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[symple_column size=”two-third” position=”last” fade_in=”false”] I am : Trying to hear my own voice in the deafening sounds that stifle me
Presently biding my time : As a content writer in a start-up
As I secretly follow my dreams of : Being a Confident writer
Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from July 1 – Sep 21 2017
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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program
Being the youngest writer in the class I was unnerved by the sheer talent and maturity of the other writers in the batch. Like a scared kitten I curled up in a corner waiting for the storm to pass. Anita understood my insecurities and gently urged me to come out of my hole.
I still retreat in the dark corners every once in a while, but the one on one interactions with Anita has instilled in me a hope that after every cloudy day the sun will shine again. The craft of writing is laid out in a simplistic way enabling budding writers to blossom and go a step closer towards achieving their dreams. If you are shrouded in self-doubt and are looking for a place to hone your skills as a writer then this is the place to be.
Sonakshi’s Bio
Sonakshi is an introvert who uses poetry as an outlet to express her emotions. I spend my days as a content writer in a start-up firm. I have behind me an MBA in Hospitality & Tourism from Christ University and work experience in a travel agency for over a year.
Sonakshi D Kandhari | “Not Just Jazz” | The Graduation Ceremony of Season 5, Anita’s Attic
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https://in.linkedin.com/in/swapnamenon” title=”Follow Me” target=”self” rel=””]
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[symple_column size=”two-third” position=”last” fade_in=”false”] I am : a bioinformatics consultant, exploring the craft of writing short stories
Presently biding my time : Living. Breathing. Moving. Standing still
As I secretly follow my dreams of : Expressing myself effectively, beautifully
As good as: I am
Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from July 1 – Sep 21 2017
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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program
I have been writing poetry for as long as I can remember. About three years ago, I started writing short stories.Then, I found Anita’s Attic while surfing online. I was luckier still to be selected for the program based on my flash fiction submission.
I spent two nights on the train every week, traveling from Kochi to Bangalore and back, being there for every single session. What more could a novice ask for than to have Anita Nair look at his or her work, personally? The blind spots in my writing of three years became visible to me af-ter eleven weeks at the Attic; clumsy sentences, superficiality in certain areas were just a few of these.
I discovered how deeply connected the process of writing is to the clarifying of one’s mind and thoughts. The habit of writing with awareness, now touches the way I write emails, the way I think about myself, the way I interact with others. There is a freshness in my eye. It makes me notice and feel the world about me – something I keep forgetting to do.
Along the way, I met some wonderful human beings, my fellow writers at the Attic. The laughter, the fun conversations we shared made me get on the train with enthusiasm every week, as much as, everything else the Attic offered.
Swapna’s Bio
Swapna Menon is a bioinformatics consultant. She analyses high throughput data, generated from the research laboratories of American universities. She adores all the art forms – writing, painting, dance, theater, movies, music but dares practice just a little bit of writing. In the laps of nature, she loses her speech, her thoughts, her sense of time and all her faculties, save for the joy of being alive.
“Not Just Jazz” | The Graduation Ceremony of Season 5, Anita’s Attic
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[symple_column size=”two-third” position=”last” fade_in=”false”] I am : A writer, bibliophile and avid dog lover
Presently biding my time : Working as a freelance content writer and a Hypnotherapist
As I secretly follow my dreams of : becoming a published Young Adult fiction writer
Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from July 1 – Sep 21 2017
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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program
To be handpicked by Anita Nair for this program has definitely been one of the highlights of my career. The Creative Writing Mentorship Program is one of a kind in India. Anita Nair is a brilliant mentor who is firm, encouraging, patient and helps an aspiring writer understand the pros and cons of creative writing.
As a student of this program, I have gained valuable insights such as the common pitfalls to avoid as a budding writer, story crafting, character delineation and eliminating author’s bias. The program has given me an opportunity to interact with rain-makers from the publishing world who helped me understand the workings of this creative industry. This platform has refined my writing skills and enabled me to showcase my literary work.
Namrata’s Bio
Namrata is a Bangalore based freelance content writer who is currently freelancing with Indiahikes, a trek documentation organization that captures experiences of trekking enthusiasts. A background in Neuro Linguistic Programming and Hypnotherapy lends her a better understanding of human behaviour. Occasionally, she waves a pendulum before unsuspecting folks and relieves them of the burden of their heavy wallets!
Namrata’s keen sense of observation and peculiar imagination makes her believe that the more bizarre a writer is, the more creative they get. Ever since she has adopted her first dog, she has been inspired to work on her first book, a young adult fiction that helps stray dogs find a voice albeit an anthropomorphic one. She might just need extensive Hypnotherapy thereafter to vanquish the various canine personalities which dominate her mind these days. When Namrata isn’t chasing her literary pursuits, pet therapy with her dog, Kuttus, a good laugh, great conversation, yummy food and generous doses of red wine lifts her spirits.
Namrata Dass | “Not Just Jazz” | The Graduation Ceremony of Season 5, Anita’s Attic
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[symple_column size=”two-third” position=”last” fade_in=”false”] I am : a person who tries to fit into the mould of an human resource professional yet strives to defy its strict boundaries
Presently biding my time : Between trying to figure out the perfect diet and working out, aspiring to travel every three months, dreaming of the day or night when words will flow out of my pen, seeking an alternative to every norm in life and hoping that I will never have to confirm
As I secretly follow my dreams of : of finishing my first book in June 2018
As good as: Coming home
Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from July 1 – Sep 21 2017
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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program
I have always wanted to be read, read by someone who understands writing. Understand it for its crafting, its language, its strengths and its beauty. I wanted to be in the midst of people who wrote better much better than me. I wanted to be reviewed by someone who had made a mark in the literary arena. I found all this in Anita at the Attic. Anita has been instrumental in driving home the fact that writing is first and foremost a discipline.
Churning out 1500 words every week broke me yet made me. I have been both elated and dejected at the reviews and that is what I was looking for. The Attic has made me more resolute in sharpening my skill in the days to come. Anita has also introduced us to digital experts , Publishers , literary agents and authors and each interaction has taken us one step closer to the world of words .It has been a wonderful journey with her and my team mates who have instilled fun and purpose into the learning .
Maya’s Bio
Maya is a Post Graduate in Human Resources from XLRI and has completed her Executive leadership Program from IIM Kolkata. She has worked across different sectors in sales, marketing and Human Resources. Currently she heads Human Resources in BORQS Technologies in Bangalore
Maya Unnikrishnan | “Not Just Jazz” | The Graduation Ceremony of Season 5, Anita’s Attic
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[symple_social icon=”twitter” url=”https://twitter.com/xenosach” title=”Follow Me” target=”self” rel=””]
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[symple_column size=”two-third” position=”last” fade_in=”false”] I am : A die-hard speculative fiction geek who lives on a staple diet of books, music and dream fantasy world – his love for planning escapist travel itineraries to Middle Earth is closely competed for, by his dogs and his laptop
Presently biding my time : Slaving away in a corporate job that involves numbers and pie-charts and fooling a lot of people
As I secretly follow my dreams of : Buying a private island in the Pacific – gained from the royalty advances of my novels that usually kick-off a bidding war between publishers. Realistically? I want to stop saying I moonlight as an author and make writing a full time job writing across genres
As good as: Neil Gaiman or Samit Basu. Who am I kidding? Prefer to be just myself
Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from July 1 – Sep 21 2017
About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program
I had heard of Anita’s creative writing program a couple of years back but hadn’t seriously considered going for any mentorship or a training workshop as I didn’t believe that writing, a creative pursuit, could actually be taught.
But after my first book came out last year – and I was wrapping up book two in that series, I realized that I was writing myself into a corner. With respect to my craft as well as my ideas. So this year when I applied for Anita’s workshop, I applied with two thoughts in mind. One was to of course continuously work on and improve my craft but secondly and more importantly, Anita’s guidance and mentorship would definitely be the right platform for me to take my writing to a larger audience and a bigger world out there.
These twelve weeks instilled a new discipline about meeting deadlines and ensuring I am continuously productive. But more than this, the sessions with Anita gave me a clear logical thought process that drove forward my writing – ultimately helping me become a much more conscious writer. It also helped me understand the big bad world of publishing from veterans who had been there, done that. The camaraderie I have struck up with my fellow writers at the workshop have also improved my approach to writing and I have definitely made some good friends here
Sachin’s Bio
Sachin discovered Tolkien in his early teens, GRRM as a new adult and countless other gods in pretty much his late twenties. These still form a large wedge in his circle of life. Travel, radio and theatre have also figured in that ever-expanding and diminishing circle. He is the author of Faith of the Nine, an Indian epic fantasy that marries mythology and grimdark – and is diligently completing the rest of the books in that series while getting distracted by magical and fantastical ideas all the time.
On perhaps a more prosaic note, he is an engineer from BITS Pilani and holds an MBA from Indian School of Business. Attribute the love for numbers and pie-charts to this. He is currently based in Bangalore, planning to relocate to an island that hopefully doesn’t submerge in his lifetime. He spends an inordinately large amount of time chasing after his dogs (who love the free life a bit too much) when he is not busy dreaming up fantasy worlds full of monsters. And beautiful Yakshis, of course.
He can usually be found ranting on twitter under the handle @xenosach, devouring books and talking about them on his blog http://fantasy-smorgasbord.blogspot.com. You can always stalk him online at his official website http://sachindevt.com
Sachin Dev | “Not Just Jazz” | The Graduation Ceremony of Season 5, Anita’s Attic
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[symple_column size=”two-third” position=”last” fade_in=”false”] I am : A bibliophile, a logophile, a writer, a wanderer and a psychotherapist
Presently biding my time : Eavesdropping on coffee-shop conversations, writing fiction about real life and practising psychotherapy
Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from July 1 – Sep 21 2017
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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program
With so much of my life changing, I felt my writing sink deeper and deeper under the dredges of routine and responsibility. I knew I needed something special to jolt me awake and re-connect with my dream. Anita’s attic was all that and more. Besides connecting me with kindred spirits, these 12 weeks also gave me a chance to revisit my writing with new eyes and gave me courage to believe in my words.
Anita’s honest feedback and the gift of mentoring is the stuff of dreams for any aspiring author. Added to that were invaluable experiences with editors, publishers and agents – it has been an incredibly enriching experience that has made me a better writer.
Kanika’s Bio
Kanika is a clinical psychologist and an arts based therapist by profession. She is currently working on her first book.
Kanika Mehrotra | “Not Just Jazz” | The Graduation Ceremony of Season 5, Anita’s Attic
Join seventeen authors for an evening of reading and conversations, mentored by Anita Nair as they read out 17 short pieces of ragtime showcasing their literary strengths at the Rangoli – Metro Art Center on 21 September 2017.
The Season 5 batch of writers, a group from diverse walks of life and interest will present their best narratives with a musical background, to mark their graduation – an intense twelve-week creative writing mentorship program by renowned author Anita Nair.
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[symple_column size=”two-third” position=”last” fade_in=”false”] I am : Always searching for a new story
Presently biding my time : Hiding in an open office, suffering from an acute imposter syndrome, constantly wondering about who is on to me
As I secretly follow my dreams of : Writing a vindaloo of a book filled with dodgy characters, heart-breaking days and spiced laughter
As good as: Coming home
Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from July 1 – Sep 21 2017
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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program
Though all of us believe that we have a bestseller surreptitiously lurking within us, not many of us know how to build its bones and blow some soul into it. The process of storytelling is so much more than being able to write competently or having a great idea. It involves discipline, rigour, characterization, re-imagination, plot structures, editing and knowing the difference between metaphors, clichés and “being precious”. And…Anita has taught us all this and more. She has helped us examine our writing with a critical lens and become strong, powerful storytellers.
Through the program she has meticulously reviewed our work every week and introduced us to authors, editors, agents, social marketers and publishers who helped us understand the entire business of writing, from table to twitter. So, if you are serious about becoming a writer, or just interested in knowing more about the process of storytelling, do the program. It’s brilliant!
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[symple_social icon=”linkedin” url=”https://www.linkedin.com/in/bharti-girdhar-a819629b/” title=”Follow Me” target=”self” rel=””]
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[symple_column size=”two-third” position=”last” fade_in=”false”] I am : An Interior Designer and Entrepreneur and now an aspiring writer
Presently biding my time : Doing what I love – work blended with some music, spiced with some friendships and extra-large refills of reading
As I secretly follow my dreams of : Spinning sketches of tales to tell
As good as: it gets
Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from July 1 – Sep 21 2017
About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program
Anita’s Attic was a revelation which unfurled as I spent every Saturday, mesmerised listening to her and other co-writers spinning a web of words around me. Anita not only mentored ours words, in fact quite subtly but surely, imparted us the sensibilities and resilience required to create a piece of fiction. She walked the talk every Saturday and we slaved out piece after piece of some thousand words each Wednesday. Each submission was a dare and dread for a non-writer like me. I carried the fear of Red marks like a halo every Saturday. But everytime, although I was handed a red hued word doc, I also renewed my lessons in kindness, discretion, objectivity and word wisdom beyond par. The attic experience with Anita and a bunch of cracking, much talented co-writers showed me beyond doubt that ” Darr ke aage jeet hai”!
Bharti’s Bio
A designer by heart and soul, passionate about enabling my clients to create their own design statements reflected in their lifestyle through their dwellings.
Professionally describing:
Creative interior design professional and entrepreneur with over 150 executed projects in Bangalore spanning over 15 years. Experience in all styles of design – classic, contemporary, retro, and modern Minimalistic with a strong background in project management, space planning & optimization and quality control. Academically I have a Masters degree in Resource Management from University of Delhi followed by PG Diploma in Entrepreneurship Management. I have also done a certificate course in Interior Design from Regent Academy of Fine Arts, London.
Bharti Girdhar | “Not Just Jazz” | The Graduation Ceremony of Season 5, Anita’s Attic
About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program
Anita’s intensive 11 week program made me write with discipline and rigour. The guest speakers at the Attic helped me understand the art and science of the entire spectrum of the publishing process. What I liked the most about the Program is Anita’s specific, one-on-one feedback that ensures everyone ups the ante from whatever level one is at. Her honest, hard-hitting and empathetic feedback helped me improve my writing craft. She gave invaluable tips on writing from a seasoned writer’s perspective. She is a true professional and one of the best mentors I was fortunate to have come across.
Sujatha’s Bio
Sujatha has an overall work experience of 32 years, out of which 25 years have been in the banking space. She is presently freelancing as an empanelled trainer for a leading Private Sector Bank. She has been sporadically contributing articles / travelogues to the leading newspapers in the country over the last two decades. Two of her short stories were placed in the third place during the months of January, 2016 and February, 2018 in the national Write India Season 1 and Season 2 contests conducted by the Times of India. After doing the creative writing program at Anita’s Attic, she got quite a few of her articles and stories published both in English and Telugu across a few leading magazines both within India and outside of it.
Sujatha Rao | “Not Just Jazz” | The Graduation Ceremony of Season 5, Anita’s Attic
