Creative Writing Camp Offers a Monster Mash-Up of Genre Exploration and Storytelling Skill Building
"I learned a lot about writing in general – how to be creative when doing it, how to just let loose and let your mind go wild, really just how to get better at it. This camp has helped me out a lot."
Monsters, monologues and mayhem made for a delightfully chilling week as the School of Arts & Sciences' Department of Literature, Culture and Society hosted its Creative Writing Camp, inspired by the horror genre. Middle and high school students spent the week developing villainous creatures, macabre backstories and hair-raising plots, all the while growing their writing and storytelling skillsets.
"I learned a lot about writing in general – how to be creative when doing it, how to just let loose and let your mind go wild, really just how to get better at it," said Declan Jolin, a 7th-grade student at Mellon Middle School. "This camp has helped me out a lot."
Professors Chris Girman, Stephanie Wytovich and Jennifer Schaupp shared their knowledge and industry insights with the students, coaching them on technique, editing, character development, presentation and more. Sessions included:
- Self Creation through Creative Writing
- Presenting Our Personas
- Your Life, Your Story: Creative Nonfiction
- Movie Monster History
- Predicting Horror Trends
- Building the Monster
- Plotting Revenge
- Villain Monologues
- Acting Games
- IT'S ALIVE! Group Workshop
Students wrote a variety of works throughout the week, including an artist's statement, a monologue from the perspective of a nonfiction character, and the fan-favorite activity – writing a backstory and monologue for their own monsters.
"I’m not very good at making things scary, so I decided to make a cute monster," Jolin said. "His name is Fuggles. He’s a mix of a pig and Big Foot. He’s not hostile. He’s very fuzzy, and he’s 12 feet tall."
In addition to experiencing Point Park's campus, students traveled to the Hillman Library to explore its horror archives and to the August Wilson African American Cultural Center to learn about one of Pittsburgh's most renowned playwrights.
"I really enjoyed going to the library and seeing all the cool horror memorabilia," Jolin said. "It was so cool because all of the stuff there was so old and exciting to see. Some of the monsters were completely different from how we know them now, like Frankenstein used to be this buff guy. I really enjoyed that field trip."
Students also completed freewriting exercises, had one-on-one writing critiques with Point Park instructors and had the opportunity to explore their artistic skills by illustrating their monsters and creating narrative collages.
"I enjoyed the art that I got to make and express my creativity in the style I’m used to, which is in fact drawing horror art," said Dietrich Jolin, Declan's brother and an 8th-grade student at Mellon Middle School. "I got to express my writing in a way that I haven’t done before. This camp allows you to express yourself for sure. Drawing, writing, sharing things about yourself that people won’t judge because you’re in a safe environment."
The week concluded with a live reading of students' work and a creative writing awards ceremony. Awardees included:
- Outstanding Monster Monologue – Altrian Story and Dillon Penz
- Oustanding Monster Image – Elizabeth Petteway
- Grossest Monster – Emily Harmanos and Kay Lane
- Magnificent Monster Backstory – Rosalie Kelley
- Scariest Monster – Dietrich Jolin and Mae Martin
- Cutest Monster – Declan Jolin, Maya Somova and Ellie Watson
- Outstanding Monster Detection – Maddy Hurley
Read more student testimonials about the monstrously creative week:
"I liked how easy it was to get around. I loved being in the city. It was really easy to communicate with other people at the camp. I haven’t known them for very long and we just met each other, but I feel like I’ve made really good connections and friends. You get to meet people who are in the creative writing industry, and they were able to teach us about how to get published, what publishers like to see, what the pay is like and more." – Emily Harmanos, 9th grade, Seneca Valley Senior High School
"It really is a fun experience. You make good friends. I liked the small class size, and it’s a very good age range." – Maddy Hurley, 7th grade, Pine-Richland High School
"I write poems, and I like just writing in general. I like the feelings you can inspire, the way you can incite fear, excitement, passion. I liked making my monster and writing the nonfiction character monologue. I learned a lot about imagery. The activities you do at this camp stretch the way you think." – Rosalie Kelley, 12th grade, North Allegheny Senior High School
