Myths about the Writing Center

Myth:

The Writing Center "cleans up," "fixes," or proofreads my papers before I submit them—I can drop off my paper, come back later, and it will be corrected. Or, the Writing Center doesn't proofread. 

Reality:

The Writing Center's philosophy is that writers can best improve their writing by receiving feedback from their readers in real-time; this process extends to proofreading. So, long story short: we proofread! And when we proofread, we do it together.

Myth:

I have to have a draft written in order to use the Writing Center. 

Reality:

You don't have to have a draft written. You can come in to talk about your ideas. 

Myth:

The Writing Center will make my writing perfect/ the Writing Center will make my faculty like my writing.

Reality:

While we don't believe in "perfect writing," we do believe that every writer has areas where they can learn and grow. If your goal is to achieve proficiency in college-level academic writing, we can support you in that. If your goal is to navigate your process as an experimental poet, we can help you with that. If your goal is to write a letter to a friend back home, or a toast for your sibling's wedding, we'll support you in doing that! As for making your faculty like your writing, this can require communication between you and your faculty to make sure you have a clear understanding of their expectations. And if your goal is to meet their expectations, we can support you in that!

Myth:

Writing Center tutors will try to standardize all voices to become "academic" or "professional."

Reality: As stated in Reality #4, writing tutors want to meet you where you are at. We believe it is important to respect how dynamic language is. Languages are fluid and ever-changing, and how we use our language(s) always reflects who we are as people. No one person, institution, or culture's standard is the only way to write or speak. Our respect for your unique voice is a big part of why our sessions are centered around your goals. Whether you want to master a standard, break a standard, or simply focus on your own expressivity or process, we can support you. Lead the way!

Myth:

Writing tutors must possess all knowledge about writing.

Reality:

No one knows everything about writing. If a tutor doesn't know the answer to a question, they can still be a great tutor. For example, we don't require our tutors to memorize MLA citation styles, but they are quick to find resources to help you get your citations done well. They will work with you to figure it out by checking out our bookshelf, handouts, and online resources, and sometimes by checking in with other tutors or a reference librarian. 

Myth:

Writing tutors wouldn't want to work on my graphic novel/genre fiction/personal letter/cover letter.

Reality:

If you have a specific interest, you can ask about our tutors' specialties to find a tutor who is particularly knowledgeable or excited about a subject or genre. At the same time, our sessions are designed so that most tutors can help with most types of writing. Our tutors' main focus is on you and your goals. 

Myth: 

All I have to do is bring in my paper right before it's due and that will produce significant improvements to my work.

Reality: If you bring in a paper an hour before it is due, you won't have much time to incorporate the changes you decided to make during the tutoring session. To really improve your work, you might need to learn how long it takes you to revise a draft. (Note: This topic of what revision looks like to you is a great one for a tutoring session!) While you may not have time to bring every piece to the Writing Center, we strongly encourage you to build the Writing Center into your writing process for those specific pieces and assignments that are important to you. Make a session a few days or a few weeks before your project is due to allow ample time to reflect and revise.

Myth: 

Tutors get information from my faculty about my assignments/the material in my program.

Reality:

Tutors depend on writers to inform them about their assignment and whatever reading was necessary for that assignment; as peer-tutors, they are students like you and only do assignments and readings required for their own classes. Bringing a written copy of the prompt or instructions from your faculty can be a good idea. Tutors may be able to use their prior experiences as writers and as Evergreen students to help understand a prompt or assignment and identify choices about how a writer could express themselves within or beyond academic constraints.