Creative Writing workshop in Bangalore and Online on 28th august

Soulpen: The adventure of writing.

How would you like to write a novel? Or a play? Or a script?

How would you like to dip into your own well for ideas, for short story, novella, novel or movie-script?

Have you ever felt that you have a classic inside you? That all you need is to catch the illusive thread from your bundle of thoughts and keep puling gently. Maybe you sat with a pen in your hand and tried to write a story. And maybe your bundle got tight and the thread snapped. Untangling that bundle can be a delicate, at times painful, but ultimately fulfilling creative process.

Anyone can write. Those who have the patience to deal with the tangled bundle will definitely come out with a novel.

Those who don't have it, come sign up for Soulpen. We give you the fevicol that will stick your bottom to the writer's chair.

The next creative writing workshop is scheduled in Mumbai on the 10th and 11th of April.

Timing: 10 am to 6 pm

Fees: Rs. 1,000/ (writing materials, tea included)

Venue: Times of India office, MG road, Bangalore. Online option is available to those who live out of Bangalore. Mail me for details.

Eligibility: Preferably over 16 yrs old and a love for writing or reading or both.

Focus: The aim of the workshop is to dig out the blocks that hamper the sprouting of the creative juices and fuel the love of writing towards an intense and natural discipline. It will help the beginner as well as the writer who is stuck in the middle of a book.

Call : 09945192862 or mail manjushree.abhinav@gmail.com

Flow chart:

Re-discovering the creative impulse.
Why do we write? Because we need to tell the story. As children, all of us are born creative. When we learn to talk, there is no difference between imagination and reality. Education encourages us to develop our logic and the creative process takes a back seat. The glimpses of the muse are short and sweet: She comes visiting, she leaves a line and takes back the novel.

Missing the muse, the creative angel, is the writer's block. We shall begin with an exercise, an ice-breaking ritual for overcoming the writers block. Then we get familiar with the source of all the art within: your well. We shall do some techniques to dive in with a torch and unearth the gems, the pearls or the bullets.

Nurturing the creative impulse.

How does curds set? First of all, you need a pot. The structure of the story. The American classical structure and the Indian traditional original masala formula from the Natya Shastra. The navarasas. Then it needs milk.

Characterization. We shall understand different approaches to creating your characters. The purpose of all these exercises will be for all the participants to complete a short story. And to fuel the love of writing towards a natural and intense discipline of sitting with a pen and paper.

Call me at 09945192862 for registering.

Author's profile : I am a recently published novelist of A Grasshopper's Pilgrimage. This book should be available in most of the Crosswords and Landmarks. You can read reviews of this book on this blog. Just type the title in the search box. I am also a film maker. I was trained at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune in Film Editing. I have made several documentary films, and taught the various aspects of film making at NID (National Institute of Design), Ahemedabad and also at the FTII. I have conducted several creative writing workshops at the Srishti School of Art and Design and Times of India : Nalanda group, Bangalore . I write for the creative outlet, deep fulfillment and clarity of mind that sometimes comes as a gift with a good session of writing.

creative writing workshop in Tiruvannamalai

A creative writing workshop in Tiru.....I hear the Mountain calling me, so softly calling me....

Soulpen: The fulfillment in writing.

Ever since Arunachala was created, God has not tired of singing and writing his praises. He kept me away from the Mountain long enough for the unbearable yearning to pour out into a book. The yearning did not lessen, but I stopped feeling like a miserable fool. Now I am a happy fool.

Writing can be a sadhana. Dreams are fulfilled, nightmares are faced. The madness within gets leveled out, somehow. On a piece of paper.

All you need is to catch the illusive thread from your bundle of thoughts and keep puling gently. Untangling that bundle can be a delicate, at times painful, but ultimately fulfilling creative process.

Anyone can write. Mostly, the glimpses of the muse are short and sweet: She comes visiting, she leaves a line and takes back the novel. Is there a way to keep Her next to you?

The purpose of this workshop will be for all the participants to write a short story. And to fuel the love of writing towards a natural and intense discipline of sitting with a pen and paper.

Schedule: 21 st August, 10 am to 6 pm, Rani's Garden in Tiruvannamalai. For those who dont know where is Rani's Garden, any auto driver worth his salt knows where it is.)

Fees: This workshop is on donation. You can put your money in envelopes.

Eligibility: Preferably over 16 yrs old and a love for writing or reading or both.

Call : 917708748148 (Anja in Tiru) or 09945192862 (Manju in Bangalore) or mail manjushree.abhinav@gmail.com

Author's profile : I am a recently published novelist of A Grasshopper's Pilgrimage. I am also a film maker. I was trained at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune in Film Editing. I have made several documentary films, and taught the various aspects of film making at NID (National Institute of Design), Ahemedabad and also at the FTII.

I have conducted several creative writing workshops at the Srishti School of Art and Design and Times of India : Nalanda group, Bangalore . I write for the creative outlet, deep fulfillment and clarity of mind that sometimes comes as a gift with a good session of writing. I blog at www.baktoo.blogspot.com.

there is no connection between anybody

'What do you think of Jesus Christ, Sir?' a lady asked Patriji, founder of the Pyramid Spiritual Societies Movement. We had gone their for a school trip yesterday.

'A great master. Among thousands of great masters.'

'Which masters are you connected to, Sir?'

'I am not connected to any master. I learn from many masters, but I am not connected to any master. All this talk of connection is for the buffoons. There is no such thing as connection, between anybody.

We are all equally divine.

After a child is born, is it connected to its mother? No.

We learn from each other. But we are not connected to each other.

And we learn from the wise. Not from the buffoons. Buffoons are fun, and fun is required too. But we should not make the mistake of trying to learn from the buffoons.'

'What about religion, Sir?' the lady asked him.

'Religion is also for buffoons. Have you seen the Pope? His dress? He is a buffoon!

There is no need to worship anybody. What is needed is to serve. If you love someone, you have to serve them, take care of them. If you love nature, keep it clean. A mountain, a tulsi plant does not benefit from being worshiped. If you love a plant, you give it water.'

He then broke into a Kabir song, and the beauty of it was that he sung it bit by bit, and we all sung with him.
'Dukh me sumiran sab kare, sukh me karen na koi. Jo sukh me sumiran kare, to dukh kahe ko hoi'

(We go inwards when we are unhappy. If we go in when we are happy, why will unhappy come?')

After his song, the school sang the silence song, a kannada song and some sanskrit shlokas.

He got up from the dining table, asked us to sit on the floor and plonked himself on the edge of wall.

'We will meditate on the breath for ten minutes! Close your eyes, fold your hands, and feel your breath.'

And then Patriji played a flute, to the tunes of which, my tears flowed.