Providing a complex representation of a beginning writing tutor's role, this monograph, written as a journal, was drawn from a tutor's own perceptions and those of her students. While refinement of composition skills frames the entire narrative, the day-by-day record of the tutor's first quarter also emphasizes such skills as goal setting, effective questioning, and motivating students to become self-confident learners. The appendix includes information sheets given to students and tutors at the Writing Center, Student Learning Center at the University of California, Berkeley; the sheets deal with how to get the most out of tutoring, goal setting for writing tutors, the goal-setting process, and how to avoid doing a student's homework. A measure of student tutoring style, a personal checklist of tutoring skills, and an instructor's guide to marking symbols and grammatical terms are also included in the appendix. (HOD)