Validation through Writing

This week, we had meeting two of Pens to Paper, the student writing group of which I am now advisor. In true CDWP fashion, we began with snacks! The two girls, we’ll call K & E, brought snacks and an agenda that would make any CDWP teacher proud. The agenda started us with a writing prompt: Behind her, the noise escalated…

 Together, with a group of young writers, I put pen to paper (figuratively of course since I was typing) and wrote something of my own creation: a short story of 117 words. I have not written original fiction in over five years and it felt amazing to be sharing the collective experience of creation with a group of ten young writers. This is my creation:

 Behind her, the noise escalated from soft murmurs to the dull roar of stampeding elephants. She’d never been so scared in her life. She was certain they were coming for her and coming fast. Could she ran fast enough? Far enough away to escape? Her legs pounded on the pavement, her blood pounding in her ears as she ran as fast as her body was willing to go. The street was dark, eerily silent, but all she heard was their never ending persistence at her back.

 Suddenly a crack echoed through her mind and a shriek was ripped from her soul.

 She looked back to see if they were gaining on her.

 There was nothing but silence.

 I was stunned that a prompt could elicit so much pride in me. I creatively wrote again. I had long since stopped flexing those muscles and it felt amazing to wiggle my toes in the sand once more. The fact that I was sharing this experience in my classroom was all the more special.

 As the writing came to a close anyone was invited to share one line from their writing or explain where their mind went with this prompt. A few students shared and one said that she was taking it from the perspective of the girl running from herself, which is what I envisioned for my character. Another student remarked that it was almost like the noise that escalated was the screaming of her own silence. The entire group paused as we allowed that thought to roll through our minds.

 Next, we played a game in which we created a group story in a round robin oral telling in which each person added as much or as little as we wanted to the plot. There was some laughter and chuckles as one line that came out was “the world seemed gray to her, fifty shades of gray.” We waited on baited breath for where the next person would take the story.

 After we ended the story, we had another discussion about Nanowrimo and if anyone was working on any writing or what we write. A student mentioned that she really started writing as a journal but couldn’t do the “dear diary” type journal but instead writes free verse poems of her feelings and day. I immediately felt akin to these students fifteen years plus my juniors as that is how my poetry comes out- in small poems followed by explaining or thoughts spilling out. I had thought me a bit strange before that but after a few students also echoed that, I felt validated as a writer again.

 No one can tell that communities of writers are not powerful. They have the power to unite and support as well create knowledge. We were so entrenched in our conversation that when the bell rang, I think we were all surprised and disappointed. I didn’t want the conversation to end.

I am awed by the leadership of K and E. As the “advisor” of this club, I had been excited to take part and help run this but they’ve come prepared with an agenda and prompts that incite meaningful conversations around writing. I look forward to the next meeting of Pens to Paper. Until then, write on!