By Emily Tomusko
“Well, I’m a really bad writer.” It’d be silly to even try to ascribe a name to that phrase; in my time as a Writing Center consultant and freshmen composition instructor, I’ve heard it more times than I can count. Freshmen, seniors, English majors, Biology students, even myself and my fellow graduate students have uttered those words at some point or another. There’s nothing more disheartening than when one of your students or shy consultees gives themselves the “Bad Writer” award (plus, freshmen year Emily already claimed it, so back off). Partially because they’re going to have to write in some capacity for the rest of their lives whether they like it or not, and partially because I don’t think bad writers really even exist. I think we’re all just learning writers, and that learning process never really ends.
Think about it: you’re always writing for a different course, a different professor, a different audience. You’re always writing different kinds of papers. In your college career, you’ll write lab reports, literary analyses, business reports, and you’ll be writing those different papers at different levels: a freshmen level, a sophomore level, a graduate level. While thinking of it this way may be enough to overwhelm you more than your college career already has, this should make you hopeful. Your writing process isn’t static, and as you learn to write different types of papers in various disciplines, your writing will only become stronger and more competent. In other words, getting a C on your first paper of the semester isn’t going to kill your chances at that summer internship, and it definitely doesn’t mean you’re a dummy.
However, I can understand why it might feel that way, since I remember exactly where I was when I got my first C on a college paper: sitting in my freshman composition classroom, wondering how I’d even gotten into college in the first place. This is hilarious, because forty minutes before I had been strutting around campus, marveling at my new “adult” life as an 18 year old away from home. Man, I was so cool. I thought I knew it all; myself and my AP English classes in one corner, freshmen composition in the other, ready to battle it out (with myself coming out on top, obviously). When I saw that C, freshmen composition had adequately overtaken my AP English background, given me a wedgie, and the referee was shaking freshmen comp’s risen hand over my weeping pride. I thought it was the end of the world.
Which it obviously wasn’t. I knew how to write at a high school level, and now I was learning to write at a college one. And guess what: the same process happened to me when I started graduate school. You’re not expected to know it all right off the bat. You’re just expected to keep trying and keep learning. So talk to your professors. Talk to your Writing Center consultant (shameless plug!). We’re all taking this a step at a time, so try not to sweat the small stuff, and let’s learn together.
The Writing Center 