Creative writing is everywhere, believe it or not. Dystopian, fantasy, mystery, and romance books are all popular examples of creative writing. However, poetry and the scripts for movies and shows are examples of creative writing as well. Creative writing has been around for thousands of years, dating back as far as 3200 BCE, and, in recent years, the popularity of it has been steadily increasing. People can enjoy it for a variety of different reasons, but it has many benefits you might not even think about.
One of the benefits of creative writing is that it can improve your mental health in many different ways and for many different reasons. Mrs. Virginia Walker, the Creative Writing teacher, explained, “Creative writing is thinking and feeling so you can work through your feelings and process them. You can do that in any way you want, so a lot of kids like to write fantasy and science fiction.” Not only does it help students with processing their feelings, but an article by the University of Bolton says that creative writing can help improve your attention span. “When you write, you force your brain to focus on a single activity. However, you are not doing simply one thing. Many individuals are unaware that writing necessitates multitasking. You must compose, think, and read simultaneously. This focuses your attention,” the article shared.
In addition to your mental health, it can improve your life in other ways as well. Iza Piatkowski, President of the Creative Writing Club, remarked, “I taught myself how to type on a keyboard specifically so I could type out my stories when I was younger.” Assignments are becoming more and more digitized, and one of the best ways to improve typing skills is with practice, which can improve efficiency in school and the workforce. “Compared to writing, fast keyboard typing cuts down on the time it takes to complete a task,” an article by Canada’s Largest Career College Network shared. Not only that, but according to the article by the University of Bolton, creative writing also improves your memory. “It can help contextualise ideas and make them more manageable in our brains,” it explained.
At Woodgrove High School, there are multiple different ways to get involved with the creative writing community, including taking the Creative Writing Class or joining the Creative Writing Club. The Creative Writing Club was founded by Piatkowski, and she shared, “I wanted to find a group of creative people to bounce ideas off of and be able to just work with them in general, and I also wanted to provide them with competition and publication opportunities.” The club provides a community to young writers and opportunities they most likely wouldn’t find on their own. Sophie Cristofano, a senior taking the Creative Writing Class, shared, “I have only been taking the creative writing course for half a semester, but so far I completely love it. It has helped me develop my writing skills and learn to use my voice in my writing. I’ve also learned ways to combat my writer’s block, which is a very helpful skill for all types of artists.”
Both reading and writing creative works can have many benefits in life, and it can remain a persistent outlet throughout a lifetime. As Piatkowski said, “It’s just something constant that’s there whenever I need it to . . . have some freedom outside of school and the stress of life.”