What can a creative writing course do for a writer and why are they needed? I think I just hopped on the bandwagon of a creative writing course out of sheer curiosity. I was curious both about the way such a course works and whether it would really prove beneficial for me.


Landing in an alien country, sitting in a room full of people who are of a different ethnicity, background, religion, country or speak a language different from you was daunting to say the least.


What I enjoyed the most was how each one of them approached writing. The myth of the native writer was broken thankfully because atleast five more people were not native speakers of the language but aspired to write a book. Everyone had a distinct flavour in their writing that somehow corresponded to their personality. A willowy, quiet, young girl wrote about troubled youths, a sixty year old English woman told her story about tea cups and a mother driven up the wall by a son burping aloud in a roomful of peaple.


I really enjoyed the way postcards were used to trigger fragments of writing which were later linked to ideas or words our tutors gave us. These fragments were eventually seamlessly threaded into stories. The excercises our tutors gave us were refreshing and inspiring though exhaustive. We had to write with pens or pencils on paper and computers were not quite welcome during the sessions. ( one person did manage to sneak in her laptop but the pitter patter sound of her fingers on the keyboard was enough to upset one of the tutors)


Writing with a pen or a pencil does have its advantages...and disadvantages. Initially, I struggled to put in as many words as I wanted. My muscles were stiff and not well oiled. It was quite a dilemma. Thinking quickly and then writing in a frenzy to get a decent amount of words on paper. Reading out aloud was not that bad. It helped to know that no one was judging anyone but I think this somehow left one desiring the feedback of others. Perhaps people are afraid to offer criticism not to become a target of it later.


London is an amazing place. It can be snobbish or standoffish at times but still accepting. The kinds of accents one encounters in group sessions, on the trains and shopping areas is enough to set your creative juices stirring. The fact that this activity was strategically located in the middle of Marble Arch and Edgware Road was a treat. I enjoyed walking in the area to catch a bite at Marush (delicious shawarmas) or try out new perfumes at Selfridges or just hop into M&S for window shopping.