Writing can be a difficult task for many students. Trying to emote what one is thinking through words and having it make sense is not as simple as it sounds.

But resources aren’t limited at Elkhart Memorial because Language Arts teacher, Todd Efsits has started the Writers’ Block.

“The Writers’ Block becomes much of a sanctuary or a haven for writing, [more so] than other places like a classroom or the library during tutoring,” Efsits said.

The Writers’ Block provides an atmosphere for students to simply write, without any distractions. Then, if they need it, Efsits is on hand to give feedback or to talk through ideas.

As a composition teacher, Efsits has found that students often struggle to find the perfect place to write, or they aren’t given the time during class to get one-on-one help from their teacher, but the Writers’ Block provides these opportunities and more.

It allows writers to feel safe and free in a writing environment without the restrictions that the traditional classroom might put on students.

Sophomore Rowlan Palmer goes to Writers’ Block, not to work on his homework, but instead to work on his own creative, independent writing projects.

“The Writers’ Block has helped me overall by just being a place to get out of the world for an hour and really tune-in to my creative aspect,” Palmer said.

Besides providing the opportunity for creative freedom, Efsits explained that the Writers’ Block provides a focused environment.

This is particularly important because in many cases students don’t really get one hour of class time to just sit down and write that paper, poem, song, or whatever it may be. What about college application and scholarship essays? Those are all written outside of class, but the Writers’ Block can help with those too.

Senior Mariana Villasenor attended Writers’ Block to work on her college essays.

“It’s a quiet environment so you can concentrate on your writing and work efficiently,” Villasenor said. “You also don’t need to stay the whole hour, you can just stay for the amount of time you need. Then if you get stuck on something, or need someone to revise what you’re working on, Mr. Efsits is always happy to help.”

The Writers’ Block looks to provide students with a community of support so that writing doesn’t seem like such a daunting task. It is located in Room A118 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. every week Tues., Wed., and Thurs.

“I think one thing that makes our school good is we are a community,” Efsits explained. “I think one thing that can make our school even better is to create more places where there is academic community.”