Sophomore Morgan Richards sits in English teacher Lisbeth Bennett’s classroom after school. Other people sit in different places around the room, some typing on their iPads, others writing vigorously with pen and paper. They are in Author’s Club, a place for students who enjoy writing and would like to get constructive criticism on their stories.
“The members act incredibly close during the club time, even if they’ve only known each other for a short while,” Richards said. “Everyone’s different views and opinions and writing styles really make the club unique and enjoyable.”
Author’s Club started last year, when club sponsor Mrs. Bennett was approached by the mother of junior Josh Hogue. She had heard Bennett was a freelance writer, and wanted to ask if Bennett would sponsor Author’s Club. Mrs. Bennett agreed, and now the club meets once every two weeks. Club members get the chance to talk, share ideas, and give and receive constructive criticism.
“Writing is such a personal experience, an isolated one, and young writers can learn a lot from one another,” Ms. Bennett said. “There’s a recharging effect when you meet other writers who share your struggles. You realize you aren’t the only one who has a good idea, but can’t quite finish. You leave feeling encouraged that you can do this, you can write a short story, or work on your novel, because you’re around other people who are trying.”
Members in the club often work on their own individual pieces as well. They do so during club time, after the warmups, and on their own time. They are not always willing to share their own personal works, which is another reason the warm ups are helpful.
“Writing is very personal and there has to be trust and respect in place before writers are comfortable sharing,” Bennett said. “So instead, we start off each session with a warm up and then we share out the warm up instead of something personal that a writer has been working on.”
This warm up can be anything from starting sentences to things members have to include in their writing, and it is designed to help members improve in areas where they might struggle. It has been very helpful to the members to have these prompts and scheduled writing time to help improve their writing.
“Since joining the club, my writing skills have improved tenfold,” Richards said. “Working with the other members allows me to get the feedback that I need quickly and efficiently.”
