On the 6th of March, I attended the first of six “Writers in the Schools of Hong Kong” (WISH) creative writing workshops along with 12 other classmates and students from Maryknoll Convent School. The workshops were conducted by Ms. Nicolette Wong, writer resident of the Research Centre for Humans Values (RCHV), The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The main goals of the workshop were for us to read works of contemporary fiction and to finish writing at least one short fiction story by the end of the 6 sessions and have the story published in an anthology.
I have a strong passion for writing. I love expressing my emotions in words and creating new worlds and people in my stories, fantasizing about the adventures they will have. I dream of publishing a book in the future and having people enjoy my stories as much as I do writing them. So, of course I was excited when my English teacher told us about this writing workshop.
The workshop gave me an excuse to write more. I was able to find my strengths in writing and the weaknesses I have to improve on. Before the workshop, I was very protective about my writing and would not allow people to read them, but the workshop helped me realize that having someone read and comment on my story was the best way for me to improve. I was able to open up and share my story with teachers and even some of my friends. By the end of the workshop, I was able to write two short stories I was really proud of. In the last session of the workshop, the teacher shared my story to the class which surprised me and I enjoyed hearing the comments my fellow classmates made. I did not even wait until the end of the lesson and started editing my story during the workshop!
My writing has definitely improved thanks to the workshop. It helped me deepen my love for writing and encouraged me to continue writing in the future. The writing workshop helped me find my writing style and improve on my skills. It gave me confidence in my writing ability and I was able to appreciate my fellow writers’ creations. It was such a meaningful opportunity for me and I hope there will be more similar workshops in the future.
Written by 3S Bobo Ho