Category: Honor Roll

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I am : A feminist, a designer, a procrastinator and a writer

Presently biding my time : Trying to juggle my job, my writing and my pets

As I secretly follow my dreams of : Completing my fantasy novel

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from June 30 to September 15, 2018

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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

I always thought that if I took the time to sit down and write, I’d be wonderful at it. Being at the attic stripped me of all delusions that it would be as easy as that. Anita redefined the way I look at words, and gave me the space to make all my mistakes. It’s been a privilege to have her critique my work. I’ll miss our weekly classes and all the wonderful people I’ve met !

Krithika’s’s Bio

Krithika has completed an undergraduate in Design and currently works as a data visualiser. She loves to experiment with watercolours and would rather talk about her dogs than herself.

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I am : An Electrical Engineer, a voracious reader and a diligent student of Bharatanatyam

Presently biding my time : Designing Electrical Systems for Buildings; ensuring that neither the transformers spark nor the cables fail

As I secretly follow my dreams of : Writing stories leave an impression on the reader – stories that linger on yet leave the reader wanting for more.

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from June 30 to September 15, 2018

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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

Anita taught us the importance of honest writing, the need to explore the character’s inner selves, and the beauty of narrating them in finely chiselled lines – to lift our writing above the ordinary. In her, I found a mentor who painstakingly reviewed my work and helped identify the flaws in my writing. At the attic, I flocked with birds who shared a penchant for good literature and encouraged each other to keep up the writing momentum. During weekends, I would commute from Chennai to attend the classes. However, my efforts proved worthy, when somewhere down the road, I realised that I had developed an intense bond with the art of writing.

As Sylvia Plath said, “Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences.”

Anu’s Bio

Although an engineer by vocation, Anu is a dancer by avocation. She holds a bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives and works in Chennai.

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I am : An imaginative writer and a compulsive traveller.

Presently biding my time :Trying to connect the floating dots of ideas in my head to weave out something meaningful.

As I secretly follow my dreams of : having my short story collection published.

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from June 30 to September 15, 2018

My Blog : Cleopatra Diaries

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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

I always wanted to write stories. However it is only after joining Anita’s Attic that I realised that writing is not just about penning down your ideas. Since the first session itself, Anita taught the intricacies of the art of writing and encouraged us to develop a writing routine. Her invaluable inputs while critiquing my weekly assignments changed my entire perception on story writing. In a span of twelve weeks I have experienced a remarkable transformation in my writings. Presently the biggest challenge ahead of me is to keep myself motivated to write regularly without the weekly assignments that I used to submit to Anita. I really enjoyed all my sessions and will miss the invaluable time spent at Anita’s Attic.

Saumya’s Bio

Iam a sociologist by qualification who went on to study cosmetology. Presently a passionate beauty blogger, newspaper columnist, dreamy story writer and an incorrigible cook. Love to travel and weave my experiences into words. I have a fascination for writing children fiction as well.

Published Work

http://www.pioneeredge.in/rising-depressive-other-psychological-disorders-in-adolescents/

http://www.pioneeredge.in/spirituality-a-contemplation/

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I am : From West Bengal. A software engineer. Writer. Painter. Puzzle aficionado. Mother of two awesome daughters – a teenager and a toddler.

Presently biding my time : Honing my writing skills.

As I secretly follow my dreams of : Publishing my first novel.

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from June 30 to September 15, 2018

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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

Anita’s Attic is one of the best things to have happened. On the very first day she asked us to identify the project that we’d be working on. Week after week we progressed on our piece of work with her helpful advice, insightful feedback on the craft of writing and one-on-one reviews. What may have seemed impossible became possible with the discipline that she had instilled in us. Amidst up-and-downs of life we all managed to produce our weekly assignments before the deadline. Anita’s guidance, personal touch, humorous anecdotes made the twelve weeks totally worthwhile. The guest ranging from Authors, Publishers, editors and literary agents gave us a 360 degree view of the writing world.

Our batch, everyone would say, was a quiet batch, but it was an equally inspiring batch of strong women and gentlemen. I wish everyone success in their writing journey and a very wonderful life.

Banasri’s Bio

Banasri is a software engineer by profession and holds a bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering. She was placed third in slogan writing for the Times of India, Bangalore times in 2004. One of her short stories was placed fourth in the national Write India Season 2 for Shobha De’s Prompt, Jan 2018. She is an avid puzzle solver and was selected in the Regional mathematics Olympiad, in her school days.

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I am : A software technologist who loves to teach, learn and write.

Presently biding my time : Work full-time in a software company, write about my experiences in my blog and publish short stories on Medium, Writing and the VeriHelp app

As I secretly follow my dreams of : Completing my memoirs of my teen years in Nigeria

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from June 30 to September 15, 2018

My Blog : TrivikramPrasad

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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

I have developed leaps and bounds as a writer over the course of twelve weeks in the workshop. Anita has imparted a growing sense of confidence in my writing that I did not earlier have. Her insightful and incisive comments sharpened my writing skills in ways I had not imagined. It was also an amazing experience getting to know the other participants, interacting and learning from them. It is solely due to this workshop that I am writing something that I had thought of doing for over two decades but never got around to it.

Trivikram’s Bio

I have lived, studied and worked in Nigeria, India, Dubai and USA. Recently I started teaching Design Thinking & Innovation Management for MBA students in a university and am loving the experience.

Professional

Over 24 years of experience creating, driving and managing software engineering teams in some of the leading software companies in the world. I hold a Bachelors’ degree in Engineering from Mysore University and a Masters’ Degree in Engineering from Arizona State University. I have co-founded a mobile gaming startup and also provide technology consulting to early stage startups.

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I am : An omnivorous reader and a closet fiction writer, whose cheap thrills include stumbling upon exquisitely crafted sentences.

Presently biding my time : Trying to live mindfully and filling my days with honest writing.

As I secretly follow my dreams of : Becoming a ‘real’ writer, with a distinct and unique literary voice.

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from June 30 to September 15, 2018

My Blog : MomOfAllTrades

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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

I came to Anita’s Attic with an open mind as Anita Ma’am had suggested, simply as a student and nothing more. To have my work reviewed meticulously, week after week by someone as accomplished and experienced as Anita Ma’am, is a privilege I will cherish for a lifetime. The greatest learnings I take back with me are how to chisel my writing so that it feels alive, to write with complete honesty, how being disciplined is more important than inspiration or even talent, to nurture my writing with the dignity it deserves above all to believe in myself. The sessions by the stalwarts in the publishing industry have helped me to understand better, how the publishing industry works, as well as to set realistic expectations for myself, as a writer. The time shared with the other participants, whom I’ve begun to think of as my ‘tribe’ has been wonderful and invigorating. The twelve Saturdays I spent at the Attic has changed the way I look at writing. It is most definitely a craft which has to be honed and perfected, but more importantly it a way of life, to be pursued diligently, reverently and with honesty.

Anupama’s Bio

Anupama is a freelance content writer and a tentative fiction writer. She is trying to raise a motley crew which consists of- a freshly minted teenager, a red-eared slider turtle called Leonardo and an unruly vegetable garden with a mind of its own; fortified with copious amounts of tea. You can read some of her published work in the links below.

https://www.huffingtonpost.in/anupama-vijayakumar/why-i-need-to-teach-my-so_b_9282148.html
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/the-cut-and-thrust-in-the-wake-of-a-sliced-finger/article21822951.ece
https://www.idiva.com/author/anupama-vijayakumar/15

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I am : A work in progress

Presently biding my time : : Writing my debut book which is a collection of poems, through which I narrate the story of a woman.

As I secretly follow my dreams of : Being a writer

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from June 30 to September 15, 2018

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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

Getting handpicked by Anita Nair was one of the high point’s in my life. The program helped me to identify the style of writing I was good at and the genre that I could focus on. The Saturday classes and the weekly assignments hones your writing skills and helps to craft one’s work better.

Renn’s Bio

Renn consults as an IP Strategist for a top 5 IP law firm of India. His earlier boutique IP firm which he founded was acquired by the IP law firm where he currently consults. He has done his EPGBM from IIM, Calcutta and has a Masters and Bachelors in Engineering.

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I am : A bookworm addicted to the smell of libraries and book shops, a closet writer (so far), an experiential cook, a fan of quirky movies, a believer in lounging, sauntering and other such forms of exercise, an incorrigible chatterer who loves solitude equally, an admirer of trees and their persistence in the face of human stupidity

Presently biding my time : : Doing what needs to be done while walking a parallel universe of ideas and words in my head

As I secretly follow my dreams of : Telling stories well and writing amazing prose

As good as: This mad, bad, sad, glad, good, horrendous, marvellous world we live in! or Schrodinger’s Cat!

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from June 30 to September 15, 2018

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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

I enjoyed being a part of this program. Anita, in her own words, is a taskmaster. She has taught us the importance of self-discipline. Her knack of breaking down difficult things and fears to manageable daily activities is liberating. A problematic mountain often becomes an easily scalable hill after a session with her!

Her weekly critiques of my writing boosted my confidence tremendously and showed me where I can do better. I have gone from a solitary secret scribbler to one who dreams of being a published writer eventually!

I loved these Saturdays where I could spend time with others who share a passion for writing. I am fortunate to have met and shared this journey with so many warm friendly intelligent and supportive people.

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I am : A dreamer, a writer, a globetrotter

Presently biding my time : Trying to write 400 words a day between a full-time technical communications career and being Mom to my eight-year old human child and three feline ones.

As I secretly follow my dreams of : Being a published author. My recurring dream since childhood

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from June 30 to September 15, 2018

My Website : www.varnika.co

Recent Published Work : Mia finds a home

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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

It took me ten years to complete my first (as yet unpublished) fiction novel. Ten years of trying to eke out a writing discipline between life events, learning the craft by trial and error and ultimately not having the confidence that I was good enough.

I wanted to do it differently for my second book. So I joined Anita’s program and it has been a dramatically different experience. I got into a cadence of writing, and received real-time tips, feedback and encouragement. It was wonderful to meet fellow writers and others in the publishing industry week after week. I didn’t want it to end. I wish I had this opportunity ten years ago. If you get the chance, grab it.

Sandhya’s Bio

Sandhya is a Graduate in English Literature from Lucknow University and has done her Advanced Masters in Global Management. She currently works as a Section Head in Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Knowledge Management division. She is fascinated by people and what makes them tick. That has driven her over three decade global career as a leader, a coach, and champion of inclusion and diversity. After she staggers home from work, she enjoys pottering around her home and garden in Bangalore with the aforementioned babies.

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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