Seeing a consultant at several points while doing a paper means that the writer begins work early and gives ideas time to develop, rather than jamming the entire composing process into one marathon session the night before the due date. Writing is social. Peer consultants are ideal readers, because they can explain where they get lost, where they become bored or frustrated, what they want to hear more about. They can also check the assignment and make sure the draft meets all specifications. Because writers understand their own ideas perfectly, they assume the ideas have been transmitted to paper, even when they haven't.
Writing is self-taught.
Sessions like this are hard work for writers, so they teach themselves more than students who try to produce a paper alone. Of course, some writers may come to the Writing Center hoping you will do the work for them, but there are many ways to sidestep this fatal error. Just as you are not a teacher, you are not the author of the paper, and you must keep ownership and responsibility squarely on the writer's shoulders. Rather than lecturing, I will share a seminar-style format with you. There is no midterm or final exam.