Come to Creative Writing Club. We have t-shirts! Graphic courtesy of reporter Fiona Spurlock.
Whilst many clubs are available at San Luis Obispo High School, the Creative Writing Club is certainly one of the most lively and welcoming groups available.
Expressions interviewed a few club members to find out more about their experiences in the club.
Expressions: Why did you join the club?
Creative Writing Club President and Sophomore Wesley Bartlett: I started this club for a few reasons, the chief being that I loved to write by myself and with friends, and found it hard to pursue that hobby between extracurricular activities and academics. I knew that there were a lot of people like myself who similarly enjoyed writing, but for a long time at SLOHS we’ve simply continued working with others in our own time. So-to make things easier-I made the creative writing club, where people could gather together to collaborate on projects and get inspiration from one another on continuing the hobby that they’re passionate about.
Freshman Taylor Borgsmiller: I’m really interested in writing, [and] at my old school we didn’t have any clubs to do with writing.
Freshman Roslyn Risner: I’m really interested in fiction writing and I’ve been writing since I was 11. I joined because I have this one novel [that I’ve been working on] for a really long time, and I thought I could meet the other people who like to write.
Freshman Hayley Sarabia: I joined the club sometime during the first trimester when it was advertised and I believed they could help me with my writing.
Expressions: What’s your favorite thing about the club?
Bartlett: My favorite thing about the club has to be the community. As I mentioned previously, it has always been difficult to balance academics and my own love of writing, so it’s very reassuring to have an hour put aside every week to eat snacks, socialize with like-minded peers and friends, and have some productive writing time.
Borgsmiller: The warm community. They [also] have a lot of snacks, a lot of friendly people, [and] it’s really fun.
Risner: I like how friendly everyone is. It’s really just a nice space to be in, it’s fun to be there…and there’s cookies but that’s unrelated.
Sarabia: The people who are in it who are supporting, and Ms. Sainsbury who’s also providing this time so we can work. Sometimes I hardly have time during the week to just work on [writing].
Expressions: What do you do in the club?
Bartlett: I usually spend my time running an activity for the club or planning events in the future. During a large portion of first trimester, we would have weekly activities that I would design and present to the group. But whenever I’m not working on the future of the club, I love to sit down at a table with some other members, have a snack, and work on writing.
Borgsmiller: Sometimes we pass around a really funny book, or I talk to my friends, but most of the time we’re writing.
Risner: I bounce ideas off with other people, and we do rotation writing [where we swap stories with people]. It’s cool to just talk to other people about writing.
Sarabia: Either we sit and write our own or sometimes they have activities that you get writing prompts to write and share with the class. Most of the time we just like discussing our writing and lore.
Expressions: What are you working on right now?
Bartlett: I’m working on a fantasy novel in my free time, sort of in the vein of Game of Thrones with an emphasis on political intrigue. It’s still in its first act and currently a little over two-hundred and fifty pages. While I’ve made a decent amount of progress, I plan to work on it a lot more once my AP exams are over and we finish our awards ceremony for the aforementioned creative writing competition.
Borgsmiller: Currently, I’m brainstorming for the fifth time, I keep changing my ideas.
Risner: My dystopian sci fi novel. I think I’m almost at one-hundred and twenty pages.
Sarabia: I am currently working on a three season comic strip, and so far I’ve on episode two.
Expressions: What are you looking forward to with the club?
Bartlett: I’m looking forward to next year, when we will hopefully get more members and expand on the projects that we’ve been working on this year. This year has been very experimental for us, with our greater membership and the introduction of projects like the literary magazine and creative writing competition. Now that we know what works, we’ll be able to get started right away next year on those sorts of projects.
Borgsmiller: Being in the club next year and hopefully competing in some of the writing competitions.
Risner: I’m just looking forward to the meetings, [they’re so] fun.
Sarabia: I’m looking forward to new members to join and not just come for snacks, but to have fun as much as we do in the club.
Expressions: What would you say to people who want to join the club?
Bartlett: I would tell people that this club truly is a golden opportunity. It is composed of people who truly love to write, and people who have a lot to offer. The best writers and the most creative people I know are regulars here, and they are always willing to collaborate with others, share their work, or just offer inspiration to members of the club. While there are certainly opportunities to get more involved with the club, it’s also a very low-commitment club.
Borgsmiller: Just ask Mrs. Sainsbury when the next meeting is. It’s basically just a show-up and have fun thing.
Risner: If you like writing at all, it’s a really fun club. It’s only an hour a week, so it’s not like a big time commitment, and it’s really fun. It’s just nice to meet other people who like to write.
Sarabia: This club seriously does help, it’s like therapy for writer’s block.
The Creative Writing Club meets after school on Thursdays in room 205, contact [email protected] for more information. If interested in writing intently or just hanging out, stop by!
