Imagine Write Creatively is a joint initiative by The Daily Star (TDS) and United International University (UIU) that encourages students to think and write creatively and let their imagination develop through the medium of creative writing. The latest workshop of this programme was held on the main campus of Cardiff International School Dhaka on September 7 in the presence of students from Class 6 to 10.

The workshop kicked off with a brief speech by the Vice Principal of the school, Muhammad Anwar Hossain, where he talked about the importance of practice in honing the students' creative writing skills. As he ended his speech, the co-ordinators, Supriti Sarker who works with TDS and Sharmin Sultana, Assistant Professor and Co-ordinator, English Language Institute (ELI), UIU, took the reins and got the students engaged in several interesting activities.

PHOTO: DARSHAN CHAKMA

Starting with a little warm-up exercise, the co-ordinators went ahead with the main session. Sharmin Sultana explained to the students that they would mainly be working with fiction writing and would be showing them the tricks and techniques that would take their stories to the next level. She began with explaining the importance of developing characters in their stories and discussed some of the questions that the students should keep in mind when they build their characters.

Once Sharmin was done with her part, Supriti took the lead and began talking about the two other important elements of story writing, i.e. the setting and the plot. The students were shown a number of slides and diagrams that made these aspects even clearer. They were then asked to come up with their own characters, and they responded with great enthusiasm and interest.

PHOTO: DARSHAN CHAKMA

Once the co-ordinators wrapped up the workshop, Khurshida Maliyad, a student of Class 7, said, "This workshop was very special, mainly because we learned a lot of things about creative writing here that we didn't learn anywhere else till now."

Ahmed Zahir, from Class 9, added, "This was fun and inspirational at the same time. They (the trainers) pointed out a lot of things that you'd usually overlook while writing stories. The workshop was not too formal, and the fact that we actually enjoyed our time here made it much better."

PHOTO: DARSHAN CHAKMA

Shounok Sarker, from Class 7, had a similar opinion about the workshop. He said, "I'm very fond of creative writing and since this was a workshop on this particular subject, I had a great time. Whatever we learned, we enjoyed learning it and here; we didn't have to memorise anything like we would have to in class, so it was fun."

For the co-ordinators, the workshop was a success. When asked for her opinion on the importance of imagination, Sharmin said, "Albert Einstein had said that if he had to make a choice between knowledge and imagination, he would choose imagination. I feel the same and I'd like the youth to be imaginative and creative and be immortal through their creations."

Supriti went on to mention her concerns about the lack of imagination that is often found in children. She said, "You need to have a vivid imagination to succeed in life and sometimes I worry about how children sometimes have a lack of it these days. The students here helped restore my faith somehow. They were creative and very interactive throughout the process."

PHOTO: DARSHAN CHAKMA

Near the end, the Vice Principal expressed his opinion on the workshop. He said, "I thought it was a fantastic workshop. The students learned about some vital aspects of creative writing and I felt that they enjoyed it a lot. They were participative and I think this workshop has succeeded in making them more interested in writing. I believe that children are born creative, but often, they cannot articulate their thoughts well and workshops like these are of great help in a situation like that. I'm really very optimistic about the outcome of this workshop."

Shreyosi Endow is a tea addict who likes to read poetry and is obsessed with plants. Send her a mail at endow1211s@gmail.com