incredible talent of my coworkers. Tutoring a peer on their writing involves quick thinking and intense interpersonal communication in order to tailor the session to the needs of the writer. Sessions require both mental energy to tackle the academic requirements of a project and social energy to form a collaborative environment with a writer. Difficult sessions emerge when the writer is unwilling to contribute to the conversation about their work, or when their own energy is drained and you need to find ways to draw it out. In a good session, the writer brings a genuine interest and a willingness to work with the consultant that creates an energizing and productive collaborative environment. The good sessions more than make up for the difficult ones, and both build my confidence in my own writing and help me develop important interpersonal skills for my future.
My work at the writing center helps connect me with the purpose of writing as a form of connection with other people. In a collaborative environment like the writing center, people are central to the process of writing, whether that means conversations with other writers or sessions spent helping a peer learn how to write well. Contrary to the popular image of a writer holed up in a darkened room, typing away for hours at a time, writing is not a solitary practice. The best writing is done in community, and the writing center fosters a healthy collaborative environment to encourage writers to work together.
