Stories of historical tragedies and personal narratives fill senior Sophia Zhang’s mind as she creates meaning from the two. Her original short stories address themes from remembrance to camaraderie. For Zhang, writing short stories is an outlet for expression and the connection to characters she creates.

Zhang’s love for writing stems from her childhood love for reading, which her dad instilled in her by gifting her many classic novels. Zhang felt inspired by the timeless characters and was intrigued by their complexities and personal growth.

“Writing came naturally to me,” Zhang said. “I started writing short stories and poems. Whenever I consume a novel, I want to bring the atmosphere that I experienced reading that novel into my own writing. That makes the experience last longer.” 

 A character that influenced her writing is Grendel from the poem “Beowulf.” Grendel is a monstrous antagonist and social pariah who lives in misery and hatred. Stories from Grendel’s point of view galvanized Zhang to explore different perspectives for her characters, including perspectives from the lives of her friends and herself. This was manifested in personal reflections of her life or writing about historical events through the lens of a civilian.

Zhang reviews and edits her stories minimally, as she wants to project the significance of her tales in their raw form.

“I feel like having my writing in that raw form is what makes it the most natural for me,” Zhang said. “Going through fewer rounds of revision makes it feel a little bit more authentic to me.”

Despite her extensive experience and interest in writing, Zhang encountered some challenges along the way, such as keeping all of her stories organized. Zhang acknowledges that she follows minimal guidelines when writing stories.

“When I write, I don’t really think about who is going to read this,” Zhang said. “I don’t follow a certain set of plans or guidelines. I just continuously write.”

As Zhang looks back on her extensive collection of narratives, she can’t help but admire the benefits of the process.

“Writing helps me have a conversation with the unconscious part of my brain,” Zhang said. “When I write freely, the storyline comes alive, becomes uncluttered and I feel at peace with my work.”