After reading the two chapters from the Peer Tutoring Guide, I thought a lot about my methods and what sort of checklist I go through in my head and through many of the strategies they mention. My addition to the strategy of planning and drafting is that I always start with two separate documents; one is a hard copy piece of paper where I scribble down thoughts and ideas in a paragraph format to figure out what it is I want to say for a specific part of my general assignment. The other is an online document where I have the broader categories of my particular project. For me, it is tough to take the specific assignment wording, say from an essay rubric or any writing rubric, and immediately know what is meaningful to me. Instead, I take my broader themes and write what I have gained through preliminary research or prior knowledge from the course ( such as notes, annotations, etc.) and sort through those first. Doing that gives me a more concise grasp on my end of the work, so I can take from my hard copy what jumps out.

Another strategy I didn’t see mentioned in this book but is something I implement for almost every writing assignment I do, is a hand-written copy first. The act of pen to paper lets my thoughts flow incredibly better than typing – and I know this isn’t true for everyone, so I will be mindful in tutoring sessions to mention it. I take that copy and write it up on a document. This allows me to notice where my ideas or research are lacking, how the transitions feel and gives me a new perspective on what I just wrote. For research, I do a combo of hand-written and typed or even taking direct quotes (sourcing right then as well) and writing immediately how I could use it, even if it’s just speculative.

I found these strategies helpful when writing longer, more in-depth academic assignments. If there isn’t a significant research component to my assignments and I am relying primarily on course materials already acquired, it is easier for me to jump right into my planning/drafting process by just re-reading my notes and other materials. My Human Traditions course with Prof. DefWolf, Women in the Ancient world, was where I really utilized all my strategies. It was a long Term paper where I had chosen the topic, done zillions of pages of notes, and organization was key. Having my research notes organized by topics and themes I had already decided on was amazingly beneficial. Then, when it came to drafting and planning, I had a clear foundation.

Feeling overwhelmed by all the information I want to get across in a specific manner is a challenge and feeling I get with most assignments. Not only is it a worry of time – although I am much better at time management when it comes to writing than even last year, it is also a worry of not missing out on a critical point/idea/theme. A big chunk of my writing process is taken up by preliminary organization to lessen that sense of “AH! I am swamped with information!”
What I hope to take with me into my tutoring sessions is the concept of not editing for the sake of the assignment or fixing for the sake of the assignment but to make sure that every question or discussion is aimed to try and help the writer understand how to go about reading, analyzing, and critiquing their own writing. It’s a new way of thinking for me as someone who is usually the worrier – but I want to ensure that I don’t imply that the only goal of our session is to get an A on this specific assignment. I hope it will be a way to work toward their methods and strategies for writing and to be confident that they all have the ability.