Emma Gerber

Emma is a junior from Cleveland, Ohio, studying Global Studies and French, with a minor in creative writing. Outside of The Writing Center, you can find her singing with her a cappella group (The Sensasians!), combing through archives for her historical research, or falling down wikipedia rabbit holes in Olin while she should be studying. Her passions include cooking for her friends, discovering new music, and getting lost in Ikea. 

What brought you to The Writing Center?

I have always loved helping people with their writing. I very distinctly remember some of my classmates in eighth grade asking me to read their final essays; I immediately fell in love with reading people’s work and helping them find and refine their voice. I have been helping my friends with their essays ever since, and so working at the writing center felt like a really perfect fit for me. 

What do you like about working with writers in The Writing Center?

I love seeing the diverse range of essays that writers are working on. I have read about so many interesting topics that I never would not have discovered without reading my peers’ writing. I also love seeing the different ways each writer expresses themselves and their ideas. I truly learn so much from every writer, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to work with them!

What challenges you most about writing?

I have a really hard time starting a piece of writing unless I feel like I have “the perfect idea”. I never want to feel like I am starting on the wrong foot. Over time, I have learned that the “perfect idea” doesn’t exist, and I just have to start somewhere. I have also found it helpful to start with any paragraph that I have an idea for, whether it is the conclusion or the introduction or something in between. 

What advice do you have for writers?

Try to detach your creative inner voice from your self-critical inner voice. Both can be helpful, but they are best used separately. When drafting essays, I am very conscious to push my self-critical voice to the back of my mind. But when editing essays, it can be totally okay to let that critical voice take the lead!