Do you ever get stuck in a writing rut? Do you want to express yourself through writing? Hannah Ahmed, Godwin senior, started the Creative Writing Club to create a community of passionate writers to help and support each other.
Although this club was in the making for a while, the Creative Writing Club didn’t hit the ground running until this year.
“The idea for the club was proposed right before we left in March of 2020 so we couldn’t fully get things running until this year. The first meeting was Oct. 7,” said Ahmed.
Creative Writing Club meets bi-monthly on Thursdays after-school in the library.
Ahmed wanted to start the club after she realized that an outlet for people who wanted to be more artistic with their writing was lacking in most English classes at Godwin.
“After being a member of Godwin’s literary magazine (LitMag) and the Writing Center, I realized that we had many talented writers at school whose work we were reviewing, but no place where aspiring writers could learn or hone their skills to create said works. I wanted students to have a place where they could go beyond academic English skills in their creativity and learn more of the art of writing,” said Ahmed.
The atmosphere of the club is meant to be calm and reassuring, where students can continue to improve their writing without any rivalry.
“There is no competition in this club; it is meant to be a supportive and relaxed environment where writers can learn and grow without pressure,” said Ahmed.
The Creative Writing Club hopes to inspire students to explore their interests in writing and to become better writers. The most effective way to get better at writing is to practice.
“The more you write, the better you will get at it and the better you can learn what your skills are and what is well-suited to you. If you’d like a community of writers to get encouragement from or have a starting point to find your own writing niche, join the Creative Writing Club or Godwin’s Literary Magazine,” said Ahmed.
For Ahmed, writing helps her connect with herself and those around her. She believes that all people have their places where they feel most like themselves.
“Everyone has their spaces of release and connection, and creative writing is one of mine,” said Ahmed.
The members of the Creative Writing Club at Godwin help each other work on their writing.
“We have mini creative writing workshops and peer collaboration to work on writing skills and improve our written works; we discuss different aspects of writing at meetings based on what members are working on or would like to work on,” said Ahmed.
Anna Moseley, Godwin junior, joined the club in early October. She heard about the Creative Writing Club through the LitMag club.
“I enjoy the club because I enjoy creative writing and want to get better at it. This club gives me a way to do that,” said Moseley.
Although the Creative Writing Club does not have its own forum to submit written works, the Godwin Literary Magazine accepts students’ writing. Students like Moseley can submit their writing to the LitMag.
“A lot of my writing gets submitted to the Godwin Literary Magazine and can be found on its website,” said Moseley.
For Ahmed, creative writing helped her process some complex emotions. Her writing eventually led to an enjoyable pastime.
“Creative writing began as a place to let out negative emotion and tensions, and now has evolved into a hobby for me that I get to also share with others,” said Ahmed.
For Moseley, creative writing is a way for her to have fun with the English language.
“To me, creative writing is a way to express myself, explore my characters and worlds, and investigate concepts I think are interesting,” said Moseley.
Writer’s block can happen to any writer, and when it hits it can become agitating. To avoid any stress, Ahmed only writes when she feels like it.
“I only write when inspiration strikes and if I get stuck, I simply step away and leave the work alone,” said Ahmed.
Godwin students can join the club by going to a meeting or reaching out to Hannah Ahmed and Eric Hoefler.
