The Writing Programme - tellmeyourstory

Anuja Chandramouli (Guest Faculty)

Such a pleasure and privilege to work with Tell Me Your Story. It is a wonderful initiative and I really enjoyed being a part of it.
(excerpt from her web con)

Anuja Chandramouli (Guest Faculty - Season 1)

Testimonial by Chandna Singh Nirwan

The Writing Programme enhances the participant's writing ability in a subtle manner through classes, guest lectures, assignments and feedback. Quite a hands-on approach by the mentors. The participants are given time and space to work at their own sweet pace. The interactions and assignments open multiple ideas/views/opinions on a single topic which makes it even more interesting as we start to read our own stories from different dimensions. After attending four classes, I was able to see the gaps that could have been expressed in a better way. I learnt how to make even a basic topic appeal to an audience. Story-writing is all about the art of expression and clearly, I have learnt a few tricks on that.

Chandna Singh Nirwan

Testimonial by Akhila Mohan CJ

After attending the program I could understand how to strike a balance in between scenes, descriptions, dialogues and characterizations. After attending the program I visualize the story and the sequences in it before writing down on paper. I feel more confident. The reading materials provided were excellent and meticulous reading especially in a group helped me in improving dialogue writing, striking the settings and characterization. Above all, I felt very nurtured and respected in the entire circle. The way mentors guided us and did constructive criticism of our works, the guest faculties who boosted our confidence and shared their writing processes, the session in which the literary agent Suhail Mathur shared insights about the publishing process, everything added so much value and learning to our writing and learning journey. I loved both the mentors, Koral and Somrita, for their insights and for their kind, down to earth and easy to approach attitude.

Akhila Mohan CJ

Testimonial by Ranjit Panicker

My story is drastically better after inputs from the mentors and incorporating the changes suggested. I learnt the importance of editing, introduction of conflict in a story, how to write dialogue, involving all senses in descriptions and scenery, developing characters and how the publishing industry works.

Ranjit Panicker

Testimonial by Subha Manoj

I learnt how to make my stories speak for themselves, how to show more and tell less, how to build meaningful content and layers in my stories. I also know better techniques of characterization, understood more about different themes in storytelling, especially non-fiction storytelling. The workshop has also added more elements of women narratives in my kitty.

Subha Manoj

Testimonial by Khoobi Shah

The biggest takeaway for me was that the writer's inner voice is important and that should be reflected in one's story. Also that a writer should not shy away from adding local dialect, local references into their story. I now pay more attention to how a story progresses compared to what I did before. I also read books more critically to understand the craft of writing. I am also more confident about the kind of stories I want to write.

Khoobi Shah

Testimonial by Sunil Kumar

Being a man, it was really tough for me to write about women. I wasn't able to express with confidence, how women feel. Weekly readings and guest lectures were perfectly arranged and they contributed greatly to my storytelling. The tasks of the workshop helped in pushing my range of imagination and expression. From fictional representations to real-life examples shared by authors and mentors have molded my story in a way that now I think people would love to read it.

Sunil Kumar

Testimonial by Sanchita Moi

The workshop brought regularity to my writing. It helped in improving my observation which goes into shaping a character. I have started noticing others minutely and indulge in some self-reflection also. The Writing Programme has improved my technique of plot construction & characterization. I feel the confidence to broaden my storytelling beyond my comfort zone.

Sanchita Moi

Testimonial by Parvadavardhini Sethuraman

I learnt the technique of infusing dama at the right place in the narrative, techniques of developing a character by concentrating on different facets of the character's personality and also about the importance of a location and how to effectively use it as a part of the story. I would be worried that my language is too simple, but now I concentrate on making the narrative interesting, as I know the simplicity of the language helps communicate the viewpoint better.

Parvadavardhini Sethuraman

Testimonial by Aswini Prabhakaran

I really enjoyed the reading materials of Season 2. The workshop helped me a lot in understanding how to use the background settings including the location where the story takes place and its importance in writing, sometimes even to the extent of acting as a secondary character in the plot.

Aswini Prabhakaran

Testimonial by Kanika Khatter

It’s a complete transformation in the way I now start to write, the way I structure my thoughts with purpose, using powerful sentences. I think now I have the confidence and approach/methodology to apply it. I am glad I joined this workshop. I was never aware about so many small intricacies of writing.

Kanika Khatter

Testimonial by Neil Nagwekar - Copy - Copy

I was honestly really, really impressed by the program! I felt very privileged to listen to the advice from published authors. I was shown how to be more direct, more hard-hitting without losing the writing craft.

Neil Nagwekar

I have become a better observer and listener. From someone who likes to be alone and talk less, suddenly I have this urge to listen to what everybody has to say. I want to know all their stories to be able to tell mine. Now I try to delve deep in the psyche of my characters and feel what they are feeling and see what they are seeing.

Manisha Prakash

I understand better how to engage my readers more through elements of suspense and touch the raw nerves of emotions. I became better acquainted with the rule of 'Show, Don't Tell'. The discussions were thought-provoking. I really enjoyed the workshop and the space it provided to connect with the upcoming literary circle in India.

Aswini Prabhakaran

It is important that you understand your craft's nuances from a professional point of view and adjust to enable better storytelling. I am writing better, creating more drama, crafting interesting characters. I appreciate the different povs of the co-attendees.

Neeraj Chawla

THE WRITING PROGRAMME

Season 18

A Six Month Intense Personalised Workshop

for Manuscript Development & Publication

If you have a story to tell,

We will help you sail..

Workshop Duration: 6 months

Workshop Fees: INR 60,000 + GST

(USD 900 for applicants outside India)

From August to December, we accept registrations for our 6 months workshop.

The FAQ below will clarify more.

I. Who Can Register?

Those who need help in fine-tuning their manuscripts (written in English, between 30,000 to 50,000 words) and making it publication-ready.
Aspiring writers who wish to initiate writing under expert guidance.

II. What shall we work on?

Develop storytelling skills with each unique voice.
We are open to work on both fiction and non-fiction. All genres are welcome - from thrillers to self-help, mythology to biography, etc. This workshop is not for poetry, but we help our participants learn and weave lyricism and poetic idiom in their prose if their story demands so.

Creating a story that readers love and finalizing a manuscript that publishers love.
Developing the author profiles.
Helping participants understand the target market and developing a marketing plan.

III. What is the Structure of the Programme?

a. REGISTER with all necessary details. Application formalities are mentioned in section - IV.

b. Registrations will be accepted between August to December 2024 only.

c. The workshop will begin within a week of the participant completing the registration.

d. The workshop will follow an online model including classroom interactions, regular tasks and revised submissions. More details in section - V.

e. We expect sincerity and regularity from our participants.

f. At the end of 6 months, we will proceed towards the PUBLICATION OF THE MANUSCRIPT. This, however, is not compulsory - the participants can opt out of this and choose to publish their manuscript elsewhere.

IV. What are the Application Formalities & Programme Fees?

Registration fees: INR 70,800/- (inclusive of taxes) for participants in India. USD 900 for participants outside India

Submit the following with an email to tmysacademy@gmail.com:

an updated bionote of not more than 100 words
payment receipt against the application fee
how do you expect this workshop to help you specifically, in your writing journey

A successful application is subject to the payment of the application fee and submission of all the necessary documents stated above.

Mode of Payment

• For participants residing in India:

Bank details:

Tell Me Your Story OPC Pvt. Ltd.
A/c no : 059685800000177, Yes Bank. Branch - Shankardhan Plaza Junction, MM Road, Mulund West, Mumbai 400080, IFS Code : YESB0000596.

pay via Paypal - interest charges extra. (You don't need a Paypal account, this allows you to swipe a card.)

• For participants residing outside India and foreign nationals:

Email us at tmysacademy@gmail.com for the Paypal link.

*** The Programme Fees are non-refundable.***

V. What's More?

a. Discussions will be held for participants via email and classroom sessions to improvise the manuscript. Participants should be prepared for feedback, guided research, constructive suggestions, constant rewriting and revisions.

b. Reading suggestions, interactions and learning exchange.

c. The manuscripts will be considered for paperback and ebook publication ONLY on successful completion of the workshop. If mentorship sessions are missed, manuscript is not developed appropriately, the participants are unavailable to work on the manuscript, etc. – we will not be able to proceed towards publication.

d. After successful completion of the workshop:

TMYS will take no share from the royalty of the participant-authors or from any other earning that comes to them in lieu of their book.
The participants will be invited in various capacities for various TMYS projects.
The participants will be connected to relevant professionals who can add value to their book-goals.

MENTORS

Dr. Somrita Urni Ganguly

Koral Dasgupta

QUERIES

For queries, please email us at tmysacademy@gmail.com

Kindly excuse us if we do not respond to queries that are already addressed here. We expect the applicants to read the above thoroughly.

*****

About Previous WRITING PROGRAMMEs

Participants registered from India, UAE, USA and West Indies.

The books are available via Amazon now.