UPSCALE WRITING SKILLS

Writing is more than a form of communication. It is a Life Skill that is vital in various academic and professional work scenarios. It is also a wonderful manifestation of one’s creativity, imagination, and artistic expression. While I have spoken and written at length about various types of writing, long and short format fiction as well as nonfiction; in this post, I want to share my learnings as a Writing Mentor. Specifically of the tremendous merits of Writing Workshops.

Where does one learn how to write? For most of us, it is at school. It is a natural progression of learning a language, starting with the alphabet, moving into sentence construction, followed by writing essays, letters, stories and poems. However, there tends to be something formal and mandatory about the writing that we do, or are asked to do at school. For students who are interested in writing, this can sometimes rob them of the spontaneity that writers enjoy. For those who are not too keen on writing to begin with, it can be stifling, and put them off writing, for good. However, in a Workshop environment, the paradigm changes. The vibe is completely different. The dynamic is distinctly altered.

FLEXIBILITY
Perhaps the greatest value that a Writing Workshop provides is flexibility.

The flexibility of all kinds. I have had published authors and regular writers, who feel they need a kind of ‘refresher course’, take my workshops. For these veteran writers, a workshop allows them to become students once again, while not needing to commit too much time since workshops can be as short as a month with classes only over the weekends! So there is time flexibility and the ease of slipping into student mode once again. The other kind of flexibility that workshops provide is also time-related but slightly different. Say there is a young student who is very keen on writing but isn’t sure if he or she would like to commit to a full-time writing program at college. A workshop can be a great selftest for that student to determine if they have the talent, interest and tenacity for writing. Last, and this might be specific to my workshops, is age flexibility. While I do conduct workshops for specific agegroups, most of my programs are open to people simply above a certain age. There have consequently been occasions where in the same group I’m mentoring, the youngest student has been a girl from grade 8, and the senior-most student has been a retired corporate honcho aged 66! This kind of diversity lends the group such a unique vibrancy that it makes for a very rich learning environment. Perspectives of different generations, friendly banter and debates between disparate philosophies, all make for an extremely immersive learning environment.

I’ve been blessed that I can do what I love – teach. It is a commonly held belief that teachers are selfless. I think the truth is quite the contrary. I feed off of the energy and enthusiasm of my students. Teaching keeps me fresh, abreast, excited, challenged, and on my toes. And the workshop environment and format, I have come to realize, is one of the best.

NO JUDGEMENT – THERAPEUTIC
Arguably the biggest advantage of a well-bonded Writing Workshop group is that there is no judgement. From a student’s perspective, this is invaluable. There is so much that a student wouldn’t dare to write while at school or college, or a homemaker wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing at home, for fear of being judged. That fear vanishes in a workshop. Not only does one feel confident in sharing one’s deepest and darkest but feels compelled to do so. And really, isn’t that what a big point of writing is, to put forth what’s deep inside? I have had students who have attended my workshops come and tell me that aside from learning the nuances of writing, the workshop has been a cathartic experience for them! That kind of inner churn and freedom of expression can only take place in a workshop environment.

LOVERS OF WRITING
The dynamic that evolves in a Writing Workshop is positive from the get-go, simply because all the people who have enrolled for the workshop, love to write. At the very least, they share a strong desire to write well. This, combined with the Mentor’s positive predisposition, and his or her heightened enthusiasm levels at the prospect of interacting with a self-motivated group of learners, further affirms this positivity.

INFORMAL, FUN LEARNING
At school or in a regular program, various pressures become restricting factors during the learning process – from course completion deadlines at schools to writing not always being a priority skill to be developed in the first place. A writing workshop is free from all these limitations. It affords attendees the freedom to focus purely on honing their writing skills. Usually, because a writing workshop is also a space where by default people are writing and sharing extremely personal incidents, feelings, and experiences, it becomes a sacred space where the students and the mentor have bonded deeply. This gives rise to a certain implicit trust, it breaks down the walls of age and formality and aids immensely in the learning process. To be able to disagree, question, discuss, and argue even, are the kinds of luxuries that are seldom permitted in a school environment. But in a workshop, it is the norm. And it is extremely liberating.