The third programme in the Creative Writing Series at Schoolkutti was held on 20, 21 September 2018. The session was on Writing Essays Effectively and it was facilitated by Ms. Anitha S, Asst. Prof of English. The first day’s session began with writing short paragraphs which eventually lead one to writing essays. The first paragraph,that the 11 participants wrote, was on making omelettes, rather it was a piece on each one’s personal experience of making omelettes , rather it was a piece on each one’s personal experience of making an omelette. It was an interesting experience the participants said, as it brought them to something commonplace. It was also a new revelation that it isn’t easy to write about mundane things!! Then the session proceeded to a more complex exercise- like how to write an essay. The facilitator provided the participants with a power point presentation which helped them to understand the steps of writing an essay- starting with the introduction. The participants were the asked to write down a topic for an essay in the chits of paper provided to them.This ensured that there were many topics to write about, which was interesting to the participants. They were divided into groups of 3-4 which helped in generating a lively discussion among the participants. The group dynamics that evolved was highly beneficial to the participants and a session of such a nature. Day 1 ended with a brainstorming session for 10 minutes.

Day 2 began with a recap of the previous day’s activities. The relevance of the Thesis statement and the structure of the 5 paragraph essay was discussed. On Day 2 we actually went on to work on the topic –Pros and Cons of the Glamour World. Again a brain storming session was conducted and key words were enlisted on the board.After that the actual writing process started. It was an interesting exercise as we were dealing with a current and socially and culturally relevant topic . The participants were seen discussing the points to be included. The introduction and the thesis statement set they were seen writing the essay. Modifications and corrections were suggested by the facilitator. After that the final draft was prepared. Altogether it was a very rewarding experience for the 11 participants and the facilitator.