By Christina Baulch
As a Literature major, I’m surrounded by creative writing all the time. Whether I’m studying Medieval English Literature or Sci-Fi, I’ve dedicated my four years at Purchase to analyzing and appreciating creative writing of all mediums, genres, and time periods. Yet, with all this reading in my course schedule, I’ve found it hard to dedicate time and motivation to doing my own creative writing.
However, this all changed when I enrolled in Introduction to Creative Writing. In class, I was in a room full of creative writers- and I was finally one of them. Every couple of weeks, we herded the desks into a circle and workshopped one another’s work. Even though the comments were sometimes comically spare (a poem of mine once received the comment “nice words” hurriedly scrawled across the top margin) every comment from our class meant the world to me and kept me going.
Since that introductory course, I’ve found friends both inside and outside the Creative Writing program who, like me, simply enjoy writing and sharing it with others. If you have yet to find a community of writers for yourself at Purchase outside of creative writing classes, here are some ways to go about it:
1- Join Clubs
There is a wide variety of clubs on our campus, and several of them relate to writing. The first and most obvious choice is The Writers Club, which meets Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. in Humanities 2059. Though the club is associated with the Creative Writing major, it is open to all students. Bring paper and pen or a laptop, and have fun writing with other students on campus!
Likewise, the Literature Society meets Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. in Humanities 2031 and is open to Literature and non-Literature majors alike. In addition to lively discussions and debates about literature as a whole, the club also hosts events. One recent example was a “DIY Sparknotes” night in the Stood, where participants re-imagined existing stories into new genres.
2- Form Your Own Groups
As an ex-commuter, I’m highly aware of how difficult it can be to attend clubs if you live off campus. If this is the case, consider forming your own group. A group can even be as informal as you and a group of friends writing on the Great Lawn or in the library.
One of my personal favorite group writing exercises is OuLiPo (read: ooh-lip-po), a French acronym that stands for “workshop of potential literature.” Though there are infinite variations for how you can structure your OuLiPo session, one basic option is to sit with a group and a variety of texts. You set a rule of how many words per page can be taken- say, two- and then each person opens a book and selects words they like. You write your words down in a notebook, then pass it to the person on your right. If you each start with a notebook, you’ll end up with several poems at the end of your session. Some of our OuLiPo creations have been serious attempts while others have taken surprising, comical turns. The main point here is enjoying the writing process and working collaboratively.
3- Finally, When All In Person Attempts Fail: Try the Internet!
There are innumerable Facebook groups and Subreddits dedicated to writing and writing prompts, but one Facebook group close to the heart of Purchase is The Wordsmith’s Guild. This group was started by a Purchase student, and its 106 members and counting include Purchase students and alum, as well as writers from outside the area. It’s a great space to bounce ideas off one another, participate in writing sprints, and connect with other writers both inside and outside the college.
I wish you the best of luck in your journey to connect with other writers on and off campus!
Italics Mine 