I wasn’t sure what was in store for me when I volunteered to teach a three session Creative Writing class to a group of 12-18 years of age teenage girls. Were they showing up just to tick a check on a badge requirement? Did their parents have errands and needed a convenient babysitting service? Would the girls spend all three hours looking at their phones while I spoke? There were many scenarios swimming around in my head that I’d braced myself for, but none of them prepared me for what actually happened.

Every single one of those girls came to the first session with more excitement about writing than a caffeinated squirrel. They didn’t just like writing, it is their true passion. When asking some opening questions, I can honestly say I was gobsmacked to find out every girl present not only had their own WIP (Work In Progress) they were actively working on, but some had already written not one novel but multiple novels – plural! Within the first few minutes, we were all chattering away and geeking out about plots, world building, and character development, and when I took them through a character development warmup exercise, each of them created in-depth characters far beyond what I thought them capable of.

The level of writing these girls are at is truly inspiring! In a world of stale, regurgitated stories and a lack of original content, this is the fresh blood we need! Never have I seen teens more excited about a homework assignment than when I handed out the list of writing prompts for them to work on until the next session. The next generation of authors is here, folks, and I cannot wait to read the stories they create!