Grace Archer

Grace is a senior from Newton, Massachusetts majoring in philosophy-neuroscience-psychology and minoring in music and American culture studies. On campus she enjoys being a member of the club softball team and volunteering with the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. In her free time, she loves to play music, eat brunch, do crosswords, and binge watch reality TV.

What brought you to The Writing Center?

I’ve always been interested in working with my peers and helping them out from an academic standpoint. Writing is such a versatile discipline and it seemed like a great way to learn a lot of valuable skills and get more involved.

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

I really love the opportunity to get to know writers through not only their work, but also conversations with them. Every session is so unique because no two pieces are ever the same. That being said, no matter what course the session takes, it’s always full of back-and-forth conversation, and I feel like I often come out the other side having learned just as much as the person I am working with.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

The hardest part of writing, for me, is starting. I often get super blocked and overwhelmed when it comes to starting an assignment. As a result, sometimes I write a bunch of different sections and end up working backwards! 

What advice do you have for writers?

Don’t let yourself get boxed into the “right” way of doing anything. Writing is such a dynamic process — there is no right or wrong way to do anything. Like I said before, sometimes I find the most success starting in the middle (or even at the end) and jumping around. When it comes to writing, start to finish is never a straight line, and it never has to be. Take your time and let it happen in whatever way feels right to you.