The Creative Writing Club held their first bimonthly writing contests in October. The next contest will be held on November 3.

“The first contest went well,” club president Josey Derosier said. “We had more interest in competitions than I expected, and the club seems to like the idea.”

The creative writing contest is an opportunity for students to submit short stories to be judged by leadership members of the club. Pieces submitted are judged by originality as well as grammar and writing style. 

“Judging contests are always interesting because you never know what the competitors come up with,” Derosier said. “Everyone has a different take on the prompts, so it allows for a wide variety of stories.”

The names of writers are withheld from judges to ensure there is no favoritism. The winner of the first competition was freshman Lilah Easthouse. Last week’s winner was sophomore Eva Gardner.

“I was in disbelief when I won the first contest,” Easthouse said. “It made me feel accomplished about my writing abilities.”

These contests will continue for the remainder of the year. New prompts are published every other week according to what the club discusses during meetings. 

“The meetings typically end up in people sharing ideas or things they’ve written,” Derosier said. “Everyone is so supportive of each other’s works so it makes it a safe place to express our ideas.”

Prizes, as well as publication of the winning story on the Eagle Eye, will be awarded to the winners. Some of the prizes include notebooks, pencils, and treats.

“I’m excited to get my story published,” Gardner said. “It makes me feel happy that others will be able to see my work.”

Each leader takes turns in competing and judging the contest. The leaders of the Creative Writing club include president Josey Derosier, co-president Laila Lindsey, and leader Madison Barnes.

“Being able to judge the writing contests is something I find a lot of joy in,” Barnes said. “I get to read, anonymously, what my peers have written and be immersed into their stories.” 

During meetings, the club discusses different topics. Next week they will discuss world building. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing the stories people come up with for each contest,” Josey Derosier said. “It’s cool to see people’s creativity into action.”