Fiction VS Reality: Fictional Characters in the Coe Writing Center
by Maggie Preuss
There are many traits that make up a good writing center consultant. One needs to be a good conversationalist, kind, adaptive, confident in their knowledge, a good listener, and willing to help. Most, if not all, of these traits are in every writing center consultant at Coe--we get selected based off these!
While these traits are seen in our consultants, they can also be seen in others--even fictional characters! There are many characters from books, television shows, and movies that our consultants think would make a good fit for the Coe Writing Center. I went around and interviewed a few of my fellow consultants and asked them what traits they think make a good writing center consultant, what fictional character they think would be a good fit for the writing center, and if this character would have any downsides.
Lorelai Gilmore: adaptable and a conversationalist
 |
Lorelai Gilmore, a protagonist in the popular TV show Gilmore Girls drinking coffee at a diner. |
The first person I interviewed was Peyton Bryson. She believes that a good consultant needs to be "adaptable" and "good at talking and making people feel comfortable and a good listener." She feels like Lorelai Gilmore from the TV show Gilmore Girls embodies these traits. She states, "I think Lorelai Gilmore would be a good fit because she's really good at talking and listening; and she just has fun conversations." However, Peyton is concerned that she might talk too fast--"she talks at a million words a minute"--which could make it difficult for writers to process her feedback.
Hermione Granger: intelligent and caring
 |
| Hermione Granger reading in the Hogwarts Library. |
Next, I interviewed Maggie Strupp, where I asked her the same three questions. Her answers were fairly different from Peyton's. She believes confidence, specifically confidence in your own knowledge, being able to approach conferences with an open mind, and having the ability to admit when you are wrong are the traits that make a good consultant. As for what fictional character would be a good consultant, she believes Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter book series would be a great fit.
Maggie thinks this is an "obvious" answer because Hermione is known for her intelligence and caring about school. Maggie thinks she would know all the grammar rules and have knowledge on every subject. Maggie also mentions that "she cares about her friends and helping those people out" so she would care about her peers and be helpful in conferences. Even though Hermione Granger has many positive traits, Maggie thinks she is kind of "arrogant" and would have to learn to accept when she's wrong and "communicate with people in a way that doesn't sound condescending."
Dr. Robotnik: the comedian
 |
| Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik in Paramount's 2020 film of Sonic the Hedgehog. |
When interviewing Jay Denning, I thought he had an interesting answer for which fictional character would be a good fit for the Coe Writing Center. He thinks Dr. Robotnik from the 2020 version of Sonic the Hedgehog, specifically played by Jim Carrey, would make a good consultant, or at least interesting, consultant. He thinks he would be "hilarious" and very honest during conferences.
He does think he would have a problem with making fun of writers, which he admitted doesn't necessarily go along with a trait to him that makes a good consultant: "It's important to have the basic ability to express a lot of empathy with somebody's writing to try and connect with somebody and understand them." Regardless of this, he thinks Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik would be able to give good feedback in a hilarious way and that as long as it's funny enough, "you wouldn't be mad about it because he'd be funny."
Uniqua: persistent and positive
 |
| Uniqua from The Backyardigans delivering the pizza Kyra described in the episode Chicken Itza Pizza. |
Lastly, Kyra thinks people who are good conversationalists, can "put a positive spin on harsh feedback," and are imaginative make good consultants. She thinks Uniqua from The Backyardigans would demonstrate these qualities well. Kyra describes Uniqua as very persistent and positive; if she encounters a problem she's always like, "It's okay, let's try again. Or if a bad thing happens, she's like, we can get through this."
Kyra explains a specific episode where Uniqua is imaginative and can problem solve. Uniqua was supposed to deliver pizza with Pablo, but they only had one bike. She became a good problem solver and stayed positive throughout, saying they could take a tandem bike. Kyra thinks that is "a very writing center thing of everything is going wrong, but this is my end goal, and I have to stick it out until they get their pizza."
Even though Uniqua is a good problem solver, Kyra thinks she would be a bit "annoying." Kyra believes she would get the job done and be helpful but maybe wouldn't be the most enjoyable to work with. "I do think she would do a good job, but it would be a little bit like, 'oh Uniqua is working today'. She's the person you would want to go to for a conference, but not the person you would want to have a shift with."
If you would like to know a little bit more about each character and judge for yourself if you think they would make a good Coe Writing Center Consultant, here are their descriptions!
Lorelai Gilmore: Lorelai Gilmore | Gilmore Girls Wiki | Fandom
Hermione Granger: Hermione Granger | Harry Potter Wiki | Fandom
Dr. Robotnik: Doctor Ivo Robotnik (Paramount) | Sonic Wiki Zone | Fandom
Comments
Post a Comment