Melbourne High

This semester in Creative Writing, the students had been working on one large story from start to finish. Each student wrote their own story, whether it was fantasy, mystery or science fiction. The main reason students found it so engaging was because of the unique course structure. It allowed everyone the freedom to create their own characters and worlds. The process of drafting, revising, and editing taught students how to write while trying to stay on a schedule. “It did make things rushed at times, and I was stressed, trying to make sure I completed everything on time, but a deadline on things did help.” said Payton Holtz, a student of Creative Writing 2. 

“Keeping with the same ideas was probably the hardest part of writing the story,” said Holtz. Students learned to move scenes around, change tenses, and adjust details. Everyone also asked their friends to critique the story. “Getting feedback from my friends has affected the story because it helped me fix small things I wasn't able to notice myself,” said Nadezhda Lehr. Some students also got the chance to use their pre-existing work and turn it into something better. “It’s not different from writing at home because when I write I get into my own headspace” said Lehr. “Writing anything of your choice like this allows for a lot of creative flow,” Lehr said. 

“Writing this semester has made me feel like I was clearing my head,” said Holtz. The creative freedom made everyone satisfied with their writing. The project encouraged them to experiment and write something they were satisfied with. By the end of the semester, the students would be inspired to continue writing and confident in their ability of storytelling. 

Critiquing Stories. The students of Creative Writing 2 sit and critique each other’s stories. Over the past few weeks, the students had been practicing critiquing, and now they were finally reading their friends’ stories and suggesting changes to them. “The editing has definitely taught me to line by line and be more strict about editing and word choice,” said Nadezhda Lehr (10). Photo by Aadhya Patel.