Late at night, when the world quiets and distractions fade, the hum of a laptop and the scratch of a pen are the only sounds in the room. The story isn’t coming easily. There’s a plot hole here, a clunky sentence there, but still, he keeps writing.

That persistence stems from senior Ben Fu’s deep-rooted love for storytelling, particularly the kind found in historical fantasy filled with intense battles, rich worlds and supernatural twists. He discovered the genre the summer before frosh year after picking up novels by authors like Joe Abercrombie. What began as a love for reading soon became a drive to write, and with support from friends, Ben found joy in crafting stories of his own.

“Writing is a good way to indulge in my creative side,” Ben said. “It gives me satisfaction. Whenever I have an idea in my head on how I can connect one idea to another, that’s cool. Problem solving feels satisfying sometimes when I’m in a corner on how to write my story.”

Ever since the summer of frosh year, Ben invested time in fantasy and writing short stories in the genre. After sharing his first piece with his friends and noticing their enjoyment after reading it, he felt even more motivated to keep writing. Positive comments along with critiques from friends has helped him throughout his writing journey.

Besides fantasy, Ben’s writing has a focus on historical fantasy concepts, specifically of the medieval and Renaissance periods, including Barbarian warfare. He further practices his writing through drafting scripts for Be the Future, an amateur film club.

“Writing has gotten me back into reading and made me have more appreciation for creativity,” Ben said. “It’s also made me have a lot of memorable experiences with my friends, and I’ve also gotten to know all of the other kids who are also part of Be the Future.”

Ben reached out to senior Ethan Guan, interested in working on the club’s movie script. Ethan was thrilled to welcome Ben to the project, seeing as though the film did not have the professional feel he envisioned at the time, and that Ben’s innovative nature would fit well with his goals for the film. 

“Ben came in with all his ambition, his wild dreams and fantastical visualizations of fictional scenarios, and he injected them confidently into the screenplay,” Ethan said. “In working with him, the film went from a collection of small jokes to something that tried to reach for the stars, and that motivated the whole team to keep making a film come to reality, because we were onto something.”

Although Ben aspires to impact readers emotionally through his stories and for them to appreciate his pieces, he likes writing mostly for his friends’ and personal enjoyment. The unwavering support is what really keeps him motivated to continue with his work.

“A quality about him I admire is the ability to do things not for fame, but because he likes it,” Ethan said. “I can tell that because the things his screenplays are about aren’t big, broad, world-changing and life-changing things. He only does them for fun. It’s a rare trait to have, especially in this community, to do something for the thing’s sake.”

Besides the imaginative qualities expressed in Ben’s writing, he puts his thoughtfulness into connecting with friends as well. Close friend senior Eric Li appreciates Ben’s attentiveness and values the care he puts into their friendship, and believes that is a quality of a true friend.

“I try to emulate how thoughtful he is, and I try to think about what I say before I say it,” Eric said. “Ben’s a quiet guy, but whenever he does speak, it’s something important, and he’s always very thoughtful and caring about other people; he makes you feel included.”

Ben’s considerate nature is also evident in his writing because of his appreciation for characterization and relatability in his stories. Although difficult at times, he aims to channel the same care he has for his friends into writing meticulous and well-thought-out pieces. He also values overcoming the tests of creativity that come with combining ideas to make cohesive stories.

“My favorite moment in writing is when I finally finish a story, and it all comes together,” Ben said. “There’s a lot of times when I have a lot of good ideas, and I can’t piece them together, so when I can do that in a satisfying way that’s well-rounded and well-written, that’s the best.”

English teacher Jennifer Siraganian has taught Ben in both sophomore and senior year, and has truly seen his love for writing in class. She appreciates his eagerness to keep learning and his individual approach to making pieces.

“He has a very distinct voice and a kind of fearlessness to write about what interests him, and he’s really dedicated to his craft,” Siraganian said. “I’ve loved being able to see how much he pushes his imagination into these unexpected territories. I saw that with his poetry this semester, which was so unique and really representative of who he is.”

Ben’s distinct writing style and commitment to storytelling has only strengthened his identity as a writer and appreciation for the creativity that goes into the art. In Ben’s eyes, his love for drafting pieces overshadows moments when he struggles to do so.

“I get distracted very easily for a lot of other things then give up, but writing is one of the first things that I really hung on to, even if I didn’t want to do it,” Ben said. “It’s helped me persevere and focus, because it’s a way for me to express myself, so even if it gets boring and I get uninspired, I still push through. I really enjoy writing because it’s a source of pride for myself at being able to do something very well.”