Yesterday, a student working on a process paragraph showed me her work. It was about how she planned to study for her first math test. I asked her about one of the steps, the one where she comes into the Learning Center to work with a tutor. Specifically, I asked her what she did with the tutor.
She told me she didn't actually come in, that she planned to do that, but didn't make it because of her schedule. I advised her as I always advise people in this situation: Tell the truth.
I asked about details when she had none. I told her that telling the truth bases your paper on facts that can be used for evidence when necessary, when someone like, say, a Writing tutor asks for more detail. I informed her that her teacher might ask her about it and she might end up not being able to answer her teacher, which is not a good thing.
For some reason, sometimes people come to me for advice, but elect not to take it*.
She left the imaginary meeting with a tutor in her paragraph and emailed it to her teacher. Her teacher's reply said that she did not have enough detail in the section where she discusses visiting the tutor. The teacher would like more details from a meeting that never happened.
Tell the truth!
*Like the guy who is just now taking my advice to move on to drafting his second paragraph--he already told me what it's going to be about--instead of spending the rest of the morning tinkering with his first paragraph. He's already spent a good hour on it, and I told him more than once to move on and get the rest of the paper drafted.
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