Dheera's Workshop of Whimsy

17/02/09

The Bombay Writer’s Retreat set against the backdrop of the peaceful idyll of the Renaissance Hotel, sitting on the lip of Powai lake, sounded just too perfect.

            The 71 odd  participants came from all walks of life. Bankers, consultants, a boxer, some writers, magazine owners, physical trainers, company executives all gathered together with the common need to write. The spacious ballroom set with round tables resonated with views and aspirations towards a common cause.

            Wendy Rohm the soft spoken literary agent and conductor of the retreat, was tentative and patient as many misunderstood the import of the initial writing exercises suggested by her.

            Even though the program digressed off course on the first day with unnecessary  readings from just released books and an irrelevant film show followed by a lengthy discussion, the promise of things to come the next day brought most of the participants back.

            New would be writers joined in and Sunday launched off to a fiery start. The topics covered between the two days were, getting to the essence of the story, plot/action, character, voice, theme, place/setting and structural concerns.   The plot outline was mapped and building suspense was touched upon briefly. The writing exercise I enjoyed was the one in which we had to describe the central location of our story without using adjectives and adverbs. Not very easy to do but what emerged was most revealing.

            Some new books were launched once again but the presentation done by Sonja Chandrachud on her yet to be released Potions of Eternity, was wonderful. Going by her fun-filled, intelligent talk and the description of her characters, I think her books will take the children’s market by storm.

            All in all, the promised topics were eventually touched upon by the end of the session even though I wish we could have had more time to talk about the underpinnings of belief, and the importance of place/setting a vital ingredient for playwrights and screen writers.

            The organization was super. The meals lavish and the company eclectic. Many friends were made and ideas swapped. Retreats like this one must happen often. Writers should form groups by location and meet physically instead of just through the net. Any ideas would be most welcome.

If anyone is interested in an existing and very happening writer’s group, please log onto www.caferati.com.