Creative wRiting

The Artist’s Garden at Vétheuil, Claude Monet (1881)

Book cover for 'All the Things I Could Not Say' by Sophia Chen. Illustrated scene of a girl in a blue dress walking on a dirt path through a forest with tall pine trees, heading towards a distant castle on a hill at sunset.

All the things I could not say: A collection of short stories

This self-published anthology is a culmination of years spent crafting short stories and descriptive prose across diverse genres. Bringing together everything from early drafts to award-winning pieces, the collection serves as a deeply personal creative milestone. Each narrative captures an experience, a memory, or a passing emotion, intricately woven into the lives of the characters.

Scholastic Art and writing awards

Every story I write starts with a single spark, often captured on a loose piece of scrap paper or a margins of a notebook. Over time, cultivating these small fragments of thought has shaped my voice as a writer and resulted in honours at the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Earning a Silver Key and an Honourable Mention has reinforced my belief that impactful storytelling begins with the simplest ideas, refined through dedication to the craft.

Scholarship award certificate for the 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, presented to Sophia Chen for a short story titled 'Disoriented.' The certificate features a gold and a white emblem with wings and keys, and decorative borders.
Certificate from the John Locke Institute at Oxford and Princeton recognizing Sophia Chen for an outstanding essay submission in 2023, presented at The Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford.
Certificate from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, celebrating 100 years, presented to Sophia Chen for her short story titled 'Silver Key'.

John locke institute essay competition

Earning an international Commendation in the John Locke Institute Essay Competition serves as a testament to my abilities in advanced academic writing. Evaluated on a global scale, this achievement reflects a capacity for objective analysis, the formulation of a compelling thesis, and the ability to dissect multi-layered, real-world issues through a disciplined academic lens.

Certificate of award from the Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023, awarded to Sophia Chen for a Silver Award, issued by the Royal Commonwealth Society, with signatures from Dr. Linda Yueh, Dr. Paul Edmondson, and Caroline Haines, featuring logos of the Royal Commonwealth Society and Lagos State Government.

The Queen’s Commonwealth essay competition

Awarded a Silver Award in The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, the world's oldest international schools' writing contest. This global recognition reflects my ability to critically and creatively engage with complex societal issues, express nuanced cross-cultural perspectives, and articulate innovative solutions to shared global challenges.

Bold yellow text spelling 'IOWA' on a black background.

IOWA young writers’ studio

Earned admission to the prestigious Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, completing a rigorous six-week creative writing intensive alongside top-tier young writers. Through continuous weekly drafting and editorial critiques, I successfully expanded my narrative capabilities, ultimately culminating in a complex ten-page creative piece.

An animated space scene with colorful planets, stars, clouds, a rocket, a spaceship, an astronaut, a person with curly hair wearing headphones, and a UFO, creating a dreamy, playful atmosphere.

Ink! Magazine, volume 6

Featured in the Vancouver Public Library’s Ink! Magazine, Volume 6, my creative writing piece, “Nightmare,” explores the vivid boundaries of speculative fiction and psychological tension. This publication honors a dedication to long-form narrative design and raw storytelling, translating complex emotional landscapes into a polished, resonant work of contemporary prose.