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An Interview With Jessica Barron, Writing Tutor

The Walden University Writing Center is expanding. In the past few months, in fact, we've added five new tutors and editors to better serve the student population. And we are now assisting undergraduates as well as master's and doctoral level scholars. To keep our services personal during this time of change, we're presenting a series of blog posts about our writing consultants--both tutors and editors. Here they talk about their favorite words, books, and writing techniques. In this particular installment, Tutor Jessica Barron, a native of Minnesota, lets loose.

Jessica, what is your favorite...

word in the English language?
Currently, I enjoy the word prowess, though I can rarely find a sentence in which to use it properly. I am also a fan of all homophones.

foreign language word?
I love the Japanese word oishii, which means “delicious.” Whenever I hear it, I know that either I or someone nearby is eating something scrumptious.

first line from a novel?
I can’t think of one – suggestions other than anything from the Harry Potter novels?

last line from a novel?
My favorite novel’s conclusion is George Orwell’s (1949) last line of 1984: “He loved Big Brother.” The book could not end in any other way, but rereading that line still makes me so sad.

author?
My favorite author would be a tie between David Sedaris, Kurt Vonnegut, and Tennessee Williams. Their styles and genres are so varied that my mood depicts whom I enjoy reading on a particular day.

thing to do while writing?
When I write, I always need a beverage (typically sparkling water) and white noise. I can block out anything when I get in a writing groove, though a fan is usually less distracting than a Law & Order marathon.

topic to write about?
I love to write about myself. It’s a topic I know well, and it’s always fun to pretend to be an outsider to experiences that were so personal.

writing rule to discuss with students?
The thing that I enjoy discussing with students the most is variety: word choice, sentence structure, and overall format. We all can get comfortable with one style of writing, and it’s fun to help students become aware of their favorite.

writing location?
My parents’ old library table that I use as a desk.

proofreader?
My husband. He forces me not to get too attached to any piece of text.

For complete bios of the tutors and editors, head to the About Us page of our website. To make an appointment for a paper review with Jessica or another tutor, see our Tutoring Center page.