The creative writing club is a place where students can get feedback on their writing, make friends and build confidence. “When you aren’t published, you feel like your writing just isn’t that good,” said Grace Melville, club member and senior at UVU.
“The only way to be a better writer, is to keep writing.” The club has been active on campus for three years. Its main goal is to have a community for students who love to write and want to get better. Writers of all genres, styles and skill level are encouraged to share their work with each other which helps them with craft of writing.
“It’s nice to see people that think differently than you. Because then you can be a better writer,” Melville said. The club hosts writing prompt night, workshops and game nights for fun every Thursday night at 6:00 p.m. During meetings, the creative writing club helps writers become confident in their work through constructive criticism.
“Before if someone would give me a critique, I would think that I was a horrible writer. Now I can take criticism and see what advice is good and what advice is not. It’s helped me grow as a writer,” Melville said. Before switching from a pre-engineering major to an English major with a creative writing emphasis, she discovered her love for writing.
“I’m passionate about a lot of things, but writing is the thing that I am most passionate about,”Melville said. She joined the creative writing club shortly after the club was established on campus in 2013. After three years of being an active member, Melville has seen the club grow and mature in its use and teaching of good writing techniques.
“It’s grown a lot since I first joined the club. We’ve learned a lot of good techniques, tricks and tools over the years that can help benefit all writers who are at various points in their writing career,” she said.
The best skill Melville has learned from the creative writing club is to be confident when sharing her writing.
There has been a greater emphasis on sharing writing and encouraging confidence when doing so since the formation of the club. Young writers, like her, have all benefited from their experiences while in the club. “I had never shared [my writing] before. The community of the creative writing club really helped me realize that I could open up and share my writings,” Melville said.
