The Loretto creative writing class entered the Young Writers Association competition and has made the semi-finals.
Ms. Ray’s class submitted to this competition and all of our Loretto participants made the semi-finals, this is the first time in the competition that one school has had all its students reach this level of achievement.
The girls had written a 100-word story, showing an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Their prompt was “In the hunt” and since it was near Halloween, the tone was mainly scary and suspenseful.
They could all take their own angle on it, senior Paula Hernandez said, “Well mine was about a person running through an infinite amount of doors, and while they were running, whenever they passed by a door, their surroundings would change.
It got more ridiculous or weird every time they passed another door.
The creature hunting them is called the glitch.”
Senior Amelie Juarez said, “ My take on the prompt was to create a horror story that would be told in first person.
I wrote about a chainsaw killer chasing the main character and them trying to escape”
With the topic being so broad, the students could do whatever they wanted with it, Hernandez said “While writing I just thought about the perspectives, hunter or hunted.
I decided to come up with the end first because it came easier to me, then the middle, and at the end with the start.”
The creative writing class is different from your typical English class because it focuses on the creative and artistic side of writing.
As the teacher of the creative writing class, Ms. Ray said “ I researched college curriculum, and spoke to Mrs. Lockhart-Walker. [about topics, angles and lessons]
It is my first year having the class, I wanted to do as much research as possible.”
This class consists of all classifications, this is one of the ways it stands from the standard English classes, Ms. Ray said, “I teach foundational English, the ‘have to’s’.
Creative writing is fun stuff like poetry and short stories.
Teaching them concepts, free writing, and rhetorical methods using different strategies and techniques.”
Juarez said “ I wanted to be in the creative writing class because I thought it would be a very fun opportunity for me to expand on my writing skills and creativity.
I could use the things I learn in college and even as I write my next book.”
As the creative writing class waits patiently to hear back their results, Ms Ray said “To me its amazing that one semester of creative writing can showcase our fabulous writers.
Having the opportunity to showcase our student’s writing is so important.”
As any creative writing student will tell you, it is so important to have an active voice and this class is giving these girls the opportunity to hone that voice.
