Renee Chen HOWELL — The ability to put pen to paper and create another world through words is something Renee Chen, 15, does with apparent ease.
Renee, who is a sophomore at Howell High School, has been invited to attend writing conferences and workshops this summer in Pittsburgh, Pa., and the United Kingdom.
Renee said she was inspired to start writing when she participated in an honors writing program in the eighth grade. She said writing did not come easily right away.
“In order to prove to my teacher that I actually could write, I would practice every day. Somewhere along the line it went from something I would force myself to do, to a recreational activity that I now greatly enjoy,” the young woman said.
Renee has written about 50 stories and her short story “Frozen” earned sixth place honors in the Stonethread SpecFic III contest and is pending publication in an anthology.
In November, Renee’s psychological horror story “Flight” will be published in the Blue Fifth Review, an online magazine.
“It is truly an honor to be accepted into the writing world, especially when the contests I enter which are open to all ages and to authors with several different levels of publications have very keen competition,” she said.
In describing her writing as works of fantasy and horror, Renee said that is ironic because she “can’t handle horror movies or stories.”
“It is really quite fun to write them and almost every piece I have written for myself has been fiction. I have grown up reading fantasy and science fiction so it would be natural for me to gravitate toward that,” she said.
A year ago, Renee traveled to Brown University in Rhode Island and attended an experimental writing program. She said it was educational to see how her work compared to other writers.
“It was amazingly fun, and meeting others who had the same passion with words was an incredible experience,” she said.
Renee recently attended the New England Young Writers Conference at Middlebury College in Vermont. She learned ways to improve her writing and met writers who appreciate the art form as much as she does.
Renee will travel abroad for the first time this summer when she attends a writing program hosted by Oxford University and Cambridge University.
“I am very curious to see how much young writers in England differ from those in America and I know there is a lot to learn from them,” Renee said.
The young writer will also attend the Alpha Program at the University of Pittsburgh. The Alpha Program is a fantasy, science fiction and horror course for young writers.
“I can’t wait to make more writer friends and gain experience. From what I have heard from previous attendees, many have started writing novels at 16 or 17, and I can’t wait to join them,” Renee said.
To young writers who may be nervous about sharing their writing with others, she said, “Many people will tell you writing is simply a gift. There is nothing to lose by sending out your work. No one will ever be able to convey your stories the way you will be able to.
“I would like to thank my humanities teachers and supervisors, my guidance counselor and everyone who has offered me endless amounts of encouragement. After college, I hope to become an English teacher. Words will forever be my passion, and teaching is something I find greatly fulfilling, not to mention that raising the next generation of great writers is something truly amazing.”