Division Day.

Going into this article analysis paper, I am trying to get a handle on where I am as a consultant in general. The first half of this semester was complete blur, wisps of smoke and then...bam!...midterms. I have barely caught up to the fact that I started going BACK TO SCHOOL last spring, and now I am finding myself in the middle of plotting out an actual "American-Family-Approved" future. It's an odd place to be, considering the ground oddity that was my life for the previous 24 years. Growing up in a city of 4 million, in a world where anonymity is part of the game, it has been a real trip to move to a significantly less populated area, shedding my old new world for a cozy new one. Although I miss the nomadic revelry which characterized the ages of 18-22 for me, I am quite excited to be grounded with a wife, a bunch of good friends, and a chance to really "focus" on what I want for a change. This comfort and ease is something I am attempting to parlay into my work in the Center. The one thing I have heard a lot this semester is a variation of this quote; "I was afraid that I was going to be working with someone really 'stuck up'. I'm glad you turned out to be a real person." I have heard this several times, and each time it makes me feel more resolute in what I am trying to do. I am not the most technically sound writer by any means. I struggle with flying off in random directions at most points of my composition process. Yet, I feel with the varied lives I have led over my short lifespan, my appreciation for the here and now resonates with most of the writers I work with, helping both parties relax and attack the writing process with a bit more confidence.
In this spirit, I am on the lookout for great Writing Center literature on "anti-structuralism," in regards to consulting session structure. I honestly feel I work best flying by the seat of my pants, going into each session with a bit of the wide-eyed crazies going on. Writing can be a brutal, archaic, desolate process, and when you put to much emphasis on how to build a session, you forget that you are dealing with an actual human who is just looking for a measure of help. My life as a salesman has taught me many major lessons, yet one thing has always come up roses for me. You NEED to be able to tailor the pitch to the customer, rather than hoping your style will fit with an assumed "majority." Maybe it makes me a bit schizophrenic, yet I never have really copped to having an actual personality structure. I change so much, and adapt as best as I can, in order to attack each situation differently. I am obsessed with self-actualization, and this attention to internal detail is what helps me the most in the Center. Structuring a session is one thing. Restructuring your perspective to make each session work on their own accord, is an entirely different beast.