Often, students get so caught up in following strict writing conventions that they forget to just have fun while writing. So often students look down at their paper and can’t figure out what to write. This “writer’s block” plagues students from all grades, and it stems from the idea that whatever is written down has to be perfect.

The new creative writing elective offered to middle school students aims to go in a completely different direction with writing. Writing has traditionally been taught in English classes as a rigid process with oppressive restrictions, but the new elective allows students to get creative, to start branching out into new genres and to enjoy the process of writing. 

“I feel like there was a desire for creative writing, and not really a great outlet for it,” Humanities Department Chair Danielle Maxfield said. “And unfortunately, in a class setting, much of the creative writing is prescriptive, because (teachers are) teaching a particular style of writing and adding particular elements to it.”

And being creative doesn’t only apply to writing, it applies to skills much later down the line, no matter what profession students choose to pursue.

“The creative process is essential to invention,” said Maxfield. “It’s essential to problem solving and it’s essential to all walks of life.”

In fact, Maxfield herself is also taking a creative approach to teaching this new class. Maxfield is teaching a class she’s never taught before, so she’s testing what works and what doesn’t.

“I’m figuring it out as I go along,” said Maxfield. “This is the first time I’ve taught creative writing as its own independent class. I only meet with the students because it is an elective three out of eight days. So I’m kind of in a spirit of flux.”

Since the class is so new, Maxfield was uncertain about whether or not there would be enough students to sign up for the class. On top of that, the class is an elective, so students would have to sacrifice a free period for three out of eight days.

“You know, even though the class was accepted,” Maxfield said, “I wasn’t sure if we’d have (enough students) sign up, but 35 students originally signed up for the class, which is why I ended up with two instead of one, which I thought, ‘Wow, that’s wonderful.’”

A few students did drop the elective, however, since they realized that the class took up some of their free periods. Even after some students decided not to take the elective, Maxfield was still left with two classes.

Another new creative writing opportunity that is offered is the creative writing club, sponsored by Humanities Teacher Oliver Fox.

“Right now, he is interested in starting a creative writing club, which I think is a good way to supplement the creative writing class,” Maxfield said. “And I think he’s intending to open that up in the second semester, and I’m not teaching any creative writing in the second semester. So that’s kind of a place to house the students that do enjoy writing creatively.”