We All Have a Story to Tell…

By this point in my college career, I can’t even tell you the number of papers I’ve had to write. From papers on genetic disorders, to the Harlem Renaissance, to Karl Lagerfeld and to direct marketing. As interesting as some topics may be, its not the most fun. But hey, I’m in college…what do I expect?

This semester I’m taking the very enjoyable Fiction Writing class. The class is an advanced writing course that develops students’ understanding in imaginative storytelling. We read short stories and novel excerpts and participate in writing exercises to examine writing process strategies. In a workshop environment, we develop and create a few pieces of short fiction.

There are no rules in fiction writing. You can write about whatever you want, whatever excites you or makes you feel. My professor encourages us as writers to use our imagination and tap into parts of our brains that we may have forgotten existed. We all know what makes a good story, from the books we read to the movies we watch. This class helps us to hone in on our storytelling skills and produce creative works of art.

We have workshops with our pieces and discuss with our classmates what works and what doesn’t. It’s an open environment, no judgement allowed. It’s nice to read other students work and have them read mine.

I find this class to be very therapeutic. As I said, it gets old writing papers that aren’t coming completely from your mind but referencing the ideas and research of others. To create a story is freeing because you’re in control. You control the world your characters live in. I’m able to pull from experiences in my life, good or bad, and use that as inspiration for my pieces of writing.

As a student yourself, would you find it more enjoyable to write fiction? Do you prefer writing research papers? Are you interested in the English and writing classes at FIT? Let me know!

xx,

Brendan