Cultivating Creativity & Building Skills – Creative Writing Workshop for Budding Writers

The joy of victory is a constant companion for a child who emerges victorious in a competition. Holding a trophy or prize serves as a tangible reminder of their remarkable achievement. However, at Keekli, we strive to make this prize even more meaningful and enduring. We go beyond just celebrating success; we add a promise of nurturing skills, providing unconventional education, and fostering enriching interactions with seasoned writers. The members of the Keekli Charitable Trust recently organized a creative writing workshop for the winners of a short story writing competition. This competition featured students from government schools in the Shimla District and was held in collaboration with the SJVN Foundation during the month of May. The event saw the participation of jury members and resource persons, namely Shrinivas Joshi, Sangeeta Saraswat, and Atma Ranjan, who revisited the shortlisted stories in the company of the young writers.

The primary objective of this endeavor is to guide and inspire these young talents in their journey to becoming better writers and avid readers. On this special day, the winners had the opportunity to read their stories aloud in front of their peers, casting aside any inhibitions. Each child received constructive feedback from all the resource persons, who then embarked on the next phase of working with them individually. While extending their congratulations to these budding writers, the mentors also shared valuable insights. They emphasized the importance of maintaining a seamless narrative flow in their stories, integrating the message into the writing style rather than presenting it separately. Furthermore, they encouraged the young authors to craft intriguing introductions that would captivate readers from the outset and keep them engaged until the very end.

Over the course of the following month, the fifteen winners will collaborate closely with their mentors. Each mentor has been assigned five children to guide in refining their stories, focusing on elements such as plot development, grammar, and overall structural improvements to prepare the stories for publication.

In addition to honing their writing skills, the children will have the opportunity to suggest titles for the book, contribute artwork for the cover, and enhance their stories with illustrations, adding a creative touch. Proper credit will be given to the young authors for their contributions. The attendees of this inspiring event included Ankita Sharma, Diya, Preeti, Khyati Verma, Kritika Verma, Shalini, Divya, Aarushi, Tarun Thakur, Navjot Kaur, and Pallavi.

The day concluded on a positive note, with these young writers leaving, brimming with newfound knowledge and inspiration to become even better at their craft.