Creative Writing Club

             Haikus, nonfiction, poems, romance, letters, any genre–these young writers can do it all!

On Tuesday, March 14th, a group of talented students gathered for the first meeting of Christian-Ernst-Gymnasium’s new English Creative Writing Club. Led by me, this club gathered weekly to learn how to write creatively in English, explore new writing techniques, reflect on themselves and their experiences, and simply make new friends and have casual conversations in English. This group gave students the opportunity to write without fear of being graded, criticized, or judged. 

Each meeting began with five minutes of free writing on any subject in any format. During this time, the students could write whatever they desired without any requirement of sharing it. This weekly ritual helped them relax and enter the right headspace, or the “writing zone.” Then for the next ten minutes, they engaged in a discussion, writing exercise, or game. Next, the weekly topic was introduced, such as nonfiction writing, dialogue, writing body language, poetry, haikus, and romance. The remainder of the meeting was spent learning and practicing it. No matter what theme was presented to them, these students overcame every challenge and adopted new styles with ease. By the club’s final meeting, they even created a collaborative book featuring a piece of writing from each member.

I feel so lucky to be at a school that values the arts so highly and that has enough trust in me to start and lead a club alone during my very first year. These students repeatedly amazed me with their creativity, intelligence, confidence, and communication skills. Hearing their thoughts inspired me as a teacher and a fellow writer. Whether through the written or spoken word, their eloquence, thoughtfulness, and growth throughout the semester are all clear. What particularly impressed me was the fact that there was no attendance requirement, no extra credit, no outside incentive, yet they still came. I am so proud of them and everything they have accomplished. I hope we can continue this extraordinary club when I return to Germany in the fall!