Q: At what point does a consultant step back and let the student take the reins?
A: At the moment they enter the session.
We, as writing consultants, are often expected by graduate students to be their editors. We cannot let ourselves fall into this trap. This will not help these students grow to be the writers they feel like they should be or help them accomplish their goal of completing a thesis, project, or dissertation. The primary issue being addressed here is that we may find ourselves so comfortable with our students that we can sometimes forget that they are the ones who are doing the writing. How do we avoid this predicament?
Perhaps the answer to this question can be summed up in one word—listen.
In my three years of experience as a Graduate Writing Consultant I have found that when I’ve been listening too much to my own voice, during a consultation, I know I must immediately stop talking. At this point, we, as consultants, need to stop and ask them how they would go about fixing the sentence, or paragraph, or entire first chapter. We are not the end-all-be-all and, on top of that, I’ve found that the students, with whom I’ve worked, often have a more interesting voice than my own. All writing consultants, and/or tutors, should stop themselves if they have talked longer than 10 seconds and ask questions that lead the students to their own conclusions, which will give them time to have their own moment of realization. I have found that these pauses are very important.
On a personal note, I was rarely given my own amount time to think and come up with my way of learning/retaining information. This was often the case as a high school student and especially as an undergrad. I didn’t figure out how to solve mathematical equations on my own until I took the CBEST test. I had a moment of realization during that seemingly unending time frame when I suddenly learned my way to solve math problems—by drawing. All students have subjects with which they struggle. When it comes to writing, I find myself comfortable. Yes, I may know how to construct a sentence, but how can I help a person who is uncomfortable with the written word become comfortable? They need a guide to help them find their way of writing.
One way of teaching a child to swim is to throw them into a body of water without telling them what to do. This may seem sudden and cruel, but the child has seen the water, has probably seen others swim, is probably being thrown in by a person with whom she/he is familiar, etc. The child, mid-air, is subconsciously evaluating the situation, and is 
searching their biological instincts to find a way to survive the experience. They also trust that, if they fail, they will be saved. Throw the student in, but be there to save them from drowning. Grammar, logical continuity, syntax, research, outlining, the drafting process, and other processes have been a part of every graduate student’s life at some point—this is their pool of water. They may not have the vocabulary to explain these things and they may not know how to explain the functions of language on the page—they may not know that they already know how to swim—but they have been exposed enough to paddle their way to safety.
Students often get caught up in sounding scholarly. When encountering this, try to ask them, “How would you write this sentence?” Often, after they have let go of that Jiminy Cricket on their shoulder who is telling them that they need to write to a scholarly audience, they dismantle the facade and rewrite the sentence in their own authoritative voice. These students haven’t quite learned that they have already become the scholars and they definitely do not trust themselves. How do we show them how to trust themselves? We ask them to explain the subject in their own words. We should listen, ask, and then listen again. They have the tools and a constructivist approach would assume that they would find their way. A consultant should say “there is the pool,” throw them, in and be the “life jacket” in case the student flounders. Nine times out of 10, the student will find their way toward a clear, scholarly, voice that belongs to them.
Ronald Dzerigian
fresno state graduate writing studio 