Author Talk on Creative Writing

• Secondary
• 16th October 2019

Practicing and building skills like creative writing remains an underappreciated art by students today. Creative writing is a way of letting one’s imagination run wild. On the 25th of April, Varun Gwalani, a young Mumbai-based author conducted a lecture session on the significance of creative writing for the students of 9th grade.

Mr. Gwalani perceives the art of creative writing as a goal. He shared valuable insights with the students relaying the importance of the ability to write well and to be able to communicate well. He emphasized that a quality writing helps one to connect to people. Drawing instance from his own personal experience with OCD, he added that literature and art lends us a sense of the world around; and sometimes lets us know that we are not alone.

Expanding on creativity, Mr. Gwalani said that any story has three things in common; i.e., a major element which is established in the very beginning of the story, a problem or a conflict that drives a story forward and lastly, there is a resolution. This resolution, as he said, might not necessarily be a happy one either. He highlighted the concept of “suspension of disbelief” which allows the consumer to enjoy a written material or any visual text for that matter. He also focused on the importance of providing a realistic base to the story for reader satisfaction. He shared the interesting craft of a creative writer on how tiny seeds are planted in the entire story by the writer to be employed later, giving the story an attractive twist.

Mr. Gwalani later shared a chapter from his 3rd book, which is a children’s book. It was on the topic “Princess Material” which featured a strong female character named Priyanka who did not feel the need to be a princess material. The students loved the story and responded with a cheerful applause.

It was a delightful lecture session on creative writing. It made the students understand the power that creative writing possesses that can revitalize one’s relationship with language and help one build articulation skills as well.