Ink flows across sheets of paper as members write poems, narratives and letters about cows. Limited only by their creativity, they enthusiastically pen tales about bovine with deeper themes of racism and environmental crises. Attendees of weekly Writer’s Block club meetings partake in communal writing activities and sharpen their rhetoric with composition exercises and feedback from peers.

Seeking to provide a supportive community for isolated and intimidated writers, founder and junior Jody Lin began Writer’s Block Club in 2016 with fellow board member and senior James Lu.

“When we first started, it was kind of a rocky start, just figuring out what we were doing, because it’s really hard to turn writing into a social activity,” Lin said. “I’m perfectly happy sitting down and trying fifteen ways to describe a tree. I’m fine with that. But you’ve got to make it pretty social, so first, we did a lot of group partner activities.”

Ranging from poets to novelists,a mix of writers partake in the peer editing process. Adventure story novelist and freshman Jaden Song, has received feedback from members on his create-your-own-adventure story.

“Mostly, we’ve been doing writing techniques and how to express certain emotions or how to describe details in certain points of view,” Song said. “It’s really helped me flesh out my writing.”

Uniting aspiring writers, Writer’s Block serves as a physical forum for members to peer-critique works, practice timed-writing, and brainstorm ideas for future stories.

“A lot of people need to know how to express themselves,” secretary and junior Natasha Fisher said. “Many people are afraid to even start writing, which is also what happened to me, so I wanted to be part of a group that shows that you can improve. Writing is also a skill that you can build upon. So even if you don’t like how your writing is right now, you can definitely change it for the better.”