Writing Workshop opens students’ imaginations

Writing Workshop supplies creative minds with the chance to open up their own imaginations onto paper and pen.

Though math may be more technical and exact, students favor the English fields for their polished flows in literature and creative arts.

“It’s always been my most successful subject in school, and when I first was allowed to write my own story in elementary school, I realized how much I liked the freedom of it,” said senior Gabrielle Fisher.

English even strikes the hearts in opportunities for teaching and further influences spreading the love for writing.

“I knew I wanted to be a teacher since second grade, and in both middle and high school, I really loved my English teachers. I always connected with them, and I loved the subject, so it came very naturally to me. Creative writing is my favorite aspect of English, so teaching Writing Workshop was a natural extension of that passion,” said teacher Robyn Steinmetz. 

Many people have their motives for writing, but it all relates to escaping reality and building that world of their own or, perhaps, engaging in their own mind of realistic fiction. 

“I like being transported to the worlds I get to build. I get to watch it bloom and change around me and get to shape the characters into their own individual people,” said senior Sage Coleman.

Writing has various genres to choose and dive into. It all depends on the writer’s choice and the desire to build something from their imagination.

“I enjoy writing fantasy or science fiction/dystopian stories because it lets me be creative with the setting,” Gabrielle said.

Typically, the environment may influence a writer’s capabilities. Talking to writers enacts a change of view, as their dreamer personalities express comfortable worlds they wish to delve in.

“A calm forest clearing with no bugs and bioluminescent plants surrounding the area in front of me. A large koi pond reflecting the stars as the huge koi swim lazily about,” Sage said.

Though writing is a lot of peoples’ past times, it can be difficult to gather the motivation to continue forth with one’s book. It’s helpful to hear from other people how they battle writer’s block.

“Since I write collaboratively, motivation comes much more easily. A lot of people struggle to write because they have a blank page staring back at them, but I have someone to give me the next step. It’s also helpful because I feel a healthy amount of pressure to respond to my friends, or else they can’t continue our story. It’s almost like having due dates, but they’re self assigned,” Steinmetz said.

Writing Workshop is indeed different from other English classes. There’s much more freedom to engage in your own personal stories rather than being forced to write something that you’re possibly not too interested in.

“Instead of being forced to write about other people’s books in a specific format that keeps creativity locked in a metal box coated in concrete and shoved into the ocean and only requires you to memorize format and repeat words until it’s deemed good enough. Writing Workshop allows people to build their own stories create their own worlds and decide what they want to happen instead of a lot more freeing,” Sage said.

Though you may believe Writing Workshop to be another literature class, importance derives from the hearts of creative minds as it helps express students to write and to engage in who they are. 

“Writing Workshop is so important because other English classes don’t have time for creative writing. This is not to say that the other English teachers aren’t creative! They are, and they put a lot of work into their assignments, but the goals of a traditional Freshman through Junior English class are different from a creative writing class. This is all to say that I think this class offers students a really unique experience, and everyone always has so much fun. Even if people aren’t confident in their analytical writing skills, they can still enjoy writing a short story or a children’s book,” Steinmetz said. 

Writing Workshop aims to bring more people into the class to release their imaginations and let it run wild.

“I would recommend the class to those who desire to not only improve their writing, but to explore what the world of literature has to offer,” Gabrielle said.