Welcome to the Scrivener site.

From: Jennifer Sincavage, Editor in Chief

Congratulations to the winners of the Ariston Creative Writing Contest!

The three winning submissions are published in the fall edition of The Scrivener.

• First Place: Seth Weaver - Places to Go, People to Be
• Second Place: Neil Bridge - The List
• Third Place: James Markels - The Quiet House

Thanks to everyone that submitted.  Hope to hear from you next semester! Enjoy the issue!

If you have any further questions, please e-mail us at scrivener@gmu.edu.

Writer’s Block:

“The act of writing is an act of optimism. You would not take the trouble to do it if you felt it didn't matter.” -Edward Albee

This past summer, while clerking for a small law firm in Fairfax, I spent hours and hours helping the attorneys in my office prepare for a complicated, multi-million dollar case involving the defense of a business trust. By the end, we were all exhausted and buried beneath mounds of photocopied exhibits, depositions, and pleadings. Our firm won the case, but only after the attorneys had devoted a substantial portion of their time and efforts to the case for a solid year without any reassurance that these efforts would result in victory.

In this sense, lawyers do bear resemblance to writers. Professional writers, particularly those who write works of fiction, devote their entire lives to writing and the creative process, with no reassurance that their works will be well received or turn a profit. In writing, as in the legal profession, there are no assured victories. The lawyer and the writer must rely on faith and optimism in their ability to succeed. They must be willing to find gratification and comfort in the work itself rather than in the outcome.

Yet, despite these similarities, law school does not offer students much leeway in terms of creativity. Law students must stick to the formalities, the legalese, and even the redundant, archaic “wherefores” and “hereinafters” in drafting court documents and legal briefs. Two years ago, Nick Simopoulos, then a first year law student, braced the gap between truth and fiction, legal writing and creative writing, and began The Scrivener.

The Scrivener remains today, as it did in its inception, a creative outlet for law students, endeavoring to find both truth and fiction through students’ words. It is my hope that The Scrivener also inspires law students to not only recognize optimism and eloquence through their own writing, but to resurrect these qualities in their professional lives.

I encourage you to submit your own works of fiction or non-fiction to The Scrivener and to enjoy reading our previous submissions as you visit this website.

Jennifer Sincavage, Editor In Chief