Upcoming workshop for writers and readers at the Story Company India – Reading like a Writer by Namrata
- Saturday, March 14
- Time: 11 AM IST
- Live Online on Zoom | 2 Hours
There is a popular belief that writing has no rules. And yet, strong stories are rarely accidental.
They are built. Carefully. Intentionally. Through choices about silence, structure, interiority, emotional weight, and place.
Reading Like a Writer: Learning Craft from South Asian Masters offers a different way into craft. Instead of formulas or rigid templates, this two-hour interactive workshop invites participants to learn by closely reading a powerful short story.
The session focuses on noticing craft in action and translating those insights into your own writing practice.
This is not an academic lecture. It is not a critique session. It is a thoughtful, rigorous, and welcoming space to sharpen attention and deepen your relationship with reading and writing.
What Makes This Workshop Different
Rather than teaching abstract principles, this workshop uses close reading as a practical craft tool.
Participants will explore:
- What is left unsaid, and why that matters
- How place functions beyond background
- How interiority is handled
- Where the scene turns
- Which details carry emotional weight
- What craft techniques can be adapted without copying
Through guided discussion and collective exploration, you will examine how experienced writers make decisions on the page and how those decisions generate emotional and structural impact.
By the end of the session, you will leave with a clearer framework for reading as a writer and consciously applying those insights in your own work.
Who Is This For?
This workshop is designed for:
- Beginner and hobbyist writers
- Writers across genres including fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid forms
- Readers who want to understand how stories are constructed
- Anyone curious about the craft choices behind powerful storytelling
No prior experience in literary analysis is required.
How the Session Works
- A short story will be shared in advance for pre-reading
- Participants join a live, two-hour online interactive session
- Guided close reading and group discussion form the core of the workshop
- Reflection focuses on how to translate observed techniques into personal writing practice
The emphasis is on curiosity, attentiveness, and creative confidence.
About the Facilitator
Namrata is the founder of Keemiya Creatives, a literary consultancy, and Bookbots India, a book marketing and PR firm. She is also a podcast host and serves as the editor of Kitaab, a Singapore-based South Asian literary magazine.
An alumna of the University of East Anglia India chapter, she has also studied travel writing at the University of Sydney. Her work, exploring themes of travel, relationships, and gender, has appeared in Scroll, Feminism in India, The Friday Times, Contemporary South Asia (King’s College London), and Asian Review of Books.
She is the author of two short story collections, has multiple short stories published across anthologies, and is currently working on her debut novel.
Through her mentoring and teaching, Namrata focuses on close reading as a pathway to craft mastery, helping writers understand how stories generate emotional and structural impact on the page. She also writes a weekly column, Between the Lines, examining South Asian literature within broader cultural and literary contexts.
Registration
Workshop Fee: Rs 2500
Your seat is confirmed upon payment and submission of the registration form.
Register here:
https://forms.gle/hb6yEcvQbBoqeiuR7
Seats are limited to ensure meaningful discussion and interaction.
If you are serious about deepening your craft, this workshop will help you move from instinct to intention.