Bryn Mawr College

Where is your favorite place to write on campus? Uncommon Grounds. Is it my favorite? Yes. Most productive? Not so much.
If you could be any type of food, what would you be? A slab of Mast Brothers Artisanal Chocolate
Which word do you overuse? "Indicative."

Elizabeth Wiseman
Linguistics and Language

Where is your favorite place to write on campus? Taft Garden in the spring with my feet dangling into the water
Which word do you overuse? "Curmudgeon."
What are your writing essentials? Prewriting -- I have to understand my purpose for any piece of writing before I start forming sentences.

Emily Adams
English / minors in Spanish and Russian
What is the best advice you have received about writing? You don't have to write in any particular order. I always write my introduction last, so I can clearly see the direction the paper has taken. Some people start at the end and work backwards. Some people start in the middle. Do a little experimenting and see what works best for you!
How do you procrastinate? I make elaborate to-do lists and/or watch terrible reality television on YouTube.
What are your writing essentials? Blank paper, black tea, colored pens, Songza, and a thesaurus.

Hannah Ryles
Pre-Med / Psychology with NBS concentration

How do you procrastinate, when you write for a paper? By cleaning my room, showering, going to the gym, or doing other "productive" things.
What are your writing essentials? A quiet space, energizing snacks, and a clear head.
If you could be any type of food, what would you be? I'd either be birthday cake and ice cream, because I love it so very much, or ants so hardly anyone would eat me.

What is your least favorite film adaptation of a book? Dune, The Other Boleyn Girl
What inspires you to write? I get inspired to write sometimes if I hear a certain song that makes me feel creative or I see a scene in my mind that I need to put down on paper. Or, if someone says a certain phrase or a sentence.
Who is your most despised literary villain? Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter, Joffery Baratheon from A Song of Fire and Ice.

Sociology

What is the best advice you have received about writing? Your mind is like a vending machine -- just get everything on paper. Eventually, the bad stuff will fall away and the good stuff will be revealed.
If you could be any type of food, what would you be? A chocolate covered strawberry or a cup of tea with milk
What are your writing essentials? iTunes and iced tea!

Hema Surendranathan
English

If you could be any type of food, what would you be? I would definitely not be licorice.
How do you procrastinate? I read food blogs or plan my dream gastronomical adventure on Yelp.
What is the best advice you have received about writing? Nothing good comes easy.

Jennifer Lopatin
English

Which word do you overuse? "Thus"
How do you procrastinate? Of my many methods, my preferred ones are doing readings for other classes and surfing the Internet. Mostly the latter.
If you could live a day in the life of one author, who would it be? Shakespeare! Or whoever wrote the "Cattle Raid of Cooley."

Joey Yockey
Political Science and East Asian Studies

Where is your favorite place to write on campus? Dalton's exposed glass stairway.
How do you procrastinate? By watching Gilmore Girls with Eva Bednarczyk.
If you could live a day in the life of one author, who would it be? Shakespeare. 

Kaity Nordhoff
Anthropology
How do you procrastinate? I stare into space for prolonged stretches of time and munch on tic tacs, convincing myself that after just one more mint I will definitely be ready to write.
If you could be any type of food, what would you be? A wedge of Point Reyes blue cheese
What are your writing essentials? Sweatpants, green tea, and a marathon of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” as my light at the end of the tunnel

Kimberly DeRosa Philosophy

Who is your most despised literary villain? Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper from Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
If you could live a day in the life of one author, whose life would it be? Jack London. His passion for adventure, nature, literature, and for "using his time" to the fullest was admirable.
What are your writing essentials? Pens in red, blue, and black, highlighters, and a stack of blank printer paper.

Maddie Rosen

Pre-Med / Chemistry with Biochemistry concentration

What is the best advice you have received about writing? On writer's block: It's perfectly ok and many times necessary and productive to step away from your writing for a while. It's important to be able to look at your writing with a new, fresh perspective.
How do you procrastinate? Either by watching reality tv or reading a book for pleasure.
What are you writing essentials? A colorful pen and a piece of paper. Though it may seem old-fashioned, I always begin writing on paper. For me, there's just something magical and exciting about scribbling down your ideas rather than typing them.

Mary Encabo
East Asian Studies / Education minor

What is the best advice you have received about writing?
 The only way to improve is to keep writing. Worry about the mistakes later.
If you could be any type of food, what would you be? Mango.
What are your writing essentials? Laptop, music and a well-lit room

Meghna Singh
English and Film

Where is your favorite place to write on campus? Canaday's 24-hour lab, where you'll find caffeine and conversation await you only a few doors away!
How do you procrastinate? With hours spent over the Times' crossword and a cup of tea in Haffner, or a round of "Arrested Development."
What are your writing essentials? A sharpened pencil and scraps of paper, comfy headphones and Grooveshark, and the beginnings of a first line: I can't ever sit down to write a paper without that first line.

Michelle Dearolf
Biology / Child and Family Study minor

What is the best advice you have received about writing?
If you don’t know where to start, take 10 minutes and just write. Don’t edit anything. Just write whatever comes to mind.
If you could be any type of food, what would you be? Chocolate
If you could live a day in the life of one author, whose life would it be? John Green

Mikayla Holland
Comparative Literature and Russian

Where is your favorite place to write on campus? I like to lock myself up in Carpenter for a few hours. I'm always more productive if I leave my room.
Which word do you overuse? "Demonstrates."
If you could live a day in the life of one author, whose life would it be? Neil Gaiman. I'd love to be inside his head for a day, and I'd be married to Amanda Palmer as a bonus!

What is the best advice you have received about writing?
ALWAYS, always, AlWaYs pre-write. I like planning things out and fleshing out my ideas before I write. It helps a ton. Oh, and PEE. (Point, evidence, and explanation) I PEE all day, everyday.
What inspires you to write? An interesting topic. Rejection. An intellectual conversation. Heartache. A lot of uncontrollable emotions. Good coffee. Yes, I'm fully aware that I am a walking stereotype.
What are your writing essentials? I need a bunch of colorful pens and paper (or really, anything to scribble on), my trusty MacBook, copious amounts of coffee, the newest addition to my digital tool family: my iPad, and a rigid time frame.

Mowie Freeman
Religion

If you could live a day in the life of one author, whose life would it be? Mary Oliver. I would love to see the places that she walks to.
How do you procrastinate? I make detailed to-do lists.
What is the best advice you have received about writing? Use section headings when drafting a long paper.

What inspires you to write? Deadlines!
Which word do you overuse? "Just." It's just too useful!
What are your writing essentials? Yellow legal pad (for doodling), snacks (preferably something high in carbohydrates), pajama pants.
If you could live a day in the life of one author, whose life would it be? Margaret Atwood. There's nothing I would like more than to understand how she sees the world and finds inspiration to bring her characters to life.

What is the best advice you have received about writing? Sometimes you simply have to start writing to figure out what you truly want to write about.
Which word do you overuse? "Thus"
If you could live a day in the life of one author, whose life would it be? C.S. Lewis

Rachel Kutten
Sociology / English minor

What is the best advice you have received about writing?
Your piece doesn't have to be perfect the first time. You can free-write!
Who is your most despised literary villain? Dolores Umbridge
Which word do you overuse? "Convey"

Where is your favorite place to write on campus? The Quita Woodward Room.
Which word do you overuse? "Essentially"
What are your writing essentials? Music, a comfy chair, and bright lights.

What is the best advice you have received about writing? Just keep writing; keep going. Sometimes a lot of junk has to come through your hand before you get something good.
Which word do you overuse? "Perhaps." I may be that word's biggest fan, and not in a good way.
How do you procrastinate? One word: Youtube.

Amy Chapman, M.S. Ed. in TESOL