A new club called The Fictionists made its way onto campus last spring.

The club was started by William Kirklen, sophomore English major from Austin.

“When I got to ACU, I wanted to join a club and become part of campus life, more specifically a creative writing club,” Kirklen said. “I wanted to be a part of a more active writing club that could help me to be a better writer.”

Tyler Sparks, graduate student in the school of theology from Abilene, serves as secretary of The Fictionists. He said the club was originally titled The Wordsmiths, and is dedicated to faith and writing,

“We are dedicated to exploring the interconnection of faith and writing,” he said. “We are delving into what it means to be Christians and authors.”

The Fictionists also focuses on encouraging members to reach their creative potential, Kirklen said.

“To further our understandings of writing and ourselves,” he said.

Club meetings take place every Friday, to avoid distracting members from their homework and as a way to de-stress.

Meetings are structured to provide many different outlets for the member’s creativity.

“We start off meetings with a time of guided meditation,” Sparks said. “We follow that with a four-minute writing exercise based on a prompt or specific genre of literature.”

After the exercise, the members enter a time of discussion and sharing, inviting constructive criticism from fellow members. Members are also encouraged to share pieces they have been working on at home.

Starting this month, the club is working to add a book club component to the meetings, Sparks said.

“Throughout the month of October we will be reading C.S. Lewis’ ‘Mere Christianity’ and discussing it once we have finished,” Sparks said. “Next month we will work our way through ‘The Book Thief’.”

Throughout Christmas break the club will be working through a book of poetry.

The Fictionists club is working hard to establish themselves on campus, hoping to set up a small group chapel next spring for those interested. The club also plans to attend a writing workshop in the Dallas Fort Worth area.

For those interested in joining The Fictionists, Kirklen encourages them to attend one of the club meetings.

“They really only have to show up and ask,” Kirklen said. “We welcome anyone who is interested, regardless of their major. Everyone is welcome to see if they would like to be a part of our club.”

The club meets every Friday in the Inkwell, located in the basement of Chambers Hall, at 3:00 p.m.