Literature, ideas and inspiration are shared among Utah Tech University students at the Writers’ Block Club meetings Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. in room 220 of the General Classroom Building.
The Writers’ Block Club was founded in fall 2023 by Jacob Wooley, a junior history major from Newnan, Georgia, and has been an outlet for aspiring writers on campus ever since.
“I figured that it’d be cool if there was somewhere on campus where people could explore creative writing without taking courses for it,” Wooley said. “I personally wanted to continue having a social setting to write in, and I assumed there were other non-English majors who also would like that.”
Joseph Gee, a junior English major from Preston, Idaho, is the current president of the club.
“What we want to do is help people write no matter where they are at,” Gee said. “From short stories to novels, from fanfiction to poetry, from a paragraph to thousands of pages, we’re not here to say what writing should be, but more of what you want it to be.”
During the meetings, the club talks about the knowledge that writers need to have for 45 minutes to an hour. Whether it’s talking about dialogue, dream sequences, poetry or any other literary devices, the club provides information on how to strengthen writing. After the discussions of what writers should know, the club provides writing exercises to help combat the common issue of writer’s block.
“I believe that every writer benefits from having a writing community,” Wooley said. “I hope that it inspires people to just have a place to sit down, chill and write every Friday. I also hope that seeing people with similar passions, going through the same struggles and being able to share those joys and difficulties in writing with others inspires people to keep on working on what they want to do.”
The writers in the club all have different goals, but the club provides fun for all of the members.
To create a welcoming environment, there is an icebreaker at the beginning of every meeting to boost morale and involvement. After writing exercises, members get to proudly share their work with their fellow club members to gain feedback.
Kai Wight is a junior biology major from St. George, and is the secretary of the club.
“I remember when I was a club member a year back in the fall, and we had a meeting about what motivates writing for people,” Wight said. “Though there was a list of other things and places, the discussion touched on the idea of just being at a writer’s meeting surrounded by people who write and want to write and are willing to share their knowledge alongside their work is enough to motivate people to write.”
Some clubs at Utah Tech are a hidden gem on campus; the Writers’ Block Club provides education and fun for the community.
“Growing the club has been difficult at times,” Wooley said. “We typically get a big wave after every Club Rush, but as much as we do our best to make our meetings both fun and educational, writing is one of those hobbies that not everyone enjoys. In previous semesters, some of the English faculty has allowed us to advertise to their classes, which we were very thankful for. This semester, we’ve been trying to collaborate with other clubs more.”
Some students at Utah Tech might flock toward bigger events, but some might want to be a part of a club that will improve their skills.
“As we aren’t a club that focuses on big events, most of our growth is spread through word of mouth,” Gee said. “I hope next semester to go around to a couple of classes that would be willing to take some time and hear about the club. I may try and see what bigger events we can hold, but for now, word of mouth has worked wonders.”
To learn more about the Writers’ Block Club, their Instagram is @utahtechwritersblock.
