Five personal narrative club members approached the front of the stage for the first round of Sunday club presentations, anxiously looking at their phone screens and making last-minute edits to their stories. Even though the writers were all given the same prompt, listeners found themselves captivated by the unique styles and perspectives of each storyteller.
In the club, members began writing from broad prompts, such as the story of their name, their first crush or a quirky habit. The word count was around 250 words, pushing them to be concise and efficient.
Benjamin Fogler of Needham, Massachusetts, an avid member of the club, presented his short stories every week. His work often had a comedic spin that drew lively applause from the showcase audience.
“A lot of the stories we do here are pretty serious, so it was fun to let loose a little bit. It was nice that everyone was supportive, too. It’s a good feeling when people are able to laugh,” Fogler said.
Other writers made stories that had more of an introspective tone. Zoey Sternoff of Brooklyn, New York, read her piece during the second week.
“I felt super nervous at first. I was shaking with the mic in my hand,” Sternoff said. “But after being vulnerable like that, I feel like everyone knows me a lot better here and I am thankful I had that opportunity.”
Students were asked to focus on the details and use the skills they learned in instructor John Kupetz’s “Descriptive Writing” class.
But with such general prompts, some found it hard to figure out a specific component to zoom in on. Vidyuth Sridhar of Fremont, California, said he came up with his own writing process for the club.
“I did a lot of trial and error. I cycled through a lot of stories that I could write about, and I constantly kept writing and deleting and figuring out other angles,” he said.
However, Sridhar said his primary takeaway from the club extended beyond the writing conventions.
“I think the biggest thing I learned was about how to present my pieces,” he said. “It was a great experience practicing delivery, even though I was nervous.”
