Often, student writers handicap themselves because they create a distorted vision of what it means to be a writer. I try to paint a different picture for them very early on in the class. When asked what they think a writer does, students usually talk of a person who gets an assignment, turns on his computer and is able to start writing. In fact, when a parent hears that his child received a writing assignment, his first response may be, "Well, turn on your computer and get started."