Random Acts of Writing: Why Check Out Creative Writing at HC?
Written by Cheryl C
Edited by Dylan Adler
Photo from Pexels
At a school known for a rigorous learning environment, we are often introduced to writing in a heavily academic context. Three-point paragraphs, document based essays, and organized annotations reflecting on a scholarly text, news source, or student seminar. Certainly, these skills are invaluable to our development as academic writers, but when we are so accustomed to viewing writing as an academic task, it can be difficult to register how writing can manifest in creative ways. Many don’t realize (or, don’t have the time or energy to realize—we’re all tired) we can paint, sketch, or even sculpt with words on a page. Luckily, with the school’s creative writing club, the art of writing is definitely not lost at HC. With the generous efforts of the club head, Mia Liang, teacher advisor, Ms. McRae, and enthusiastic participation of club members, the club seeks to restore the zeal for creative writing within the student body—check it out!
As a club that has been around for several years, the creative writing club has undergone some significant changes in its club philosophy and practices this year. Perhaps one of the most important (and exciting!) values of the club is “random acts of writing”. Think random acts of kindness, but instead of holding the door for someone else, you’re opening a doorway to your own imagination, or to observing the concrete images around you (crisp autumn leaves, dialogue between your friends, the sound of metal forks click-clacking in the caf, etc.). Whatever the idea may be, write it down! It doesn’t even have to be on a neat, blank sheet of paper. Clean tissue, newspaper clippings, or even the back of your hand works as a perfect site to note down your creative thoughts. Embracing the beauty of spontaneity is a game-changing key to unleashing your creativity—especially without the pressure of creating something “worthy” or “great” right off the bat.
During Creative Writing Club’s second session, members participated in a collaborative writing activity, where students each wrote several lines of poetry on a shared google doc. The catch is, the text and highlight color were both set to black, which meant that no one could see what anyone wrote until the end reveal. The final result ended up being a collaborative poem that all club members had a hand in writing! Although writing by yourself in peaceful quiet (or with your favorite music on) is an enjoyable experience, it can be helpful to find a group of fellow writers who share your interest in creative writing. Creative Writing Club provides respectful and welcoming writers’ workshops by fostering a highly collaborative environment. You can always count on the club atmosphere to be cozy and kind, which is especially important to those of us who want to feel comfortable sharing our work or participating in discussions.
Finally, the Creative Writing Club is aiming to increase student engagement by planning school events where more people—regardless of whether they are a club member or not—are able to attend and meaningfully engage in the act of creative writing and expression. More to come on these events, so stay tuned!
With all of that said, you do not have to be a club member to experiment and enjoy the benefits of creative writing. Students often have schedules already overwhelmed by weekly commitments and assessments. So, this article compiles a few creative writing benefits, prompts, and resources accessible to any student, at any time.
i. Benefits of Creative Writing
Boosts your imagination & creativity: Involves solving problems by applying an indirect or creative approach—a crucial skill to have in academic and real-world settings.
Appreciation of beauty & intrigue: The art of creative writing cannot be separated from the art of observation. Creative writing implores you to appreciate the beautiful, grotesque, and all in between.
Development of style: Creative writing is the best way to develop your own, distinct author’s voice. This can also be applied in an academic setting—trust me, most teachers love it when you’re making an effort to distinguish your style!
ii. Inspiration
Prompts: A prompt provides a creative constraint, which can be the most useful tool to jolt your creativity awake—especially during a writers’ block. Check out the resources section for websites with endless writing prompts!
Reading: Lots of inspiration comes from reading! Some of my best writing came from me attempting to replicate a favorite author’s style, then, in failing to do so, coming up with a unique voice of my own.
Methods: Habitual methods foster creative consistency. Random acts of writing, keeping a writing journal, or allocating a brief time slot every so often to write can make a significant difference in how quickly inspiration comes to you.
Dialogue & conversation: Talk and listen to people. It can be the most valuable way to discover ideas and connect with others. Perhaps you can spend your weekend afternoon taking a walk with a friend who is also interested in writing! Unfortunately, conversation can also be a lost art—creativity can change that!
iii. Fun Resources
Scholastic - check out contests and read work from students just like you!
Poetry in Voice - check out their slam contest and various writing prompts!
NaNoWriMo - check out their writing events, programs, and prompts!
Reedsy Prompts - over 1800+ creative writing prompts!
Writing does not have to be purely academic, and creative writing does not have to be daunting. If you’ve reached the end of this article, try grabbing your nearest writing tool and something to write on, then, note down one idea or observation.
If you did this, congratulations! You just completed a random act of writing.