The Writing Studio at the University of South Florida can be
a place for all different types of writers to find help. Now, many think of our
space as the place to tighten up their papers, check grammar and make sure they
are following their assignments. That certainly happens. We work hard to make
sure a writer is getting the sort of help that they want/need. I find, however,
that sessions that talk about other issues tend to more rewarding, both for the
writer and the consultant.
A
writer came into the Studio a few weeks ago, and he needed a lot of help. He
had come in to the Studio as a walk-in the day before, received great advice,
and then returned with no progress. I spoke to the consultant from that prior
meeting, and he characterized this writer as “the most unprepared writer” he
had ever dealt with. I cannot disagree with that assessment. This writer (whom I
will call Donavan) had come back to school after a hiatus and found himself
struggling to writer papers. He felt totally out of place in the discourse
communities his teachers asked him to join. He wanted to succeed, and was not
afraid to ask for help. In talking about his writing issues, Donavan showed me
the text of his email communication with his professor. Donavan needed and
wanted help to succeed in this new chapter of his life.
As in a normal writing session, we talked through his goals for the session and his self-perceived issues. As we spoke, he took out his many sticky notes from the day before, and brought up the reading he had done at the prior consultant’s advice. The pieces were all laid out the day before, but there was just one thing missing: Donavan just could not get himself to write. He claimed that he just sat in front of a computer screen, feeling helpless, and could not type a single word. Everything he told me pointed to some pretty severe writer anxiety.
It was clear that Donavan needed to get some words on the page. At this time I took the opportunity to pool the resources around me. One of the other consultants had a lot of experience with free writing and I sought her advice on how to proceed. I asked Donavan to sit down at our computers. I kept all of his materials back at the consultation table, and asked him to start writing. At first he felt stupid, and every word took forever. At my colleague’s suggestion, I told Donavan to forget about the backspace button and just try to keep typing. After five minutes, Donavan really picked up his pace and after just ten minutes had gone by, he had typed two thirds of a page, single spaced, of his assignment.
The last twenty minutes of the session were spent talking about the work he had just done. I pointed out that once he had double spaced the lines and added in some transition sentences to connect some of his more itinerant thoughts, his paper would be nearly finished. He had only been free writing for 10 minutes. Donavan was a writer that had all the capacity he needed, but no confidence that his voice had something worth saying. He left the Writing Studio feeling immensely better than when he arrived.
This was one of the more unusual sessions I have conducted in my two months at the Studio. But I think it points to the broad utility of our space. We are a center devoted to improving writing and writers of all levels and genres. And we have the experience and expertise to help such diverse writers in many backgrounds of our different consultants. When I think back on this session, it stands as a reminder that each time I meet with a writer, it can be be a profound learning experience, even for students just interested in grammar.
By Andrew Hillen, MA in Rhetoric and Composition
As in a normal writing session, we talked through his goals for the session and his self-perceived issues. As we spoke, he took out his many sticky notes from the day before, and brought up the reading he had done at the prior consultant’s advice. The pieces were all laid out the day before, but there was just one thing missing: Donavan just could not get himself to write. He claimed that he just sat in front of a computer screen, feeling helpless, and could not type a single word. Everything he told me pointed to some pretty severe writer anxiety.
It was clear that Donavan needed to get some words on the page. At this time I took the opportunity to pool the resources around me. One of the other consultants had a lot of experience with free writing and I sought her advice on how to proceed. I asked Donavan to sit down at our computers. I kept all of his materials back at the consultation table, and asked him to start writing. At first he felt stupid, and every word took forever. At my colleague’s suggestion, I told Donavan to forget about the backspace button and just try to keep typing. After five minutes, Donavan really picked up his pace and after just ten minutes had gone by, he had typed two thirds of a page, single spaced, of his assignment.
The last twenty minutes of the session were spent talking about the work he had just done. I pointed out that once he had double spaced the lines and added in some transition sentences to connect some of his more itinerant thoughts, his paper would be nearly finished. He had only been free writing for 10 minutes. Donavan was a writer that had all the capacity he needed, but no confidence that his voice had something worth saying. He left the Writing Studio feeling immensely better than when he arrived.
This was one of the more unusual sessions I have conducted in my two months at the Studio. But I think it points to the broad utility of our space. We are a center devoted to improving writing and writers of all levels and genres. And we have the experience and expertise to help such diverse writers in many backgrounds of our different consultants. When I think back on this session, it stands as a reminder that each time I meet with a writer, it can be be a profound learning experience, even for students just interested in grammar.
By Andrew Hillen, MA in Rhetoric and Composition
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