In high school, students have very few opportunities to express themselves through poetry or fabricate fictional prose stories. We are always required to learn and study purely factual information in almost every class, which may diminish creative freedom. The creative writing class is one of the only chances a student has to flex their creative muscles, yet the course is only available for one semester.

This class is easily the strongest way for creative writers to grow and practice their creativity. However, one semester doesn’t offer enough time for students to develop their skills, especially for students who are interested in studying creative writing in college or pursuing a career in this field. A second creative writing class would allow students to advance their abilities and improve their strengths and weaknesses, which were identified in the first class.

The current class is effective in introducing the basics of the course, as it briefly covers the different forms of creative writing for students to practice. Throughout the semester, students find out what kind of writing they prefer, whether it’s historical fiction, sestina poetry, or something entirely different. In this hypothetical advanced creative writing class, students would be able to pursue their interests and rapidly develop their writing abilities by focusing on a certain style.

Even the teacher of the course would like to see a second creative writing class added to the curriculum. Senior High English Teacher Kaia Preus has some ideas about how she would lead an advanced creative writing class. In this first class, students’ time was mostly spent writing their own work. In a second class, Preus would like to have students analyze published works in order to better understand the form of writing that they’re focusing on. Students would also have the opportunity to write longer prose pieces, which would prepare students to potentially write novels or short stories.

Preus’s plan for a second class would include a more organic curriculum as opposed to the strict structure of regular classes. It would be very beneficial for students interested in writing to have this space to practice and refine their writing capabilities. It would also grant students a great head start for students pursuing a writing career and set them up for success in the future, which can’t be said for many other classes offered at BSM. Advanced creative writing would be an effective way to start students’ future writing careers, and it’s clear that this hypothetical class would be a fantastic use of students’ time.