Anybody can learn to write, but enjoying it may take a little more effort. To make the process of writing more enjoyable, sophomore Kenny Christianson established the Creative Writing Club to inspire others to write. To Christianson, the act of writing is similar to art and allows one to express themselves in various styles. “You can’t really fail. It’s an art form, so there are so many different types of creative writing. There’s fanfiction, poetry, writing scripts and writing stories,” she said.

    Writing is a skill, and to improve any type of ability one must practice. In her handout for the parents at “Back to School Night,” English teacher and Creative Writing Club advisor Elizabeth Marymee agrees. “Each student faces their own challenges in his or her abilities…” she writes in the handout. “Many drafts and attempts are necessary to master these set of skills.”

    Writing with others can make it a more enjoyable process. Christianson realized this firsthand. She was introduced to creative writing at a young age when she and her cousin worked on writing a book. “[It] would be a couple sentences [on] a page with pictures … It was really fun.” At the end of her freshman year, she thought about starting a club.  After all, wouldn’t it be more fun to practice with others?

    Christianson feels that her creative motivation flows more freely when there are other people around to share this passion. “I feel more inspired when there are other creative writers around [and] when I can bounce other ideas off of other people, so I wanted to create the club so that we could all come together and have a common interest and to get to know people and write better.”

    A member of this new writing club is senior Nathan Campbell, whose introduction to writing came also at a young age. “I have been slowly evolving my voice since then,” he said. He sees the club as a place for him to escape into his creative endeavors.  “These days with my … mental health, it’s become a way for me to release my demons.”

    For those of you out there that agree with Christianson that writing can be more fun when bouncing ideas off of other people, Wednesdays in Mrs. Marymee’s room may be the place to hang out at lunch. As Christianson said, “There are all types of writing, so definitely try it and just see what you can do. You might surprise yourself.”