Cedars, October 2018

October 2018 15 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Inklings New creative writing organization provides a safe place to share and critique ideas by Kaileigh Willis T he Inklings is Cedarville University’s new creative writ- ing organization. Named after the literary discussion group that included famous writers such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, The Inklings is simply a safe place for stu- dents to come once a week and write, free from distractions. A typical meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays with an informative writing video. After the video, people are encouraged to allow their creativity to flow. Some stu- dents write stories while others pen poems or work on de- veloping plot and character ideas. Members are encouraged to write at their own pace as instrumental music plays and coffee and tea are offered at every meeting. Nate Lloyd, a sophomore industrial design major and the president of The Inklings, said he loves to relax at Te- lemetry Coffee Roasters in downtown Cedarville and want- ed to create a similar atmosphere. “We want to give people an outlet to work on creative writing,” he said. “[We want to] provide that same week- ly opportunity to relax, share ideas, give feedback and im- prove as writers.” Throughout the night, some writers have the oppor- tunity to break off into small groups to share what they’ve been working on and receive constructive criticism from the other students. However, the org is low commitment. Mem- bers are not pressured to share any of their work if they do not want to, and they may come when they can and leave when they must. The org is also making a document on Google Drive where people can post their work and receive feedback throughout the week. Although Cedarville University boasts over 130 student organizations, until this year, the university did not have a student organization for creative writers. This is exactly why Lloyd created The Inklings. Lloyd said he first noticed the absence of a creative writ- ing org on campus toward the end of last semester when he decided to focus more on his hobbies. He searched for a com- munity of fellow creative writers to support and encourage him and his writing. When he couldn’t find one on campus, he decided to start a creative writing org himself. “[Writing] is a way to express my daily thoughts, and it evolved into a weekly way to dump out all that information in a constructive way,” Lloyd said. Last semester, Lloyd and the vice president of the creative writing org, Brian Wright, a sophomore professional writ- ing major, hung promotional posters for support and found around 10-15 students interested in the org. With students al- ready responding positively to the idea of a community for cre- ative writers, Lloyd spoke with Dr. Melissa Faulkner, associate professor of English and the org’s advisor, andworked over the summer to ensure that The Inklings would officially be added to Cedarville’s list of student organizations this semester. To Nick Baldwin, sophomore professional writing ma- jor and The Inkling’s organizational manager, a creative writing org on campus seemed obvious. “Creative writing orgs are at a lot of other schools,” he said. “There is usually some kind of a club — a place for writ- ers to go and communicate. It’s weird to come to a college and not see a creative writing org.” It seems as though other students felt the same way. After the involvement fair in August, around 50 students showed an interest in The Inklings. Twenty to 30 students of different majors and backgrounds attend each meeting. These literary creators spend time together every week to craft various forms of creative writing, from poems, to books, to song lyrics. In the future, The Inklings would love to invite faculty members to teach certain writing skills during their weekly meetings. These faculty members would provide hands-on workshops for students to strengthen their writing abilities. Sophomore professional writing and information de- sign major Abby Shaffer said she enjoys the meetings be- cause it’s a consistent meeting that she can set aside every week from homework. As a person who loves to write and receives a personal joy from writing, Shaffer thinks that this org is great because it gives her the accountability to make time for something that nourishes her soul. Social media manager for The Inklings and sophomore visual communication design major Alexis Long also loves to write. She believes that writing is a form of art and enjoys how helpful The Inklings is in giving her the time and incen- tive to express herself through the written word. “I’d had a lot of story ideas in the past, but it was very hard to get motivated and put the work in,” Long said. “With this org, I feel more motivated and inspired to be cre- ative and write.” Students can learn more about The Inklings on Insta- gram and Facebook under the handle @inklingswritingorg. Kaileigh Willis a sophomore professional writing and in- formation design major and arts and entertainment writ- er for Cedars. When she is not taking care of her many house plants, she is most likely scheming about how she can single-handedly save the elephants. Online M.B.A. M.S.N. M.Min. Residential M.Div. M.Min. Pharm.D. Ready to take the next step? 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