The LHS creative writing class is a new elective at the high school. What makes this course unique is that students can use their imagination to create various styles of writing. It’s a class that encourages students to improve their writing skills, but also to write about what really matters to them and learn about all the different types of fictional genres. LHS English teacher Laura Specht said that she wanted to teach the class because many students actually requested the course.

“Creative Writing is a course where students can learn how to write and what makes a story or poem interesting, meaningful, or unique. We study various genres, like poetry, realistic fiction, science fiction, and horror. Then, students draft their own stories and poems. We share our writing and give each other feedback. Students also engage in some free-writing of their own,” said Specht.

LHS junior McKayla Smith said that she chose to take the course to improve her overall writing skills.

“I prefer to write in exaggerated ways with words people may not understand. I’m also not much of a fan of writing more structured pieces with rigid restrictions and I like to let my work symbolize things that I can’t say out loud which can’t really be done with an essay. Also, publishing a book has always been a dream of mine and I want to do what I can to accomplish that goal,” Smith said.

LHS sophomore Devin Appel said he took creative writing to help express himself through writing.

“These past few years, I’ve begun to appreciate poetry and music writing in a much more personal aspect and I found that I can use it to express myself in a unique and interesting way. I chose Creative writing to help with the flow of my poems and develop a better understanding of how I can implement figurative language with more of an impact to the reader,” he said.

Specht pointed out that writing has the power to help students cope with personal thoughts and emotions.

“Writing is a powerful way for students to explore complicated feelings and emotions. There is something very meditative about putting a pen or pencil to paper” she said.

Smith agreed with Specht and said that she feels that writing is very therapeutic.

“It will help me with my mental health, which I don’t know if a lot of people realize. I’ve had that rough period in life where everything just seems pointless and scary, but writing helped with that. For me, writing in the form of stories helps me separate my emotions from myself and organize them,” she said.

According to Appel and junior Payton Cordle, gaining experience in different styles of writing may help them greatly in the future beyond high school.

“My dream in life is to make a career from music production, so creative writing has definitely given me a better idea of how to start my poems and different styles/ways of writing,” said Appel.

“Creative writing will prove to help me and many others later in our lives, even long after we’re out of high school due to giving us the free thinking skills and reading capabilities that many sadly lack,”  said Cordle.

While the course allows a certain level of freedom for students, Specht explained that there are specific curriculum expectations that students must meet.

“There is a LOT of writing. There are also deadlines. Some students don’t realize that there are grades and structure in this course. This can be hard for some of them. It is also hard for students to receive constructive criticism,” Specht said.

All three students that Eye of the Gale interviewed provided samples of their writings and explained how they would describe their style of creative writing.

“I enjoy poetry the most since I’m a huge fan of Edgar Allan Poe, so I take inspiration from him. I enjoy writing in a dark and melancholy tone because not only does it help me work through my thoughts and emotions, it also provides a lovely and impactful tale for others to read,” Smith said.

“My writing has always been very intricate in my word choices and I try to give my poems a unique explanation through the use of figurative language,” Appel said.

“A lot of my stories, poems, and other writings are prioritized to set a vivid image in a person’s mind and let them see the picture I see for myself, whereas some of my other works are focused on showing people how others may see the world, or what’s happened [or] happening,” Cordle said.

Below are some quotes from each of the three creative writing students’ work.