Guest sessions are full of fun! Yesterday, I went on not one, but several writing journeys with children's book author Nalini Sorensen. What did I take back from my journeys? Several things, actually!For one, I love Nalini's phrase 'story eyes'. Just like Nalini, the question I hear most often is 'where do you get your ideas from?' Nalini made us close our eyes and imagine an incredible experience. She took us on a journey to the top of Mount Everest, a journey that's unique, special.And then, she told use that we didn't need experiences like that to create stories. All we needed were our story eyes. Look around with story eyes, and even mundane events can become stories.Already, during my writing programme, children have been concerned about uniqueness. What if we copy someone else's story by mistake? Will we get into trouble? Isn't it possible for more than one person to … [Read more...]
Online Reading Programme
I've been working with the British Library's reading challenge for a long time. I've worked with a range of themes - Circus Stars, Mythical Maze, Record Breakers, The Big Friendly Read, Animal Agents ... And I've enjoyed each one. I love the range of books the British Library has, and the reading challenge collection is always special. Being a British Council trainer was always a huge advantage during the reading challenge season because I got secret access to all these books that weren't yet available to regular library customers!However, as I associated with schools and children at the library, there were two questions that continually stood out to me:Don't we get to keep even one book? Why are there no Indian books?And these are questions I've been mulling over for a while, which leads me to announce this online reading programme.What will we do during the online … [Read more...]
Reflections – Part 1
During the course of any creative writing programme I conduct, about two or three times, I ask children to stop and reflect on everything they've felt and everything they've done during their sessions with me. Now that we're one month into my online programme, it was time. And as usual, I could not stop smiling when I read their work.Afreena, 11, listed everything she's learnt - from acrostic poems to rebuses. She remembered the list poem she wrote, the limericks we read and all the literary devices we worked with. Her reflection was simple, clear and straightforward; I loved it.Sunandini, 9, did something quite beautiful - she wrote a story! The whole story was a grand metaphor for the creative writing programme and I can quite honestly say that I've never read such an original reflection! Here are a few snippets.A few weeks back, I boarded The Great Grammar Express. I … [Read more...]
Writing Stories with Nalini Sorensen
Each morning, among the first things I do is visit my creative writing forum. I love it. I love that every day, there are new pieces to read, all shared by young writers who are part of my online creative writing programme. I've done four sessions with one batch and three with another; it's time to bring a little more excitement in - a guest session!I spoke to author Nalini Sorensen, and we finalized things super quickly. I'm delighted to announce a one-hour writing workshop with this warm, lively, award-winning writer. While the event is free for those who have enrolled for my online programme, it's open to non-participants too, on payment of a registration fee.Edit: This event was held on the 19th of November. Look out for all workshop announcements on my blog, or on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). To receive information about my reading and writing programmes … [Read more...]
How to Write a Limerick
What is a limerick?A limerick is a (usually humorous) five-line poem with a strict AABBA rhyme scheme. It's fun to write and, usually, fun to read. I've always loved limericks by Edward Lear, and over the past few years, I've read many, many more. Do you remember the nursery rhyme 'Hickory Dickory Dock'? That was probably the first limerick most of us learned!Why should I write a limerick?While I can't give you an answer to that, I can tell you why I work with limericks so often at creative writing workshops I conduct.Limericks are fun.Limericks are funny.Limericks have a definite structure, which forces us to pay attention to both rhyme and meter. Read more about that here.Limericks are short, with no room to wax lyrical.What do I need to know about limericks?The best way to understand the form of a limerick is to read dozens - or hundreds - of limericks for … [Read more...]
Creative Writing with Children
Every time I work with children on creative writing, I realise why I enjoy it so much. Each interaction is full of laughter, fun, and most joyous of all--moments when children finally understand something and it shows on their faces. I'm still elated after yesterday's online creative writing session!Since I launched the programme on the 5th of October, I've had a regular routine. Early in the morning, I log on to my forum. What will I find? Which of the writers would have contributed something delightful?One morning, I discovered a letter to be placed in a high technology envelope that could be opened and closed with a button. Another morning, I discovered a list of words that one of the young writers loves - goofy, amazing, surprise ... And soon, I will find a set of limericks. I can't wait to read them!Yesterday, as usual, my session was full of all kinds of activities. I … [Read more...]
Online Creative Writing Programme (ages 9 to 11)
Please note that registrations are now closed for this batch. To find out about the next batch for this age-group, please fill this form, or follow me on my social media handles - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.OutlineDifferent kinds of poetryMaking a story engagingCreating believable charactersWorking with plot and settingGenreStructureDialogue writingEditing and publishingDetailsAge-group: 9-11 yearsStart Date: 5th October 2020End Date: 28th December 2020Online Interactions will be held every Monday from 4 pm to 5pm. Please note that Monday the 16th of November will be a holiday for Diwali.Fee: ₹15,000 per participant (payable via UPI to seshanvarsha@okhdfcbank or bank transfer. International payments may be made via PayPal to seshanvarsha@gmail.com)This includes 12 online interactions, access to a private forum to share … [Read more...]
Online Creative Writing Programme (ages 12 to 14)
Please note that registrations are now closed for this batch. To find out about the next batch for this age-group, please fill this form, or follow me on my social media handles - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. “I’ve written five poems. Will you read them?” “I’ve written three stories. How can I get them published?” “What is self-publishing?” "How can I have my book sold at Crossword?" This 12-week creative writing programme seeks to answer all these questions and more. It will guide children through their creative journeys. Participants will explore a range of literature to hone their writing skills, working towards finding a unique voice and an engaging storytelling style.OutlineDifferent kinds of literature Poetry, prose and drama A short history of English literature Writing what you know Writer's discipline Copyright and intellectual property Heroes and … [Read more...]
The Chat Box
I love virtual school visits. I enjoy talking to children about my books, encouraging them to explore reading and writing, and taking them through my journey as a writer. Visiting schools virtually was such a novel experience that I wrote an essay for The Curious Reader about it. But of course, as virtual visits go on, more stories are created. That's the fun of working with children, isn't it?Recently, I did a session with a group of about 200 children. I know from experience that it's important to lay down the rules at the outset, and one of the rules is no mics. If 200 children switch on their mics, there's utter mayhem. Most children are now used to the idea, but at this school, the session was rather chaotic to begin with. In the beginning, before the session began, I did answer a few questions out of turn but as more and more participants joined in, I shook my head and kept … [Read more...]
The Writers’ Club 2019-20
I can't quite believe it's been five years with the Writers' Club at St. Mary's School. I remember we had a maths teacher in class V who had been teaching there for FOUR YEARS. And I thought that it was pretty much forever. I'm there now.My first batch was created for the sesquicentennial celebrations, and it led to the publication of Flickering Flames. In the second year, we put together a book of our own, handmade, and we called it The Book that Speaks. And in the following three years, I held a writing competition, with the results being announced during the very last session. Last year, I also invited a special guest to give away the prizes - and what fun that was.This year, my batch was particularly enthusiastic and we had not one but two parties - one for Christmas and one yesterday for our very last session. I love how excited all the girls are about the competition … [Read more...]