Writing Under The Influence.

This morning I came into my chemistry class early (a rarity, indeed) and overheard one of my classmates telling our professor that she had just came from handing in a heavily weighted mid-term paper for one of her classes. She highlighted what the prompt was, and described the stance she took in her paper. The only problem was, as she described, "It's not really my opinion, but my professor made it clear once that that is how she feels about the whole issue, and I probably will get in her good graces for supporting her stance."

My chemistry professor proceeded to advise her that, usually, that is not the best approach towards a writing assignment. However, listening to their verbal exchange made me remember how, for some time now, I have been wondering if there is really such thing as an authentic "writer's voice" in academia.

I must admit, many times when I sit down to write a paper, I think of what my professor wants to hear and they way they want to hear it. A lot of times, it is not my opinion that I am arguing, but the one that I think will garner the best feedback and the best grade. However, this idea has sometimes backfired on me. This is because I came to realize that you cannot truly argue a point wholeheartedly in a piece of writing if you simply don't agree with that stance. And also, many readers can tell if a person does not truly "believe" what they are writing.

So, as a writing consultant, what if I pick up on this same trend in a student's writing? I wonder if it would be appropriate for me to ask their personal opinion in regards to the essay prompt, and encourage them to write about their true stance, instead of writing "under the influence."