Nationally recognized as the author of Freedom Writers, Mrs. Erin Gruwell shared writing with senior Shelby Harrell. Photo by: Shelby Harrell
By Shelby Harrell
“Writing really evokes sympathy in a way that few other things can,” said Mrs. Erin Gruwell, head speaker of the 2013 ‘Get Inked’ young writers’ conference and author of The Freedom Writer’s Diary.
As a student who loves writing, I had the opportunity of not only learning how to develop new writing skills of my own, but also meeting hundreds of other young students who are looking to hone their skills. With published authors such as Mrs. Erin Gruwell, it was highly impossible for students not to receive inspiration. “Writing is one of the greatest tools for inspiration,” said Mrs. Gruwell. Being on common ground with so many other students was very inspiring to me.
Whenever I go somewhere when I interact with new people, I always think of the old saying “A stranger is a friend that you haven’t met yet.” I was immediately welcomed into a large group of girls who were not only very welcoming, but also extremely diverse. The topic of writing explored the different types of genres ranging from romance, to mystery novels, and all the way up to science fiction and fantasy stories. As much as our styles of writing varied from one genre to another, we all shared in common the fact we were all there to learn how to develop our skills.
When I used to hear the words “classroom’ or “curriculum,” images of the teacher lecturing students in front of a blackboard are what usually came to mind. However, this was not the case at the conference. When I went to a session that was titled “Two Secrets,” I was introduced to several members of the English writing faculty at Saint Mary’s. Professor Cobb, who has been teaching creative writing at Saint Mary’s for over 25 years, taught me that one of the major secrets to writing is that you have to be willing to set a personal time and space for creative thought and be dedicated enough to stick to that time. He also taught us the idea that every writer must also be willing to be patient, and willing to draft their work many times.
There was also another session entitled “Develop Imagination,” in which we learned certain curriculum. This was not one of the traditional classroom sessions that everyone anticipated. Instead of sitting in their desks and listening to the instructor speak, students had the privilege of experiencing the art of storytelling through the concept of live action role play, in which members of the audience dressed as their favorite characters and performed a scene. Speaker of the session and accomplished author James Kennedy said “one of the best ways to explore your character is to literally spend some time in their shoes. This activity allows teenagers to channel all of their dramatic and creative energy into giving the best interpretation of their character.” Mr. Kennedy first developed this method after the publishing of his first novel “The Order of Odd Fish,” and has since used it as part of his seminars. Though some of the students were initially hesitant at first, I felt as if this activity really achieved its purpose by helping me break out of my creative box as a writer.
My mission when I attended this conference was to break out of my box as a writer, and to experience a handful of new ideas when it comes to my writing. The purpose of this seminar was to teach young writers to read more into the pictures than what they see, and to analyze the works of artists. Even though I found this class to be very unconventional for me as a writer, I feel as though it taught me a lot about analyzing the work of fellow artists and writers. This lesson really coincided with the whole mission of the conference, as it was to teach young writers and inspire them to not only seek advice from other writers, but to also analyze each other’s different works of writing. With a lesson in that concept, I can proudly say that this conference has really transformed me into a better writer.