Spotlight: The Writers of ORCA

Students at Oregon Charter Academy may be miles apart, but that doesn’t stop aspiring writers from coming together and supporting creative expression. ORCA offers clubs like Poetry Out Loud and Pens & Prose for all writers regardless of proficiency. These spaces allow students to showcase their stories and create a community of positivity.

8th grader Charlie is among this group. He began his writing journey at eight years old, but started exploring it more in depth last year. When asked what made him start writing, he says, “the knowledge that no one will truly write something the same as I could, or have the same specific idea or concept of that thing.”

Charlie got inspiration from various sources of media. Books like the Percy Jackson Saga and The Hunger Games, along with music, TV shows, and even fanfiction helped inspire his creativity.

“I like writing because you can really tell a story with what you wrote,” he comments. “You can make the words truly mean something.”

Charlie’s current writing project is titled Solitaire’s Ace. “It’s about a royal hierarchy based off of poker [and] solitaire playing cards,” he explains. “The main characters are jesters that represent the Aces.”

High school junior Abbi Dilley-Gumm is also an aspiring writer. She began her writing journey at the age of four, and says, “my storytelling skills have definitely grown since then. And my spelling skills. And grammar. And plotlines. Really everything.”

Abbi doesn’t remember exactly what made her start writing, but she knows it was one of her best decisions. “I enjoy writing and storytelling because it gives me a way into my world,” she notes. “A world I imagined, where I can make anything happen.”

Abbi shares that she finds inspiration everywhere; elements from different written stories to the people close to her. “All of my stories are fictional,” she says. “Some are fantasy, based around mythical creatures like fairies and mermaids, wrapped around magic like creating fire with a flick of one's wrist.”

Abbi is currently working on her “biggest project yet.” Formerly under the title Fairy Garden, it began November 2023. It merged with another storyline, one under the name Destiny Chronicles. Since it is a shared project, Abbi was hesitant with sharing further details, but she put emphasis on one key component: “Doritos.”

Both Abbi and Charlie support the growth of other ORCA writers. Charlie’s advice for ORCA writers is to find the “why” behind the idea you are writing about, and pick apart what you like about it to spark inspiration.

“I believe every story deserves to be shared, so I applaud the writers of ORCA for helping make it happen,” Abbi comments. “Every single story I've seen these people write is great and I encourage every single one to keep writing.”